Students Fight — and Change — New ‘Acceptable’ Dress Code

A new dress code at an elite public school has many students up in arms.

The updated rules, issued through a bulletin at the Boston Latin School in Massachusetts on Monday, ban gang-related colors and clothing, hats and leggings (beyond those that have been preapproved), see-through apparel, and any clothing that alludes to drugs or alcohol. They also detail the acceptable length of shorts, dresses, and skirts, and width of shoulder straps, for students.

Although such restrictions are standard at many public and private schools across the country, students have taken issue with them and think some of the updated standards are aimed directly at young women. One critic, Charles Cao, started a petition on Change.org, which details the students’ grievances — and which has apparently already had great effect, with the no-leggings portion of the code being overturned this week.

But at its outset, the petition charges, the new dress code sends various outdated messages to the student body, which encompasses seventh to 12th graders: “Yes, we still live in a patriarchal society where men can decide whether a female’s clothing is appropriate or inappropriate. Yes, a body should be covered in order to be attractive. Establishing a sense of shame towards girls bodies is okay and perfectly acceptable. Yes, a girl’s body is a sinful temptation that needs to be covered up at all costs for others to focus on their education. Yes, a female’s body is more tempting and sexual than a male’s body. Yes, it is our fault when girls get raped because they should have covered up and avoided the situation by dressing in a way that does not attract another person.”

The petition, started just five days ago, has received more than 1,200 signatures. Students are speaking out in other ways too, including through the local press.

“After reading [the new dress code], it seemed it was mostly addressed to girls and people of color,” Liliana Severin, a 17-year-old student, told the Boston Herald. “It enforces the sexualization of a young girl’s body. It’s unacceptable to be teaching them that at a young age, especially considering we have 12-year-olds at school.”

And now the administration, it seems, is listening. Cao posted an update on the petition, noting that he and other students had met with interim headmaster Michael Contompasis and several others to work toward reviewing the updates to the dress code. He posted that the headmaster has retracted the provision involving leggings and that they are now acceptable.

“We are very sensitive to the fact that we have kids here who are struggling with their own identity. We don’t want to create an environment where they feel uncomfortable,” Contompasis told the Herald. “No one condones things that might be of serious consequence. We’re not picking on young women any more than we’re picking on young men,” he said. “We’re trying to establish a reasonable code that reflects what we think is necessary.”

In his update, Cao urged students to continue using their voices to instill change in the Boston public school. “We can not move forward as a school without a voice from the student body,” he wrote. “I now ask you to look over the dress code and tell us what parts of the dress code need to change and why.”

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.