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Samford University officials told all-women groups taking part in the Baptist school’s annual singing and dancing competition to bind their breasts, according to the activist group SAFE Samford (Students, Alumni and Faculty for Equality).
Brit Blalock, founder of SAFE Samford, said she spoke to several women taking part in the competition who said their all-female student groups were told to bind their breasts with Ace bandages or to wear two or three bras to prevent any noticeable movement of breasts during their performances.
“Two performance groups of all women were told their breasts were moving too much, told to wrap them in Ace bandages or wear double or triple bras,” Blalock said. ”University officials told them to bind their breasts. That’s sexual harassment.”
The requests took place during rehearsals, she said.
The performances began Thursday night, continued Friday night, and conclude Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Wright Center Concert Hall.
The directive apparently came from show organizers and was given to show directors, said Rachel Williams, 22, a senior English literature major at Samford.
“I heard it from the directors of my show, and I don’t think they were happy about it,” Williams said. “They instructed us prior to dress rehearsal that we should wear multiple bras; apparently that wasn’t enough, and we were told to use Ace bandages.”
The students had to go out and find bandages, she said.
“We bought out Target and Walmart and several drug stores,” she said. “It was not fun. You’re singing and dancing. It’s a pretty intense six minutes of performing. It was very not fun and it was very insulting.”
No reason was given, but the implication was that being able to see breasts move during the show was considered unacceptable, she said.
“I guess they’re trying to be as family-friendly as possible,” Williams said. “I guess it was not acceptable to have developed past the age of 12 and to perform onstage. They told us if we didn’t do it, we wouldn’t be able to perform. We have worked really hard on this. It’s a ridiculous request.”
Samford University responded to the controversy with a statement issued on Friday night.
“Step Sing has been a cherished tradition on the Samford campus for nearly 70 years,” said Katie Stripling, executive director of marketing and communications for Samford. “As is the case with all theatrical productions, emotions run high and organizers often require last minute changes to costumes and routines. Every year male and female groups receive feedback during dress rehearsal. The professional lighting and high definition video used in this year’s production created issues with costumes that were addressed in order to ensure that none of our students were embarrassed or singled out by what the lights could show. More than 50,000 people will see this year’s performance in person or via the live stream. Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of our students.”
More than 1,200 students across campus take part in Step Sing, the annual student-produced talent show, a tradition dating back to 1951.
“Step Sing is an intensive singing and dancing event,” said Blalock, a 2008 graduate of Samford. “It’s athletic activity. Apparently nothing has been said to men.”
Blalock in 2011 founded SAFE Samford, which stands for Students, Alumni and Faculty for Equality, as an LGBTQ equality group.
https://www.al.com/life/2019/02/stu...omen-to-bind-breasts-for-step-sing-dance.html
Samford University officials told all-women groups taking part in the Baptist school’s annual singing and dancing competition to bind their breasts, according to the activist group SAFE Samford (Students, Alumni and Faculty for Equality).
Brit Blalock, founder of SAFE Samford, said she spoke to several women taking part in the competition who said their all-female student groups were told to bind their breasts with Ace bandages or to wear two or three bras to prevent any noticeable movement of breasts during their performances.
“Two performance groups of all women were told their breasts were moving too much, told to wrap them in Ace bandages or wear double or triple bras,” Blalock said. ”University officials told them to bind their breasts. That’s sexual harassment.”
The requests took place during rehearsals, she said.
The performances began Thursday night, continued Friday night, and conclude Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Wright Center Concert Hall.
The directive apparently came from show organizers and was given to show directors, said Rachel Williams, 22, a senior English literature major at Samford.
“I heard it from the directors of my show, and I don’t think they were happy about it,” Williams said. “They instructed us prior to dress rehearsal that we should wear multiple bras; apparently that wasn’t enough, and we were told to use Ace bandages.”
The students had to go out and find bandages, she said.
“We bought out Target and Walmart and several drug stores,” she said. “It was not fun. You’re singing and dancing. It’s a pretty intense six minutes of performing. It was very not fun and it was very insulting.”
No reason was given, but the implication was that being able to see breasts move during the show was considered unacceptable, she said.
“I guess they’re trying to be as family-friendly as possible,” Williams said. “I guess it was not acceptable to have developed past the age of 12 and to perform onstage. They told us if we didn’t do it, we wouldn’t be able to perform. We have worked really hard on this. It’s a ridiculous request.”
Samford University responded to the controversy with a statement issued on Friday night.
“Step Sing has been a cherished tradition on the Samford campus for nearly 70 years,” said Katie Stripling, executive director of marketing and communications for Samford. “As is the case with all theatrical productions, emotions run high and organizers often require last minute changes to costumes and routines. Every year male and female groups receive feedback during dress rehearsal. The professional lighting and high definition video used in this year’s production created issues with costumes that were addressed in order to ensure that none of our students were embarrassed or singled out by what the lights could show. More than 50,000 people will see this year’s performance in person or via the live stream. Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of our students.”
More than 1,200 students across campus take part in Step Sing, the annual student-produced talent show, a tradition dating back to 1951.
“Step Sing is an intensive singing and dancing event,” said Blalock, a 2008 graduate of Samford. “It’s athletic activity. Apparently nothing has been said to men.”
Blalock in 2011 founded SAFE Samford, which stands for Students, Alumni and Faculty for Equality, as an LGBTQ equality group.
https://www.al.com/life/2019/02/stu...omen-to-bind-breasts-for-step-sing-dance.html
