There are clothing codes in place at many schools all throughout the world. The majority of the time, these policies specifically target female students.
Simply because of what they wear, young girls are sometimes warned that they are “too distracting” in classrooms.
Nowadays, telling girls that their appearance is more important than their education might be disrespectful.
Girls are occasionally disciplined at school for “dressing too provocatively.”
Many children miss out on crucial learning time because they are given detention or even pulled out of class.
Dr. Catherine Pearlman, a mother, has taken to the internet to protest the discriminatory clothing code at her daughter’s school.
On Instagram, Dr. Pearlman shared a photo of her daughter wearing the shorts she was sporting. As you can see, her daughter violated the dress code since her fingertips extended beyond the length of her shorts.
In addition to being a registered clinical social worker, Dr. Pearlman is the author of the parenting guidebook “Ignore It!” for handling particular behaviors.
It’s safe to presume she is knowledgeable about matters affecting children because she also runs a parenting advice website called The Family Coach.
The true stinger of the whole scenario is as follows: Dr. Pearlman claims that there isn’t even a formal dress code at the school.
Therefore, despite the lack of a dress code, the school somehow determined that her daughter’s outfit was unacceptable. Huh?
She addressed a letter to the principal of her school in her initial post.
The letter said:
“Dear Middle School Principal: Thank you for sending a note home for the second day in a row to say my daughter was dressed inappropriately for school.”
Catherine asked the teacher if she might take her daughter shopping so that she could view the “variety” of clothes that were available.
“I’d like to offer an additional thank you for forcing her to change into large mesh shorts that have been worn by only god knows who and potentially never washed…To reward you for treating my daughter with such concern, I am cordially inviting you to take my daughter shopping,” she wrote in her post.
As other parents saw there were issues with various dress code requirements, the letter quickly gained popularity.
Dr. Pearlman also requested assistance from the principal over her daughter’s “body type.”
“Here are the specifications you have to work with. I wish you loads of luck. She is 5’7″ and 13 years old. Built more like her father, she has exceptionally long legs and arms,” she wrote.
She continued by mentioning a few of her daughter’s fashion likes.
“She doesn’t like anything pink or purple or frilly. No item of clothing can have a logo visible because to her that’s not cool. She will, however, wear any type of superhero, Green Day or USFL T-shirt if you can find them,” Catherine said.
Shopping with teenagers is already stressful enough, let’s be clear.
A rigid clothing code is the last thing that parents need to add to the equation.
Many people came to understand how unfair it is to pick out girls in schools based only on their clothing after the letter went public.
It’s difficult to refer to them as a “distraction” in schools.
Catherine’s essay served as a catalyst for others to speak up about their own instances of body shaming brought on by school dress regulations.
It seems that despite parents’ and students’ best efforts, they continue to run afoul of clothing restrictions.
Teenagers also discussed how they felt about dress codes.
It can be difficult for female pupils to adhere to a school’s clothing code because they are growing and developing quickly. The cost of constantly purchasing new clothing can also be a burden on some families’ budgets.
Others said that it was past time to cease “sexualizing” women.
“People need to stop sexualizing women’s bodies I can’t wear what I want at school and my mum has no valid reason why showing skin is bad,” said one Instagram commenter.
According to Dr. Pearlman’s Instagram update, the school district where her daughter attends has made some modifications.
“Anyway as you may have seen the letter went viral. Since then our district (50k students) changed the code and it’s no longer acceptable to say girls are a distraction. The code is also more flexible in what can be worn,” she wrote.
Many internet users thought the mother had a very good point.
One person wrote:
“There is no justification for these kind of gender specific rules. It is body shame, period, and it teaches girls that they are responsible for other people’s independent actions.”
That’s a major victory in my book!
At least one school system has acknowledged how troublesome some of these policies are for students and their parents as a result of Dr. Pearlman’s outspokenness.
In general, individuals were pleased that the school acknowledged its errors.
Not everything is intended to be for male consumption or attention. It’s time to eradicate the prejudice toward young girls.
