BRADENTON, Fla. — A Tampa Bay-area teen who was called a distraction to students for not wearing a bra has sparked a national discussion.

  • Lizzy Martinez was told her outfit was a 'distraction'
  • Administrators pointed out Knop was not wearing a bra
  • 17-year-old starts bracott as a response 

According to parent Kari Knop, her 17-year-old daughter, Lizzy Martinez, wore a gray crew neck shirt to Braden River High School — an outfit school administrators said was inappropriate.

Specifically, administrators pointed out that Lizzy was not wearing a bra, which was true — Knop says Lizzy had a sunburn that day and chose not to wear a bra to school. 

Now, the teen has initiated a movement called "Bracott," which she hopes to use to send a message. 

Girls who wish to participate to will go braless. Boys will put Band-Aids on top of their shirts over their chests.

They say they want to destigmatize natural bodies. 

Martinez planned Bracott after the incident. 

What Knop has a problem with is how school officials attempted to resolve the problem.

"The dean, after having (Lizzy) put on the undershirt, asked her to stand up and move around," Knop explained. "They handed her four Band-Aids and told her to 'X' out her nipples."

Knop said calling her daughter out for her attire was unfair.

"It's a unisex shirt, if you will," Knop said. "Guys wear it every day, and we would never be staring at their nipples to see if they were hard and X them out because we didn’t like their nipples showing through.

"It should have never happened, and I'm mortified for my daughter."

School district officials said it was a violation but that it should have been handled differently. 

As for Monday's Bracott, Spectrum News' partner newspaper, The Bradenton Herald, said the Manatee County School District declined to comment.