Kata
I’ll use a pseudonym for this story since I go to a very conservative Christian school that would shame me for even saying this. Anyway, I am a 17 year old female, and on Friday evening, at a high school bowling social that was off-campus that I attended, I was told that my outfit broke dress code. First of all, in all of the high school socials I have attended, both on campus and off, never once have I followed the dress code–not because I’m a rule breaker, but because I simply did not know that it existed. I am a runner, and therefore have an affinity for running shorts that are clearly shorter than my school’s dress code allows. (Dress code overview: no exposed midriffs, shirts/shorts may not be more than two inches above the knee, athletic clothes are not permitted at school unless written permission is granted, no tank tops/spaghetti strap shirts, no cleavage, males may not have piercings, no camouflage, no “distracting” hair…. etc.) I attended the social wearing a tank top that was supposed to be tied in the front. It revealed less than an inch of my midriff. After sitting and bowling at the social, in jeans and my shirt, I walked across the room where the two female teachers who were chaperoning were standing. They called me over and told me i needed to untie my shirt. I did. Then I raised the question: Why? There were at least 10 girls at the social wearing leggings (another dress code violation), jean booty shorts, running shorts, tank tops, or some combination of those. There were also two males wearing bro tanks, and nearly all of the males were in athletic shorts. Yet I was the only person reprimanded for wearing something inappropriate. This was, as I was told, because I could easily change it. The teachers were not only cold and disrpectful when they told me to “fix” myself, but also confrontational. My best friend accidentally walked into my lecture, and obviously helped defend me. I was then dismissed, and my other best friend came over and the three of us discussed the incident and how unjust it was. The teachers noticed we were talking, made the (albeit correct) assumption that we were talking about what had just happened. Not only were they confrontational verbally, but they scoffed at my friends and I, rolled their eyes, and made outlandish remarks. Most notably was that “We are a community. The expectation is that you dress modestly. Guys are very visual, and when you dress like that, you cause them to sin”. I was shocked and very much disgusted that a woman would blame the perverted potential sexual actions of men on my choice to wear clothes that I like, so much that I asked for clarification. The same statement was repeated. I was horrified. As a young woman, I am no more than a sexual object that perverts the actions of men, at least in the eyes of my conservative Christian high school.