A Brazilian student of tourism who was expelled from her university for wearing a minidress that was deemed too short has won $23,800 as compensation from her university.
Geisy Arruda, now 21, was thrown out of Bandeirante University in Sao Paulo last year for wearing the short, pink dress to class. She was expelled for her lack of "ethical principles, academic dignity and morality" by wearing provocative and "inadequate clothing," the Associated Press has reported.
Arruda was jeered by male students who repeatedly called her a "whore." She had to wear a professor's white coat and was escorted by the police.
The university subsequently backed down on the expulsion after the education ministry accused it of "total intolerance and discrimination." Public outrage too had been widespread. She was reinstated, but asked to behave herself. Arruda, meanwhile, went on to become a mini-celebrity by dancing as a Rio carnival queen and appearing in a reality show.
Skimpy clothing is normal on beaches and in nightclubs in Brazil, but is sometimes frowned upon in formal settings.
