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COVER UP! Sophomore Josie Alabre shows off her black spaghetti-strapped tank top that she was wearing under her sweatshirt. Alabre has been told multiple time that this outfit “shows too much.”
Both boys and girls feel the dress code at Dexter High School unfairly targets female students
WRITTEN BY JENNA LENKOWSKI
Josie Alabre came to school wearing her tennis uniform tank top. She was sitting outside at lunch in 90-degree weather but was told to “cover up.” The black spaghetti-strapped shirt was “too revealing” for Dexter High School.
Alabre is only one of many girls who have been dress coded for wearing spaghetti straps or a top that “shows too much.” In a Squall survey of 227 students, 13% said they have been dress coded before, and many answer to the question “Why?” with responses similar to Alabre’s: Crop top, spaghetti straps, and a low-cut outfit.
But out of all the issues DHS has, is the clothing students wear reallythe most pressing issue? Many students don’t think so.
“It’s targeted at girls, and especially if you have a bigger chest,” junior Maria Demerell said. “They definitely single you out, but guys can wear just about no shirt and they won’t get dress coded.”
Both Alabre and Demerell were dress coded while wearing their sports uniform top since they had a game that day. Yes, they were called out for wearing a shirt that a school program picked out.
“I think it’s a little unfair with the dress code,” sophomore Marty Watson said. “I think women are not allowed to wear as much and express themselves. The reasons behind it, I think, are a little sexist and uncalled for. I think it’s unfair that guys can wear mostly whatever but women can’t.”
So is DHS fair about the dress code? It’s not a question most people think about daily, but according to Alabre, the person who dress coded her last year said students should be aware of more enforcement in the future.
“They’re gonna crack down on this next year, and [your outfit is] just too revealing,” Alabre recalled being told.
