An influencer shared a story of lifeguards telling a 2-year-old girl’s parents to “cover up” her “nudity” at a public pool, and it shows exactly when society starts policing women and girls’ bodies
During the absolutely sweltering heat wave that’s been baking the U.S. this week, many of us have been seeking reprieve at public pools. But as much as going for a swim is a summertime rite of passage, for women and girls, it can be a fraught experience. Case in point: body neutrality activist and Megababe founder Katie Sturino shared a story on Instagram about a friend’s 2-year-old little girl who was told to “cover up” at a public pool, despite plenty of little boys around without shirts on.
“I was just catching up with my friend, and she said that her two-year-old daughter was at swim lessons yesterday and all the little boys around her were shirtless,” Sturino said in her video. “Baby boys were shirtless in diapers, and she was in a swimsuit bottom and didn’t have her rash guard on yet and the lifeguard came over—two different lifeguards came over at two different times—and said, ‘Ma’am, you need to put a shirt on your daughter. There’s no nudity allowed at the pool.'”
Sturino reacted similarly to the way many of us would.
“That made my f****** head pop off,” she said. “Because I was like, ‘This is it. This is when they start policing our bodies.’ They start to say, ‘You gotta cover up. There’s something wrong with you. You’ve gotta cover up, okay? This is not appropriate. Your body, not appropriate.'”
She continued, “‘You’re two years old. You’re a two-year-old little baby.’ These rules are put on women from the start.” In the caption, she echoed her sentiment, writing, “Different rules for boys’ and girls’ bodies start young and are reinforced constantly along the way.”
And she’s right. Referring to a toddler’s naked torso as “nudity” is objectively insane. Especially in a society where 50% of the population—as long as they’re the right sex—is allowed to put that naked torso on full display any time they choose. Policing a 2-year-old’s body? Really? This is where we draw the line.
