in the seventh grade, we lost the privilege of wearing tank tops.

and by we, i mean all girls.

you see,

dress codes were made so that when students come to school it is

guaranteed

that they are

dressed appropriately.

it was written to apply to all students.

but, instead, we’re told from a young age that dress codes exist so

any girls in the room are not a distraction.

so, while we’re still little, we are forced to be grateful for the little time left we have in

our tank tops

and our short shorts

and our noticeable training bra straps

because

before we know it,

it’s all anyone will see.

you see,

somehow,

we’ve let a sexist system develop so far in our schools that

we can’t imagine life without it.

every day,

when i am putting on my clothes

there is a slight worry in the back of my mind that i will get dress coded.

my butt looks like it’s hanging out.

do my boobs show too much in this?

are my shoulders covered enough?

this is normal.

my body is no longer something i am proud of,

rather,

it’s something i’m supposed to be ashamed of.

girls, we’re all taught to be apologetic for being born with the bodies we have.

and when we don’t feel sorry?

we’ll end up having to cover up anyways.

in eighth grade, i’ve learned that the dress coding doesn’t stop.

it gets worse.

because when we try to defy something-

something so ingrained into our minds-

we will always be punished.

it’s not a matter of whether it’s fair or not,

because it’s the rules.

and when you get so used to the rules,

you lose your desire to fight them.

to change people’s minds.

to show everyone around you that you are more than just a thing to look at.

you have a brain!

you are not a distraction!

you are and can be so much more than what you have been told!

but by the time ninth grade rolls around,

those words won’t matter anymore.