Schools
'Too Much Skin:' Girls Must Submit Photos Of Dresses Before Dance
Girls have to send photos of them wearing their homecoming dresses for review before they're allowed to buy tickets to the dance.
WAUKESHA COUNTY, WI — Concerned about young ladies showing too much skin, a Wisconsin school district is under fire for requiring students to submit photos of their homecoming dresses for review before they can buy tickets to the big dance on Oct. 7.
According to a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Pewaukee School District's rule has been in place since January 2015, however the newspaper is reporting that an email sent out by the district to families is causing a stir.
"It's really out of a sensitivity to our students," District Superintendent Mike Cady told the Journal Sentinel. "We want (school dances) to be a positive experience. We don't want anyone to show up and have to be sent home because of a dress-code violation."
Find out what's happening in Waukeshafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Cady went on to say that parental feedback has been "heavily positive and supportive" from the community and that the only really negative reaction has been "external, primarily via social media."
The school district also issued a statement:
Find out what's happening in Waukeshafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"This proactive measure has been put in place to enforce existing dress code expectations and avoid a situation in which a student attends a dance and must be sent home due to non-compliance with the dress code."
According to district rules, bare midriffs, backless dresses, spaghetti straps and bare shoulders are banned.
Although the dress code applies to all students, only students wearing dresses — which amounts to only girls — are required to submit a photo of themselves wearing their outfit.
"The girls are essentially being held responsible for the wayward thoughts (administrators) think boys have," Rebecca Sheperd, whose daughter is a Pewaukee freshman, told the Journal Sentinel. "They're being told, 'You are the problem.' These are the roots of rape culture, frankly."
According to an ABC report, Michelle Jenkins, who is a principal at a Milwaukee-based charter school, said the girls are not allowed to show cleavage or wear strapless dresses.
Image via public domain pictures.net
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
