BYU student turns nasty note into opportunity

In the week since Brigham Young University student Brittany Molina got an anonymous note from a male student calling her to repent for the "negative effect" her attire had "on men (and women) around you," that missive has rebounded to her benefit.

She's getting flowers, chocolates and anonymous love notes. Notes of support. Invitations for dates. And a modeling gig.

"We saw the news last week and thought it was silly," said Kate Erwin, co-owner of Cris & Kate's, a Provo clothing company that sells modest apparel. "But we thought, 'Maybe we should contact her.' We just thought Brittany would be the perfect spokesperson and model for the clothes that we sell."

Molina was surprised to hear from the company, but signed on enthusiastically. "I got some cute clothes, and they're really nice ladies," she said. "I was trying to help them out — promote their business."

The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind for the 21-year-old accounting major from Oregon. "Mostly, everyone's been very nice and supportive," she said. "There's been a couple who haven't been."

She admits that when she was first handed what she thought was a Valentine's Day note that chided her for her attire — a modest flowered dress worn over leggings — it was hard. "I cried. I had to ask one of my friends to come over."

She reported the incident on Twitter, including a snapshot of her outfit and the note, printed on lined notebook paper, and the incident soon went viral on the Web.

"Many people come to this university because they feel safe, morally as well as physically, here. They expect others to abide by the Honor Code that we all agreed on," the note read. "Please consider your commitment to the Honor Code (which you agreed to) when dressing each day. Thank you."

"Gosh dang it," Molina wrote on Twitter. " I'll remember to dress in jeans, a sweatshirt and tennis shoes tomorrow. That way I don't make people feel uncomfortable." And the young man who wrote the note "was gone within .5 seconds of handing me that note," she added.

Now she can laugh about the incident. "Imagine coming home and having random notes from people I don't know on my door," she said. "It's pretty funny."

And not only does she have some new clothing, she also has an item in Cris & Kate's clothing line named after her.

"It's called the Brittany's Flawless Slip," said Erwin, who explained it's "like a skirt extender" that has a ruffle along the bottom.

"So if you are wearing a skirt like she was wearing, which some might consider too short, you could always wear the slip under it and it makes it a little bit longer. And it also dresses it up."

"It's all good now," said Molina, who said she's ready to put this behind her and get back to her accounting classes. "It's been a huge distraction and I'm ready to just start focusing again."

spierce@sltrib.com

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