Dress Coded

Dress Coded

Juvenile fiction
I recall dress codes from my junior high and high school years.
I still remember vividly how much I hated being stopped in the hall by
ruler wielding teachers wanting to make sure my dress or skirt wasn't
too short and hearing in assemblies that girls were to dress demurely
so we wouldn't distract the boys from their studies. They were the
serious students; we were the slutty distractions.
You'd think things would have changed in the intervening
decades. Nope. This issue keeps popping up in the news. And it's
the central plot of Carrie Firestone's Dress Coded.
"Dear FMS [Fisher Middle School] parents,
It is with deep regret that I write to inform you our camping
trip to Strawberry Hill State Park has been cancelled. As you will
recall, I sent out a letter on February 25 promising a wonderful trip
if our eighth graders simply followed the dress code outlined in the
student handbook. For the better part of the semester your children
have done a fantastic job. Recently, however, a student violated the
dress code and after we gave her ample opportunity to comply, she
refused. Unfortunately, rules are rules..."
Molly is furious. The noncompliant student is her friend,
Olivia. Molly had seen Olivia reduced to tears by two yelling
administrators. She's also seen their fellow eighth graders hating on
Olivia for the loss of the trip. She decides to fight back by
creating a podcast. Olivia is her first guest.
"We don't know her real name.
She calls herself the dean of students, but nobody has ever seen
her do anything but stare at girls, search for a rogue bra strap or a
rogue shoulder, and bark out warnings..."
A lot of girls (never boys) get dress coded at Fisher. And not
all girls are targeted--mostly the more developed and bigger ones.
Petite late bloomers fly under the radar--even when wearing the same
outfits.
As other girls share their stories the podcast gets a lot more
listeners. People become indignant and determined to stop the
injustice once and for all. They're up against a school
administration enamoured of the dress code and determined to keep it
in place.
What can they do?
Read the book and see. It's a lively narrative dealing with an
unfortunately still very relevant issue.
On a purrrsonal note, recall we had that stupid snowstorm early in the
week? Well now Penobscot County, Maine is in the middle of a heat
wave. Yesterday was so nice I was able to spend the afternoon outside
in jeans and a tee shirt. As of today we're in a stretch of temps in
the sixties. I am one happy camper. I'm going to get as much fresh
air as I can. I have no big plans for the weekend beyond enjoying
Mother Nature's wonderful surprise. It's also a good chance to get my
shed in order and swap out summer clothes for winter ones. (Jules)
White stuff all gone bye byes. Now it's getting hot. Maybe it will
get hot enough to open some windows. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers. One of the things
I'm enjoying most during this pandemic is reading good books and
reviewing them for this blog. Please take care of yourselves. COVID
cases are climbing all over this country. It will be a challenging
time. But cooperating on safety measures is the only way to get us
past this to better times.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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