Gabi Finlayson is a 15-year-old girl who attends the Lone Peak High School in Utah.
Inspired by Audrey Hepburn, her favorite actress, Gabi ordered a new pale pink lace dress that resembled her style for the upcoming dance.
Knowing the strict dress code at her high school, Gabi had the dress altered so that she would not get in trouble.
The school’s female dress code for dances states: “Formals, backless dresses and/or tops may not extend beyond the bottom of the shoulder blades. Girls’ dresses and tops must have a 2” minimum strap on each shoulder. Shawls, boleros, and other shrugs are acceptable if worn over the dress at all times. Cleavage covered.” Gabi was sure that the dress met the school dress code. The straps on her dress were two inches wide and her chest was completely covered.
However, a school representative humiliated Gabi as soon as she walked into the dance with her date. She was told to “cover up” because her shoulders were too exposed. As As a result, Gabi had to wear a bulky winter coat over her dress for the rest of the night.
Infuriated, Gabi decided to speak up about this incident with the support of her mother Kristy. Gabi and her mother claimed that the school had sent disturbing message to its students. Her mother argued that sexualizing shoulders was ridiculous.
Gabi also noted that a lot of other dresses did not seem to meet the dress code but she was the only one reprimanded at the dance. “Somehow my shoulders are sexualized. Like it’s my responsibility to make sure the boys’ thoughts are not unclean.
Maybe instead of teaching girls that they should cover themselves up, we should be teaching boys that we’re not sex object that they can look at,” said Gabi.
Did the school make a mistake? Was her dress, in fact, inappropriate? Let us know your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family, so that you could ask them about it, too.