Andrew Prince
Staff Reporter
Now, when girls wear the wrong shirt and show too much skin or even short skirts, we call them "inappropriate." When girls make bold decisions about their lives, we call them mean words and criticize them for absolutely no reason at all. When girls call themselves feminists, we call them "ugly." When girls ask for justice in an unfair educational system, we call them “unheard.” Teen girls are refusing to tolerate any of the above any longer.
One needs to look no further than the protests surrounding sexist dress codes for proof of this. Girls who take issue with these rules are not blindly rebelling, but truly advocating for their right to be heard as sentient subjects rather than passive objects. They see that their protests are still being brushed to the side and discriminatory rules and regulations enforced because their voices still do not hold the same weight as their male peers, which is not right to them. They have a right to fight for what they believe is right and fair. Young women will continue to advocate for their right to gender expression and self-respect in their schools and make their voices as loud as they possibly can. Is this not loud enough? It is not right for them to keep fighting for something that should already have been fixed a while back?
Most recently, high school seniors at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona took action when a sexist cartoon about the school's dress code was posted in their library. The cartoon essentially relayed the idea that when girls show off their legs and wear clothes that are too "revealing," boys can not focus and ultimately drop out of school. They need to keep fighting for something that should have been heard and talked about years ago “ they can’t get listened to” that is not it at all, it is simply they just will not listen to these girls and how they feel.
As a boy at Ironwood High School, I want to state that the way a girl dresses does not affect the way I learn at school or how I feel about school. These girls have every right to dress the way they want. Girls are not distracting because of how they dress, that is such a bold claim. I think it is about time we stand up take charge and listen to what these girls have to say. If a boy can wear ripped jeans with multiple holes, then so can girls, if they are not distracting to girls, then why would it be distracting to boys? If a boy really is distracted it is not the girls’ fault, it is simply the fact that a boy can not act mature enough to be able to think straight. It is dumb that people think what a girl wears is distracting, expect a girl to wear long sleeves or super long-sleeved t-shirts during the summer I have seen boys wear tank tops so many times and not told anything at all, while I have seen a girl sent to the office for wearing a tank top for being a distraction to the class. I hate the way the system is made up. I stand up for these girls in every way and the Ironwood Eagles do too.
Image Credit: Marshall County Highschool
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