Miss Universe Australia’s message to Melbourne schoolboys

Model Maria Thattil has spoken out about the “inappropriate” and “sexist” culture in schools in the wake of a social media scandal.

Miss Universe Australia has been asked to speak at a school where she exposed vile social media chat groups degrading young women run by its students.

Current and former male pupils of Nossal High School in Berwick, which is one of the state’s top selective schools, are part of the group chat on Instagram and Snapchat that shames young women.

Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil, 28, named and shamed the school after accidentally being added to the chat.

In an email sent to parents and students on Tuesday night, the school’s principal Roger Page, said he had spoken at “length” to Ms Thattil and that she would work with the school to further highlight and address the issues within the school community.

Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil.

Ms Thattil has spoken out about sexism in schools.

“I am appalled and embarrassed by what I am hearing as such behaviour goes against all that our school stands for,” he said.

Ms Thattil, from Melbourne, said she had spoken to at least two principals about addressing the “inappropriate” and “sexist” culture in schools.

“I’ve spoken to two principals and what we’re looking at doing is addressing the cohorts and facilitating this conversation,” she said.

The group is run by about a dozen current and former Nossal male pupils.

In one vile message, a female pupil is called a “mole rat” and other explicit and degrading content is shared among the boys.

Ms Thattil said she was “disappointed” boys had not changed in the decade since she left high school.

“It just highlights how for a very long time it is largely women who are bearing the emotional weight of this particular issue and it feels at times that we are just speaking to an echo chamber of equally scared or afraid women.

“When I was younger I too was lied about, harassed and mistreated and it was all to be perceived as popular, masculine and to gain a higher social status by male peers.”

She said conversations including toxic masculinity and other issues needed a universal response.

“This needs to involve everybody, men, women, schools, policy makers and educators … everybody needs to be involved.”