Dress Code Breakers Are Forced to Wear Scarlet Letter Sweatpants at Virginia High School
Hester Prynne wearing an A. Photo: Everett Collection
Breaking a dress code ranges in punishment from a slap on the wrist or detention to suspension or being sent home for the day. But one school’s unique policy forces rule breakers to wear a pair of sweatpants with the word “dress code” written down the leg, basically a cotton version of a Scarlet letter.
“The fact that shame is being used as a punishment is completely wrong to me,” Lydia Cleveland, a student at James River High School in Chesterfield, Virginia, told local news station WTVR. The 17-year-old, who along with her peers was shown a PowerPoint presentation at the start of the semester detailing the specific sartorial rules of the institution, also noted the sexism of the policy, noting that hats are the only exclusion for the boys, whereas the opposite sex is given multiple impositions. “If you’re going to have a dress code with rules for both genders, enforce it among both genders.” Cleveland doesn’t object to the dress code, maintaining that it promotes professionalism in the hallways, instead she finds that it promotes rape culture.
In one particular instance, she recalled that a group of girls wore athletic shorts to school, the same as the boys, but the former were forced to wear the punishment pants. “If you’re going to have a dress code with rules for both genders, enforce it among both genders,” she surmised.
"The dress expectations, while at school during the instructional day, outlined by James River HS, have not changed and all clothing, including uniforms, must meet those expectations,” a spokesperson for the school said but would not speak in regards to specific claims. Cleveland personally penned a letter to officials with her concerns but has yet to hear back.
A school in Florida had a similar policy last year, with students given a uniform consisting of a neon-yellow T-shirt with “Dress Code Violation” on it and red sweatpants with the same phrase down the right leg. “The school has said this is to embarrass you,” Miranda Larkin, an Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Florida, student said. “It’s supposed to embarrass you so you don’t do it again.”
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
