Yes, It's Too Sexy for ANY Yearbook

So there is this big brouhaha going on about a Colorado high school student's yearbook photo. Sydney Spies, an 18-year-old Durango High School senior, and her mother are making the TV talk show circuit, claiming the teen's freedom of expression is being squelched.

Spies told 9News, "I'm a dancer, I'm trying to be a model, I really enjoy photography and I think that this is a good thing to represent me and I think they are taking away my freedom of expression."

As a former high school yearbook editor, I think this is a crock of crap.

I am all for freedom of the press, personal expression, yadda yadda yadda, but this is high school. There are things called dress codes and editorial discretion. These rules are in place to protect the children. Spies claims the student yearbook editors first voted to allow it, then changed their minds. Good for them. Perhaps they had time to think about their decision, and cooler heads prevailed.

This is a PUBLIC high school.  The dress code requires students "fully cover the chest, back, abdomen, and sides."  Clearly this get-up violates the code. Period. That's not even getting into the come hither, practicing for Playboy pose or the photo's inappropriateness. 

Stick it in your modeling portfolio, Honey, but not in the public school yearbook.

I'm not sure if I'm more irritated with the teen or her mother, Miki Spies. Yes, it is a mother's job to support her child, to stand by her, and encourage her to stand up for what she believes in. But this is more like shopping her out for a modeling contract or a reality show. It's cheap. It's tawdry. This girl is totally getting pimped out by her mother.

By pushing this issue and the photo into the media, Miki Spies has allowed open season on her daughter.  I've read comments calling the teen a future porn star, a stripper, and stating she'll be knocked up before she graduates. Is this fair? No. We don't know this girl. She could be a straight-A student on her way to Harvard. Which she can pay for by working for an escort service. (Oh, damn, I did it myself.)

And before you say I am judging the mother/daughter duo too harshly, check out the alternate photo Spies submitted to the yearbook (which was also rejected):

Seriously? These photos weren't stolen from a cell phone or leaked without permission.  This isn't a character assassination. They flaunted these on the Today Show (see clip below).

This is the type of situation mothers should protect their daughters from, not promote.

Now Mama is saying they are hiring a civil lawyer to take on the case. Give me a break. There is no case. This is a shameless quest for notoriety and publicity (granted, yes I am feeding it, but it ticked me off).

You've had your five minutes of fame. Stop embarrassing yourselves, put some clothes on, and go back to school.

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