Dress Code (a found poem)
By Talley Kitzman
- from a Letter to the Editor, "My Daughter Was Dress-Coded for Wearing Shorts" (Jennifer Weiss-Wolf)
my daughter was dress-coded for wearing shorts
her shorts violated the fingertip rule of the school district
whereby shorts or skirts must
reach the fingertips of the extended arm
she was pulled from class and sent to detention
where she was ordered to don
the shirt of shame
an over-sized men’s shirt the covered her
from her neck to her shins
for the rest of the school day
every spring the dress code wars arise anew
parents get a slew of blasts from school administrators
dress code continues to be a concern
specifically with our female students
there is talk about clothes interfering
with establishing and maintaining a learning environment
prompting the question of
whose learning environment is being prioritized
and at whose expense
scripted morning announcements include daily reminders
to the young ladies
about the importance of wearing appropriate attire
similar dress code stories swirl around the internet
a ban on leggings sparked outrage
and the sign
are my pants lowering your test scores
a student was suspended for protesting her school’s practice
of lining girls up
to assess the length of their shorts
and the width of their straps
a sign posted in a nursing school at the University of Texas
lists off-limit attire for women
that distracts from the learning environment
a high school digitally altered yearbook photos
to cover up girls’ shoulders and other body parts.
In rejecting an outfit, I have never,
ever
communicated to my child
that her dress was a “distraction” to others
or that she bore responsibility if someone reacted in any way
favorably, rudely, distracted, or otherwise
to her body.
That schools are passing on this very message to female students
and simultaneously communicating to boys
that their learning environment is being compromised
by the sight of girls' limbs or cleavage
is unhealthy and unsound at best,
illegal at worst.
attention has shifted to how the misogyny embedded in our culture
results in violence against women,
in numbers that are shocking.
The kids are wise to it, too.
Some have started the hashtag #YesAllWomen
and statements representing how they feel about the way
their school singles out girls for attention,
punishment,
and, yes, blame.
Another rallying cry: #Iammorethanadistraction.
Those hashtags give me hope that our
girls will not so easily be shamed
that they get what’s going on
it’s up to us to stand up to school administrators
punished for showing too much of her legs.
school is normalizing the notion that girls’ bodies are distractions.
That girls bear responsibility for boys’ reactions to their bodies.
That boys have thoughts that are inherently impure and will lead to misconduct.
The school’s chosen mode of punishment is
disrupting girls’ educational experiences
and quite possibly hindering their legal right to an education.
The message and actions perpetuated
by gender-biased implementation of school dress codes
the blaming and shaming of our girls
has got to stop.
