A lot of people have varying opinions when it comes to school dress code.
Some see students’ clothing as a representation of the school itself, while others feel that it’s ridiculous to claim that a visible bra strap is so distracting that it disrupts classroom learning.
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These opinions vary greatly depending on the school or state you ask.
Most of the time, it’s girls who are dressing ‘inappropriately’.
This isn’t new news. Woman’s bodies have been judged and policed on and off school grounds since the dawn of time.
Maybe sending a child home for wearing spaghetti straps is a little more disruptive to their learning than students seeing their (gasp) human shoulder? But that’s just me.
But in terms of school enrollment, the kid’s outfit is the only one that should matter…right?
If you’re trying to get into a school with a bit of a stricter dress code, fancying up to the best of your ability seems reasonable, in order to make a good impression. Think of it as a mini job interview.
However, one Texas teen is learning the hard way that the way she dresses isn’t the only deciding factor in her future.
The school denied her enrollment over the way her mom was dressed.
When Joselyn Lewis tried to enroll her daughter at Madison High School in Houston Texas, she was told that she was not allowed on school property because her outfit broke the school’s dress code.
Lewis thought at first that administrators mistook her for a student, but when she clarified who she was, she was still denied entry.
She was wearing the outfit above: A T-shirt dress with a graphic of Marilyn Monroe, flip-flops, and a head scarf.
Honestly, we’re living for that orange headscarf. She looks good!
She was enrolling her daughter at a new school to get her away from bullying at her current high school.
She explained to KRPC News that she came into the situation with hope for her daughter, but left feeling bullied herself.
“When I went to Lamar, I had no problems” she explains, “but when I got to Madison High School, they refused me access to the premises because of what I had on.”
“I didn’t understand why my headscarf and my dress would conflict with me enrolling someone in school.”
“I’m not saying that [the headscarf] is a part of my religion, but it could have been,” she said, “Who are you to say that I can’t wear my hair up? In a scarf? Who are you to tell me how to dress?”
Joselyn’s killing the confidence game.
She demanded to see the ‘parents dress code’, but obviously, there wasn’t one.
Though students at Madison are not allowed to wear t-shirt dresses and open toed shoes, she’s not a student—her daughter is.
“I wanted to see proof of where it says parents can come dressed a certain way, but they wouldn’t show me that,” she said.
When Lewis refused to leave, the school even called the police on her.
“They called them on me and I guess he was coming to tell me to leave,” she explained, “but I was already on the phone with the school board.”
Stand your ground, Mama Bear!
Since the incident, the people of the internet have been sharing their opinions.
“She is an adult not working there” one person said, “I personally would not wear a t-shirt dress to school but that is my choice as an adult. But she has every right to wear something on her head and what she wants to as she is an adult”
Others took the school’s side, arguing that Joselyn should’ve been more careful about her outfit choice.
One person told the mother to “dress appropriate when in public, or stay home.”
Another commenter told her to “have some class.”
“My child’s education, anyone’s child’s education should be more important than what someone has on.”
“I can wear what I want to wear,” she stated, “I don’t have to get all dolled up to enroll her to school. That shouldn’t matter.”
Her daughter’s future at Madison is still unclear, but either way, she’s lucky to have such a strong, independent woman in her corner.
