From hair to skirt inspections, schoolgirls across India are being taught one thing loud and clear: your body is a problem.

Slut-shaming in Indian schools—whether public, convent, or boarding—starts young and comes from all directions. It’s in the whispered insults from classmates. It’s in the loud moral policing from teachers. And it’s in the quiet, soul-crushing embarrassment that follows a girl through adolescence and well into adulthood.

Let’s explore how slut-shaming plays out in school corridors, staff rooms and assembly halls, and what it’s doing to girls across the country.

Hair Tied, Lip Balm Off: How Teachers Slut-Shame Students

If you went to school, chances are you’ve heard one of these lines:

“Is this a school or a fashion show?”
“Do you want boys to stare at you?”
“Girls like you are asking for attention.”

Teachers, often unknowingly, play the role of moral gatekeepers. In public schools, this might mean an impromptu dress inspection during assembly. In convents, it could be a ruler to the knees or confiscating lip balm for being “too distracting.”

Some Common Ways Girls Are Shamed

• Hair: Girls are forced to keep their hair tightly tied. Open hair is seen as seductive.

• Uniform checks: Skirt too high? You’re a “bad girl.” Dupatta slipping? You’re “trying to show off.”

• Makeup and skin care: Even a dab of lip balm or kajal gets you publicly scolded.

• Body policing: Girls with larger breasts are often discouraged from dancing, running, or participating in stage events.
  
  On r/TwoxIndia, a user recalls:

“I was slut shamed for putting on lip balm, and braiding my hair in one pony tail instead of two… Our PT teacher bought scissors and made girls open their hems… I was also slut shamed for not wearing shorts under my skirt.”

Another user says:

“...if you wear a pink bra underneath your white shirt, the teacher… told her ‘you wear all this for male attention.’”

Girls Who Talk to Boys = “Cheap”

Slut-shaming isn’t just about what girls wear. It’s also about who they talk to.

Many schools still discourage girls from interacting with boys, framing co-ed friendships as morally dangerous.

A user on r/TwoxIndia remembers:

“Male classmates randomly disrespected me and called me easy to get… just cause they saw me talking with a few male friends.”

In several convent and boarding schools, girls were given “moral lectures” about how speaking to boys “ruins your reputation” or “makes you look available.”

This manufactured shame often extends to participation in group projects, sports, or cultural fests. Girls are taught to limit themselves. Not for safety, but to protect their so-called “virtue.”

Peers Join the Shaming Too

Boys quickly learn that teasing girls for their clothes or friendships is socially accepted, even funny! If a girl hangs out with male classmates, she’s branded as “easy,” “attention-seeking,” or worse.

“Male classmates randomly disrespected me and called me easy to get… just cause they saw me talking with a few male friends.”

Girls aren’t always allies either. Many internalize these norms and become enforcers of moral rules. Rumors, slut-labeling, and gossip become weapons.

“In class 8th I started wearing a bra… a girl in my class touched my back and told everybody that I am wearing ‘mummy wala bra.’ It was so embarrassing.”

Many of these experiences echo what we documented in our earlier blog on slut-shaming in Indian schools, where girls shared how they were punished not just for what they wore, but for simply existing—talking to boys, growing breasts, or laughing too loudly.

The Hidden Cost: What Slut-Shaming Does to Girls

In the short term, slut-shaming leads to:

• Humiliation, anxiety, and shame around the body and its natural functions.

• Fear of expressing themselves or asking questions.

• Withdrawal from sports, assemblies, or normal social life

In the long term, it leaves scars that are harder to see:

• Poor body image and low self-esteem.

• Difficulty trusting authority figures and forming relationships.

• Internalized misogyny and self-policing.

• Repressed sexuality and shame around desire.

Girls who are repeatedly shamed at school learn to shrink themselves. They hide their personalities, cover up their bodies, and believe they are “bad” for simply existing.

What the Experts Say

Dr. Avni Tiwai, a practicing psychologist, says that repeated slut-shaming in adolescence can lead to long-term trauma.

“She feels depressed and suspicious… loses self-confidence and feels worthless… shame, embarrassment, deep humiliation and unbearable pain.”

Commentary by Outlook India cites multiple school-based testimonials showing how “progressive” schools still push outdated moral standards—segregating boys and girls, enforcing policing under assembly lines and lunches

So, What Needs to Change?

• Teacher training: Staff must unlearn sexist policing and be trained in gender sensitivity and mental health.

• Uniform policies: Dress codes should be practical, not patriarchal.

• Sexuality education: Age-appropriate, body-positive education can help undo years of shame.

• Support systems: Schools need counselors, safe spaces, and anonymous reporting channels.

• Call out peer behavior: Bullying based on appearance or friendships must be treated as a serious offense.

Final Thoughts

Slut-shaming in Indian schools is not just a teenage phase. It’s systemic, gendered violence dressed up as “discipline.” When we mock girls for their hair, bodies, friendships, or confidence—we are telling them that their autonomy is shameful.

And until schools stop punishing girls for growing up, we’ll keep raising women who second-guess every part of themselves.

About the Author: 

Madhu (she/her) has been an avid reader of all things spicy since her childhood. She writes sassy blog posts and listicles now so that others may benefit from her wholly inappropriate, wholly informative tastes, too.