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Measure Your Daughters
parents, measure your daughter's skirts
by at least three fingertips' length
parents, measure your daughter's tank top
by at least two fingers wide
"sweetie, come with me."
"why?" i ask
my friends are watching, the classroom is mostly silent
"sweetie, come with me."
"why?" i ask again
"what is our rule about skirts?"
I look down
mine is just above my knee, which apparently translates to something
this fabric sends signals i'm unaware of
"take my hand, we'll go to the front office."
"why?" my question goes unanswered again
she takes my hand and leads me to the front of the classroom
my friends are still watching
"class, what's wrong with her skirt?"
murmurs erupt, snickers scatter around
one boy says he like it
another shouts that it should be shorter
now they're laughing
"class, we'll be back."
she squeezes my hand
her eyes say i should've known better
that i learned the hard way
she leads me out of the classroom
we walk down the hallway to the office
as she tugs me along
parents, measure your daughter's shirts
the chest and midriff must be covered
parents, measure your daughter's pants
no loose clothing allowed, but it cannot be tight either
she's back in class now, shutting the door behind her quietly
that's not what she was wearing before
"what happened?" i ask
she says
"my pants were too tight. they showed my figure too much."
her outfit is unenviable
an oversized black and orange sweatsuit
DRESS CODE is stamped along the arms of the hoodie and the sides of the sweatpants
"how long do you have to wear that?" i ask
"for the rest of the day." she answers
she is an example
to the rest of us
of what not to do
a dress code inmate
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I wanted to write a piece that highlighted two true stories about how young girls like me and my friend were constantly reprimanded for their normal clothing choices being labeled as "inappropriate" or "a distraction" in school.