“Not being able to wear leggings because it’s ‘too distracting for boys’ is giving us the impression we should be guilty for what guys do,” Hasty said in an e-mail. “We just want to be comfortable!” – Evanston Middle School Students Protest Dress Code Over Leggings, Yoga Pants
Though the article is sort of confusing on the rules of leggings but my understanding is that under the previous policy, girls could wear leggings as long as they wore a shirt/dress/skirt of a certain length over top. The new policy was to ban yoga pants and leggings and that is what the girls are protesting. It seems the school has said that they did not change the policy, causing confusion in the way the article reads. However, I think it is an interesting discussion about the ways in which we choose to sexualize bodies, the way we police dress codes, and the way young girls learn about what their bodies mean to society. The article also points out the inconsistent enforcement of the rules, often targeting girls whose bodies are more developed than their friends. Unfortunately, this only seems to cause shame, confusion, and embarrassment.
In discussing this article with a male friend, he pointed out that the school was unfairly blaming the boys for the new rules. While I agree that the administration is probably misrepresenting their boys, they are reflecting the larger views of society: the clothes that women wear are responsible for men’s behavior (whether violent or simply inappropriate). The administration is also teaching the boys (not just the girls) in their school that if boys are distracted, it is because of the way the girls are dressed and not because they aren’t paying attention to the lessons. As one mother said in the article, at what point do we stop allowing girls to go to school because boys can’t handle it?
I liked this article in particular because it seems the school is actually responding in a positive way to some of the girls efforts. These are important conversations to have. At what age do we sexual the female figure? Who should be held responsible for it (the boys, the girls, the parents, schools, etc)? How do we make schools a conducive learning environment for boys and girls alike? How do we decide what is an appropriate dress code and what is a discriminatory policy? The school seems willing to have these conversations and I think that shows a positive trend I’d like to see continued. It’s a conversation that needs to be had.
– Lindsay Cortright