ATLANTA — One Atlanta teacher is facing criticism on social media for an outfit she wore to school.
The Root reported that Patricia Brown, a fourth-grade teacher at a public school in Atlanta, wore a form-fitting dress in class and the now-deleted photo of her outfit, which was posted on her public, now private Instagram page, went viral.
A quick scan of Brown's Instagram page shows that photos of her outfits worn to work are fairly similar: she typically pairs knee-length, high-neck dresses with flats or heels and sometimes a cardigan, blazer or sweater, but the attention Brown has received for her clothes has led to many of them being deleted.
The Daily Dot reported that the picture being criticized on Twitter -- which launched the hashtag #teacherbae -- and Instagram was deemed inappropriate, but some came to Brown's defense, saying that certain dresses may look a particular way on her because she has a curvy figure.
Some on Twitter criticized the focus on Brown's clothes rather than her work as a teacher and others blamed a culture of sexualizing women.
Y'all turned her into #teacherbae got her nationally trending & all she tryna do is teach kids as a passion smh now the spotlight on her
— OutHere 🌐🌐🌐 (@DJOutHere) September 12, 2016
Y'all focused on her body and not the TYPE of teacher she is? If she's a good teacher helping youth grow why y'all sweating her? #teacherbae
— Jay Warren (@jywrrn) September 12, 2016
"I just wish they would respect me and focus on the positive and what truly matters, which is educating the children of the future generations and providing and caring for them," Brown told The Daily Dot.
Funny how nobody posted this pic of #teacherbae. The one that matters. You guys are only focusing on the negative. pic.twitter.com/i35y6hpbL7
— NUFF (@nuffsaidny) September 12, 2016
Brown's decision to make her Instagram account private may have been because og the focus on her attire rather than her job.
"Atlanta Public Schools can confirm that Patrice Brown is a paraprofessional employed with the district," Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement. "She was given guidance regarding the APS Employee Dress Code, the use of social media, and Georgia Code of Ethics for educators, and she has been cooperative in addressing her presence on social media."
Cox Media Group