• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Middle school is utter shit. Kids are awful to each other as much as they are to their teachers. We literally had to pull our daughter out of her public middle school and put her in a (thankfully also public) online school because she was bullied to the point that she was having thoughts of self-harm. And she hadn’t even let most kids know she was queer yet. She just dared to do things like wear spiked collars, which apparently made her a furry. I don’t even want to know what would have happened when the school decided she was a queer furry.

    • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      I’m not saying bullying is ok, but I think I would interpret a spiked collar in public as fetish gear unless it was part of an elaborate punk outfit.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Even if that’s true, fetish gear does not equal furry.

        But also, she wears things like Ramones and Dickies shirts. I’m not sure if that counts as elaborate enough?

      • Routhinator@startrek.website
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        4 months ago

        Spiked collars were standard pieces added to punk gear in the 90’s, along with spiked wristguards. It was supposed to look mean/tough.

        I missed a trick or something, I know anything has someone who has a fetish for it after 30 years online, but are we saying the public now views standard 90’s punk accessories as fetish gear?

    • tiredofsametab@kbin.run
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      4 months ago

      The idea of being able to wear something like that didn’t even cross my mind. When I was in high school (public school in rural Ohio), they’d just tell you to hand it (necklace) over until the end of the day or go home. I think high school is when they finally relaxed the hair restrictions for boys (not below the collar and only natural colors for all students) and I think that’s because a student who moved from the city’s parents were suing to keep their long-, dyed-hair son in school. I’m not saying I agree with things being that strict, by the way; I just didn’t realize that was even allowed now.