Students’ ‘wife beater Wednesday’ dress-up day canned by Christchurch’s St Bede’s College

Year 13 students from St Bede's College were intending to dress up in white singlets, sometimes referred to as "wife beaters" before the school learned of the plan and intervened.

A Christchurch high school has slammed its students’ choice of dress-up theme, after learning of a proposed “wife beater Wednesday”, which was canned a day before the dress-up event.

Year 13 students from St Bede’s College, a Catholic boys’ school, were intending to dress up in white singlets, sometimes referred to as “wife beaters” before the school learned of the plan and intervened, Stuff reported.

A school spokesperson said the students had “amended the agenda” of what was previously intended to be a “wacky Wednesday”.

The theme was originally for senior students to attend school wearing wacky clothing; however, the spokesperson said a closed online page with the students had the dress theme altered.

The school did not give permission for the theme change, according to the spokesperson, the students were collectively sat down by school officials today and spoken to “at length” about the theme.

“An apology went up on the page and we spoke to the students at great length about how the theme was inappropriate, it wasn’t in line with values of the college and they needed to change back to the original plan,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said she understands the theme has now been changed to a Hawaiian shirt Wednesday.