By Chloe Farand, The Independent
A
student has stripped down to her bra and underwear during her thesis
presentation in protest against her professor's comments that her choice
of clothing was inappropriate.
Letitia
Chai, a senior student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, took
off her clothes during her presentation, which was filmed on Facebook live, to stand up against "oppressive beliefs and discrimination".
Ms
Chai organised the protest after her teacher allegedly questioned her
choice of clothing during a test run of her thesis presentation and told
her: "Your shorts are too short".
Describing
the incident in a Facebook post, Chai wrote: "She proceeded to tell me
in front of my whole class that I was inviting the male gaze away from
the content of my presentation and onto my body."
"I think that I was so taken aback that I didn't really know how to respond," she told the Cornell Sun.
Ms
Chai said that some students in the class were also surprised by the
teacher's comment but one international student agreed with the teacher
and told her she had "a moral obligation to dress more conservatively"
in respect for her audience.
"Needless to say, I was shook," Ms Chai wrote.
After
she left the classroom, her teacher came out to talk to her and
according to Ms Chai, she asked her what her mother would think of her
outfit.
"What
would my mom think? My mom is a feminist, gender, sexuality studies
professor. She has dedicated her life to the empowerment of people in
all gender identities. So, I think my mother would [be] fine with my
shorts," she wrote.
When asked what she was going to do, Ms Chai replied: "I'm going to give the best damn speech of my life."
Writing on Facebook,
Ms Chai invited others to support her on the day of her actual
presentation and asked people to "strip down" to their underwear with
her during her 15-minute address.
The event was filmed on Facebook Live as Ms Chai removed her clothes and some of the students in the room joined her in support.
She
told the audience of several dozens that this was a call for
"solidarity" with students like her who had been asked to "question
themselves about their appearances for the comfort of others".
The
teacher involved told local media: "I do not tell my students what to
wear, nor do I define for them what constitutes appropriate dress. I ask
them to reflect for themselves and make their own decisions."
Following
the incident, 11 of the 13 other students in the class issued a
statement saying they "supported Ms Chai's commitment to the cause of
women's rights" but did not agree with her recollection of the events.
"All
of us feel that out professor's words and actions were unfairly
represented in the post, with certain quotes taken out of context and we
wish to clarify any misunderstandings that may have occurred," they
said.
The students described their teacher as an "outstanding member" of the university and "a gift to Cornell".
"In
an environment like Cornell, where it is so easy to feel dismissed by
both your peers and higher-ups, she is unparalleled in her support of
us," the statement read.
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