'My two-year-old was told to 'cover-up' by pool lifeguards - it's disgusting'

25 July 2023 , 10:36

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Her daughter was told to cover up (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images)

Childhood is a really innocent time where you feel free and have fun, without the weight of societal expectations on your shoulders - especially gendered expectations. With this in mind, one woman was understandably horrified when a friend revealed that her two-year-old daughter was asked to cover up at a pool by two lifeguards.

Katie Sturino took to her Instagram page to express how disgusted she was that a child's body was being "policed" in such a way, sharing that she was shocked this sort of attitude is shown towards girls from such a young age.

Her friend told her that little boys of the same age were of course topless, but her daughter was the one asked to cover her bare chest.

The mum was allegedly told that "nudity is not allowed at the pool", despite the fact that her daughter is just two-years-old and had her swimsuit bottoms on - she just hadn't got her rash guard on yet. She was reportedly told by two different lifeguards: "Ma'am, you need to put a shirt on your daughter."

Katie, from the US, said that when her friend told her this it made her "f**king head pop off" saying that this must be the age that girls' and women's bodies start to be policed. She said that she found it horrible that a child was told that their body was not "appropriate", despite the fact her pal's daughter is only "a two-year-old little baby."

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"These rules are put on women from the start", she fumed, before asking her followers what they thought about the situation. She'd captioned the video: "Different rules for boy's and girls' bodies start young and are reinforced constantly along the way. What are your thoughts on this?"

In the comments, other parents fumed. One wrote: "Yeah it's a little weird, it's not even the policing the body, no nudity rules are rules, so... BUT A 2-YEAR-OLD??? There is nothing to cover up, ugh, it's a baby." Another wrote: "I'd speak to the pool managers immediately and loudly shame the lifeguards."

Someone else said: "My five-year-old went swimming topless. She looks just like the boys do", while another Instagram user said: "Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew calling a baby's body 'nudity' gives all the wrong messages."

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Danielle Kate Wroe