Father's fury after his 13-year-old daughter was sent home from school for having £140 waist-length bright white dreadlocks

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Father's fury after his 13-year-old daughter was sent home from school for having £140 waist-length bright white dreadlocks




A furious father has branded his daughter's school racist after the 14-year-old girl was sent home after getting a dreadlock-style hair cut.

Chenise Benson, 14, claimed her friend of Jamaican origin was allowed by school authorities to keep a similar hair style.

Beyonce-fan Chenise, 14, had dreamed about getting exotic box-braids like the ex-Destiny's Child singer for months - but was left in tears at the school gates after staff wouldn't let her in.

Her friend Jamila, who is of Jamaican origin said their hair was exactly the same.

A policy document on the school's website states: 'Please note we do not allow extreme, unnatural hairstyles or colouring. Any hair accessories should be of a practical nature and should not be decorative.

'If you are in doubt please contact your child’s tutor at the school. Hair should be no shorter than a Grade 3 cut.

'Please be aware that what is and is not acceptable will be decided by the school in line with this policy and the school’s decision is final.

'Please note that in sending your child to George Pindar School that you are agreeing to ensure your child abides by this policy.

'If you have any queries or questions regarding any aspect of uniform, jewellery, hairstyle, please could you contact the school.'

Chenise's father Darren, 39, said: 'I'm not racist in any shape or form - but this is like racism against their own.

'Chenise is being picked out here because she's white - if she was black or mixed-race they wouldn't have a problem.

'Chenise's friend whose dad is Jamaican even told the teachers "look at my hair, I'm still allowed in".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3877806/Father-s-fury-daughter-13-sent-home-school-having-140-waist-length-bright-white-DREADLOCKS.html


I know I'm a stickler for school uniform and proper socks.....but this is ridiculous! How is her hair in any way a problem?

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

That sounds more like an definition of your post than anyone elses Quill.

Proof is in the pudding...I didn't bring up the psychological pc crap.  I was all for treating this for what it is...a passing fad, that takes teen-agers now and again.  

It's all about style, not this pc mumbo-jumbo about permanent emotional harm, etc., etc., etc.  This is the type of stuff you hear on daytime TV shows, after the hubby and kids are gone.  Shows like The View, Dr. Phil, The Dr. Oz Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show,
The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, and so one.

This is an issue about taste.  You don't like it...crissake, say so.  Don't give me this fook-all psycho shit.  No wonder your kids run away from home!  

No, it was an issue about the girl flouting the school rules re hair, which she obviously did.

Remarks about whether it suited her or not, or whether it was a good hairstyle or not were bound to follow, but I blame her parents for that....the poor kid has been torpedoed into the tabloids thanks to them, so it's their responsibility to deal with the fall out.

It's not uncommon though to hear grown women say a chance remark made about them when they were young, about their weight or their looks has dominated the way they have always felt about themselves.

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Proof is in the pudding...I didn't bring up the psychological pc crap.  I was all for treating this for what it is...a passing fad, that takes teen-agers now and again.  

It's all about style, not this pc mumbo-jumbo about permanent emotional harm, etc., etc., etc.  This is the type of stuff you hear on daytime TV shows, after the hubby and kids are gone.  Shows like The View, Dr. Phil, The Dr. Oz Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show,
The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, and so one.

This is an issue about taste.  You don't like it...crissake, say so.  Don't give me this fook-all psycho shit.  No wonder your kids run away from home!  

No, it was an issue about the girl flouting the school rules re hair, which she obviously did.

Remarks about whether it suited her or not, or whether it was a good hairstyle or not were bound to follow, but I blame her parents for that....the poor kid has been torpedoed into the tabloids thanks to them, so it's their responsibility to deal with the fall out.

It's not uncommon though to hear grown women say a chance remark made about them when they were young, about their weight or their looks has dominated the way they have always felt about themselves.

Well, yeah...the rules of the school are a legitimate subject for discussion. Should schools have a dress code and how lenient should it be to accommodate teen-aged whims?

But to say your taste is better than hers, and anything else is psychologically damaging to her...is shear nonsense.

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Proof is in the pudding...I didn't bring up the psychological pc crap.  I was all for treating this for what it is...a passing fad, that takes teen-agers now and again.  

It's all about style, not this pc mumbo-jumbo about permanent emotional harm, etc., etc., etc.  This is the type of stuff you hear on daytime TV shows, after the hubby and kids are gone.  Shows like The View, Dr. Phil, The Dr. Oz Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show,
The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, and so one.

This is an issue about taste.  You don't like it...crissake, say so.  Don't give me this fook-all psycho shit.  No wonder your kids run away from home!  

No, it was an issue about the girl flouting the school rules re hair, which she obviously did.

Remarks about whether it suited her or not, or whether it was a good hairstyle or not were bound to follow, but I blame her parents for that....the poor kid has been torpedoed into the tabloids thanks to them, so it's their responsibility to deal with the fall out.

It's not uncommon though to hear grown women say a chance remark made about them when they were young, about their weight or their looks has dominated the way they have always felt about themselves.

I don't think she will be traumatised in any way from the publicity. Many people chronicle their lives on social media. Any event or issue in their lives and they go straight to facebook to discuss it. People will discuss it for a few days then it will be completely forgotten about.

-------------------------------------------------

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

No, it was an issue about the girl flouting the school rules re hair, which she obviously did.

Remarks about whether it suited her or not, or whether it was a good hairstyle or not were bound to follow, but I blame her parents for that....the poor kid has been torpedoed into the tabloids thanks to them, so it's their responsibility to deal with the fall out.

It's not uncommon though to hear grown women say a chance remark made about them when they were young, about their weight or their looks has dominated the way they have always felt about themselves.

Well, yeah...the rules of the school are a legitimate subject for discussion.  Should schools have a dress code and how lenient should it be to accommodate teen-aged whims?

But to say your taste is better than hers, and anything else is psychologically damaging to her...is shear nonsense.

True. Like it or not, people will experiment with different exotic looks such as braids, plaits, dreads, beads. Many famous singers do it, Men do it too eg Beckham and Timberlake.  No big deal. I''ll get some pics from some old threads.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Jules wrote:
She's a carefree teen, she'll probably cringe when she is older and looks back.

There's no such thing as a "carefree teen".

Carefree might not be the exact word I'm looking for. I cannot describe it in one word. But hopefully some people know what I'm trying to say there. It's a 'carefree' era in the sense that at that age they are entitled to experiment with fashions.

Jules wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:
There's no such thing as a "carefree teen".

Carefree might not be the exact word I'm looking for. I cannot describe it in one word. But hopefully some people know what I'm trying to say there. It's a 'carefree' era in the sense that at that age they are entitled to experiment with fashions.

They are less encumbered by the restraints imposed by society and are therefore freer to experiment with fashion.

Is that it?

Ziz wrote:

Jules wrote:
Carefree might not be the exact word I'm looking for. I cannot describe it in one word. But hopefully some people know what I'm trying to say there. It's a 'carefree' era in the sense that at that age they are entitled to experiment with fashions.

They are less encumbered by the restraints imposed by society and are therefore freer to experiment with fashion.

Is that it?

Spot on, Ziz. And people automatically make allowances for their very young age too, compared with how they'd judge, say, a 30 y.o.

Now I make a lot of threads about fashion - Hairstye, clothes, shoes, so I'll go get some pics on hairstyles of celebs.

So there ya go. Slightly offtopic
These millionairess celebs are all at it ..
with their whacky experimental hairstyles (beads, twists, extensions, dreads etc).
Taste is a personal thing and people generally please themselves rather than have it dictated to them.
Which proves Quill's point.

Still looks hideous on them

Also the girls hair looks a wig a bad one at that.

magica wrote:Still looks hideous on them  

Hi mags.
Yes a couple look dodgy.
But that's the beauty of living in a free society.
They get to choose what they do with their own bodies.

Jules wrote:

magica wrote:Still looks hideous on them  

Hi mags.
Yes a couple look dodgy.
But that's the beauty of living in a free society.
They get to choose what they do with their own bodies.

And that's it in a nutshell.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

The point is that the shape of her face is natural, and there is no comparison with not having a bath. I'm not saying her hairstyle will damage her self-esteem, I'm saying that people like you criticising the shape of her face will damage her self esteem. Trying to take the moral high ground here is not working for you because you just insulted the girl based on the shape of her face. Get a grip.

So is body sweat.  You smell...that's the reason you take a bath.  We do lots of things like that...including styling the hair, shaving the legs and under the arms.  Is it psychologically damaging to admit that?

Get off your high horse and admit it...it's a style you don't like.  Big deal.

Do you have any insight at all? If you criticise a young girl for the natural shape of her face and say it's fat, do you not understand that you could help to set off self esteem issues, and possibly eating disorders? You clearly know nothing at all about women.

Jules wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:
There's no such thing as a "carefree teen".

Carefree might not be the exact word I'm looking for. I cannot describe it in one word. But hopefully some people know what I'm trying to say there. It's a 'carefree' era in the sense that at that age they are entitled to experiment with fashions.

People are entitled to do that at any age, but if there are rules they need to follow in their school or workplace, they should experiment in their own time and preferably in a temporary manner - like clip in extensions or something.

The real issue here is not really what her hair looks like is it? It's about the failure of some people to follow school policies or rules. If someone flouts those rules, the school has to act on that, otherwise everyone would do it. There is room for compromise of course, and school children have always tried to get round the uniform rules a little bit, but this case is quite extreme.

[quote="Jules"]

Syl wrote:

No, it was an issue about the girl flouting the school rules re hair, which she obviously did.

Remarks about whether it suited her or not, or whether it was a good hairstyle or not were bound to follow, but I blame her parents for that....the poor kid has been torpedoed into the tabloids thanks to them, so it's their responsibility to deal with the fall out.

It's not uncommon though to hear grown women say a chance remark made about them when they were young, about their weight or their looks has dominated the way they have always felt about themselves.

I don't think she will be traumatised in any way from the publicity. Many people chronicle their lives on social media. Any event or issue in their lives and they go straight to facebook to discuss it. People will discuss it for a few days then it will be completely forgotten about.

-------------------------------------------------

You have as much idea as I do whether she will be traumatised or not.

It was actually her mother who posted pics of the child on facebook...receiving comments and discussing the style, even disregarding advice that her hair would be too extreme for school.

But having a few comments on social media is hardly the same as having your face splashed all over the newspapers, and having to read strangers condemnations on how ridiculous you look...which this poor kid now has to do.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

No, it was an issue about the girl flouting the school rules re hair, which she obviously did.

Remarks about whether it suited her or not, or whether it was a good hairstyle or not were bound to follow, but I blame her parents for that....the poor kid has been torpedoed into the tabloids thanks to them, so it's their responsibility to deal with the fall out.

It's not uncommon though to hear grown women say a chance remark made about them when they were young, about their weight or their looks has dominated the way they have always felt about themselves.

Well, yeah...the rules of the school are a legitimate subject for discussion.  Should schools have a dress code and how lenient should it be to accommodate teen-aged whims?

But to say your taste is better than hers, and anything else is psychologically damaging to her...is shear nonsense.

I have not commented on her taste, I have made no personal comment at all about the girl...unlike you.

Jules wrote:










So there ya go. Slightly offtopic
These millionairess celebs are all at it ..
with their whacky experimental hairstyles (beads, twists, extensions, dreads etc).
Taste is a personal thing and people generally please themselves rather than have it dictated to them.
Which proves Quill's point.

Some of them look great, others not so much, but it's all personal taste.
Note all women in the pics are at least 10 or 20 years older than the girl in the OP....so they wouldn't have been flouting school rules when they wore their own corn rows and braids would they.

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Well, yeah...the rules of the school are a legitimate subject for discussion.  Should schools have a dress code and how lenient should it be to accommodate teen-aged whims?

But to say your taste is better than hers, and anything else is psychologically damaging to her...is shear nonsense.

I have not commented on her taste, I have made no personal comment at all about the girl...unlike you.

Exactly! Quill is the one making comments on her face shape, and saying that a thinner face is more to his taste.

I simply don't get why some people are not getting this. Of course there are rules at school. There are also rules in the workplace, but generally speaking, it's surely well known that when someone is an adult they can do what they like, as long as they understand the consequences of doing so and don't break the law. What is this obsession with pupils "expressing themselves"? Wear the uniform, stick to the rules, and concentrate on actually learning something.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Syl wrote:

I have not commented on her taste, I have made no personal comment at all about the girl...unlike you.

Exactly! Quill is the one making comments on her face shape, and saying that a thinner face is more to his taste.

Don't put words in my mouth, Raggs. I have said only positive things about her choice. I am being supportive of her.

I say only that if we are all going to make comments on taste ("I don't like it" etc., etc.), and thats what y'all are doing, lend some objectivity to the matter. Say why you do or don't like it.

Jules wrote:

magica wrote:Still looks hideous on them  

Hi mags.
Yes a couple look dodgy.
But that's the beauty of living in a free society.
They get to choose what they do with their own bodies.

True Jules, but rules are rules. During holidays she can wear her hair like that. In school its a no no. Plus her dad is making something big out of this for publicity.

Jules wrote:

magica wrote:Still looks hideous on them  

Hi mags.
Yes a couple look dodgy.
But that's the beauty of living in a free society.
They get to choose what they do with their own bodies.

True Jules, but rules are rules. During holidays she can wear her hair like that. In school its a no no. Plus her dad is making something big out of this for publicity.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Exactly! Quill is the one making comments on her face shape, and saying that a thinner face is more to his taste.

Don't put words in my mouth, Raggs.  I have said only positive things about her choice.  I am being supportive of her.

I say only that if we are all going to make comments on taste ("I don't like it" etc., etc.), and thats what y'all are doing, lend some objectivity to the matter.  Say why you do or don't like it.

I didn't put words into your mouth. You clearly said that it makes her face look thinner, and that improved her face.

Judging from the pictures, I like her hair in the dreads. Improves her face...thins it out a bit.

I haven't said whether I like the hairstyle or not. The relevant issue here is that it's against school rules

Raggamuffin wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Don't put words in my mouth, Raggs.  I have said only positive things about her choice.  I am being supportive of her.

I say only that if we are all going to make comments on taste ("I don't like it" etc., etc.), and thats what y'all are doing, lend some objectivity to the matter.  Say why you do or don't like it.

I didn't put words into your mouth. You clearly said that it makes her face look thinner, and that improved her face.

Judging from the pictures, I like her hair in the dreads. Improves her face...thins it out a bit.

I haven't said whether I like the hairstyle or not. The relevant issue here is that it's against school rules

Right, carrying forth the discussion with reasons for my opinions. But some on here just want to say it doesn't suit their taste, and give absolutely no reason. Who gives a flying fook about their taste if they are not even going to justify it? And how do you justify a matter of taste anyway? Why even go there?

It's down to the school rules verses the girl's own choice. Anything else is irrelevant.

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I didn't put words into your mouth. You clearly said that it makes her face look thinner, and that improved her face.



I haven't said whether I like the hairstyle or not. The relevant issue here is that it's against school rules

Right, carrying forth the discussion with reasons for my opinions.  But some on here just want to say it doesn't suit their taste, and give absolutely no reason.  Who gives a flying fook about their taste if they are not even going to justify it?  And how do you justify a matter of taste anyway?  Why even go there?

It's down to the school rules verses the girl's own choice.  Anything else is irrelevant.

Correct.

At the risk of Quill accusing me of grooming again, I think that's exactly what Rags and myself have been saying from the start.

Syl wrote:At the risk of Quill accusing me of grooming again, I think that's exactly what Rags and myself have been saying from the start.

No...both of you at some point have expressed your opinion.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:At the risk of Quill accusing me of grooming again, I think that's exactly what Rags and myself have been saying from the start.

No...both of you at some point have expressed your opinion.

I expressed my opinion about the breaking of the school rules. I also said they weren't dreadlocks. I don't recall giving my opinion on the actual hairstyle.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:At the risk of Quill accusing me of grooming again, I think that's exactly what Rags and myself have been saying from the start.

No...both of you at some point have expressed your opinion.

Neither of us have made personal comments about the girls looks or her taste though.....unlike your good self.

Syl wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

No...both of you at some point have expressed your opinion.

Neither of us have made personal comments about the girls looks or her taste though.....unlike your good self.

I think you have.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:

Neither of us have made personal comments about the girls looks or her taste though.....unlike your good self.

I think you have.

Please direct me to a post where I have made personal comment about this girls looks or taste.

I did however say this...

"The girl is 13 years old Quill....a child, a bit young to be commenting on her appearance imo.
Shame her parents have catapulted her into the media so strangers can make personal comments on her looks, but no doubt they are happy to do this"

in reply to your post which said this....
"I think it improves the lines in her face.  It slims out her cheeks."

Original Quill wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Exactly! Quill is the one making comments on her face shape, and saying that a thinner face is more to his taste.

Don't put words in my mouth, Raggs.  I have said only positive things about her choice.  I am being supportive of her.

I say only that if we are all going to make comments on taste ("I don't like it" etc., etc.), and thats what y'all are doing, lend some objectivity to the matter.  Say why you do or don't like it.

You don't know why she wanted that hair do, so how are you able to be supportive? All you have done is make comments that the hairstyle makes her face look thinner and so more attractive in your opinion. She is 13 Quill, you shouldn't be thinking any such thing.