Josephina Thompson was going to her first period class in her high school located in Huntsville, AL in August 2015 when she was stopped by a security guard.
The security guard told Josephina that her outfit was inappropriate for school. The security guard then informed her that she wouldn’t be able to go to her class unless someone would bring her a new set of clothes for her to wear.
Josephina’s mother was furious when she heard about this. Her daughter had been denied her education because of an outfit that wasn’t even inappropriate. She decided to voice her anger on Facebook to really scold the high school.
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“I would like someone to please explain to me how this is justified,” she wrote in her Facebook post.
“It boils down to the claim that girls’ ‘revealing’ clothing is a distraction to male students.”
Deanna Wolf was outraged when she heard that her daughter, Josephina, had been denied access to her education because of an outfit.point 292 |
Josephina’s high school in Alabama has decided that her outfit was so inappropriate that she should be locked in a room until she found another, ‘more appropriate’ outfit to wear.point 168 | 1
In August 2015, Josephina and a friend were walking through the the halls on their way to their first class of the day. The pair were stopped by a security guard who instructed them to go to ILC, which is a discipline room.
The two were then told they would not be able to leave the ILC until someone brought in clothing that the school deemed more appropriate for school. What clothing were the pair wearing? Well..
Yup, that’s right. Josephina was wearing ankle length, black leggings along with a baggy, long grey sweater. Not exactly the most promiscuous outfit.
The school dress code allows for leggings, but only if there is another item covering the area 3 inches above the knee.
Deanna, however, believes that the Josephina’s outfit fits those requirements. She is so confident that she decided to take it to Facebook where others could weigh in with their opinions on the subject.
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“Huntsville City Schools, I would like to ask a question.point 236 |
What are you teaching our children about their bodies and their minds? My daughter was not allowed to go to class, and was held in ILC for an entire class period because she wore this outfit to school.point 164 | She would have been held even longer had someone not been able to bring her more ‘appropriate’ clothing.point 255 | 1
“I would like someone to please explain to me how this is justified. Why single a student out, put her in a locked room and inhibit her learning because of one faculty member’s INTERPRETATION of her clothing? It boils down to the claim that girls’ ‘revealing’ clothing is a distraction to male students.
“That the mere idea of a girl even HAVING a derriere (or, heaven forbid, shoulders) is so scandalous that we must stop everything and hide her away.”
facebook.point 9 | com/deanna.point 20 | parrett.point 28 | 7/posts/10100200702168823">Facebook / Deanna Wolf
“I am sick to death of the public shaming of the female form.point 125 | You are telling girls that their bodies are to be hidden, and that boys cannot control their minds if they see the basic female figure.point 236 |
It’s disgusting and it belittles both sexes.point 40 | Not to mention that this whole situation clearly states that a girl’s education has less importance than a boy’s education, and that her right to said education is secondary to providing a distraction-free learning environment for the opposite sex.point 254 | 1
“Your misguided attempt at disciplining my child has only succeeded in giving an example of the skewed gender bias perpetuated by society. The lesson she learned today was NOT that her clothes were inappropriate, but rather that the behavior of the school was inappropriate.
“It’s asinine things like this which push more and more parents to homeschool their children.”
The post quickly went viral, amassing over 3,000 shares on Facebook alone. People debated in the comment section whether sexism is at fault or if Josephina simply wasn’t following the rules that she agreed to.
Either way, Deanna’s post has certainly sparked some debate on whether dress codes are really the best way and if denying students their education if they do not adhere is the best strategy.
Josephina also posted on Facebook how she and her friends were tackling the gender-based double standards by distributing fliers to students and staff at the school.
“…I am not going down without a fight. I’ve always been pretty chill with the way women are looked at because I’ve never really thought much about it until now, but I am so sick and tired of being ridiculed and singled out just because I have a damn vagina. I have body parts men don’t, and if my clothing accentuates those body parts mildly, I shouldn’t be punished for it. This isn’t JUST about dress code anymore, this is about my rights as a female.
“I’m looking to start a revolution here, everyone is welcome to join. A few of my friends and I will be putting up these flyers around Grissom this week (you might have already seen a few today), and I’d appreciate it if everyone would keep an eye out for them and spread the word.”
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What do you think? Is the school right to enforce their dress code like this? Is Josephina right that the outfit isn’t that suggestive and that it’s sexist to treat women this way? Is there a middle-ground here? Please tell us below!