Wear low-cut' tops, varsity tells students

The Brussels Free University in Belgium landed with an egg on its face and apologised to students on Facebook for sending out an email suggesting that women wear low-cut tops for their graduation ceremony.

The apology was posted on the social networking site after the offending email, sent out by the medical faculty, was circulated online. The email advised that “from an aesthetic point of view, it is preferable if young women wear a dress or a skirt and a nice low neckline.”

For male graduates, there was no word on aesthetics and it plainly said they could wear a suit. The message came to light after it was posted on the ULB Confessions page on Facebook with the note “a little scandal”. Netizens reacted to the post with anger and disbelief and could not believe the university could send out such an advisory to students. Many of them accused the university of sexism. The post had more than 600 comments.

“Is this a joke? They are graduates of medicine and we’re asking them to show their chest?” one commenter wrote. Another wrote: “The dress I can understand but the ‘nice cleavage’ ?????? you got a Phd, but who cares, shows your nipples.” The Parisien newspaper published the story as the outrage grew leading to the university posting its “sincerest apologies” to Facebook and Twitter. “It goes without saying that the instructions related to the clothing of young graduates are contrary to the values of the ULB and this faculty,” it said.