in seventh grade, we finally got fed up with the dress code.

and by we, i mean all girls.

you see,

from the time we first went in to school,

we were always warned about dressing inappropriately.

it wasn’t an option to not.

instead of giving a valid reason to have dress codes,

any time the rules were questioned it would be the same answer every time:

you are a distraction.

what about our tank tops

and our short shorts

and our noticeable training bra straps

are a distraction?

explain that to any girl,

at any age and at any point in their life,

and watch how their self-esteem plummets

because

now they feel as though they are nothing but a

distraction.

you see,

somehow,

we’ve let ourselves put up with a sexist system in our schools for so long that

we can’t imagine our lives without it.

every day,

i put on my clothes and i think

i’m tired of second guessing myself.

i should not have to worry about getting dress coded.

my butt may look like it’s hanging out

and my boobs may show

and my shoulders may not always be covered,

but normalizing such demeaning treatment

in a public place

should not be allowed.

i am proud of my body

and i’m not ashamed of it.

so, instead of being apologetic for how you choose to clothe your body

wear those clothes and appreciate yourself for once.

we do not deserve to be sorry.

in eighth grade, i’ve learned that i shouldn’t feel guilty.

even as the dress coding gets worse,

none of that should define my worth.

when we are actively defying something-

something so ingrained into our minds-

we will always face difficulties.

but,

it’s those difficulties that make the outcome that much more worth it.

so if we put our anger

and our blood

and our sweat

and our tears

to show that rules are meant to be changed,

we can open up so many minds.

we can show everyone around us that we are more than just things to look at.

we have brains and we can use them to fight.

we aren’t distractions and we know it.

we are proving that we are so much more than we have been told.

and by the time ninth grade rolls around,

those words will be the very reason

dress codes are no more.