Karis Wilson - Canadian teenager sent home from school

[Wetalkedaboutthis]

A seventeen year-old high school student in British Columbia was told that her choice of outfit made her female teacher and male student teacher feel "uncomfortable". She was sent to the Principal's office and it was suggested that she should go home and change her clothes.

Naturally, she felt upset and humiliated and her father is outraged on her behalf according to several press reports. www.abbynews.com/news/b-c-teen-in-turtleneck-lace-edged-dress-sent-home-from-school-for-inappropriate-outfit/
infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-student-getting-online-support-after-dismissal-from-school-over-outfit/it81126

I don't think humiliating young women for their choice of clothing is right but equally I am not sure that her dress is appropriate for school but I'm old so what do I know?

I suspect there is a generational divide because teens won’t see this style as underwear, their parents don’t wear slips, and probably not even their grandparents. It’s just a style of dress to them. My nana wore a skirt slip and was born in the 1920s. I’ve worn a satin vest top with lace for work without complaint, I like the style and it’s no longer worn as underwear these days. It was baggy and not low cut. If you cut the lace off I suspect no one would notice. It’s just the lace that creates the association which shows it up as being socially constructed nonsense.

But I think women can look amazing with cleavage while others think it’s inappropriate. I had tiny boobs sadly. I love the bodice style cleavage in period dramas. If that was appropriate then, even for upper class respectable women, why has it changed?

As far as I know, nobody has mentioned cleavages. I had no intention of "shaming" this young woman for her choice of attire and I agree that there is probably a generational divide on how it should be described.

I intended to highlight the fact that the whole issue has been stirred up by her father making a video about it, I would have been absolutely furious with my father if he had interfered in my life and embarrassed me to that extent, especially when I was seventeen.

I think it’s an ugly outfit and the dress is more suited to evening wear without the turtleneck but I couldn’t say it was inappropriate, she’s completely covered up.

It looks like the school handled it badly (and inappropriately) and her father is even worse! Poor girl is going to have her terrible teenage fashion choice as the top hit on her name forever now!

That dad.

The school district is reviewing. “At issue, in particular, is item 1.8 of SD73's administrative procedure 350.2, which states that school dress codes must consider "the wearing of clothing or clothing worn in a way that detracts from the teaching/learning process."

Previous posters have had very different opinions. I would find that wearing that dress detracted from my day in a Canadian winter because of the hem rising up. I don’t know if some posters have only looked at the top half?

@OneEpisode What do you mean? How would the hem rising up detract from your day in a Canadian winter?

www.lakecountrycalendar.com/news/kamloops-thompson-school-district-drafts-new-dress-code-policy-after-students-sent-home/

“I think it’s pretty clear these policies target female-identifying students disproportionately,” Dolson told KTW.

Slips are called slips because you slip them on/off, they have no fastenings like zips. I’ve got a slip like that and I’ve been told it’s dead sexy. But I wear it under my clothes, or I don’t wear it over anything.

This is one of those fashions for teenagers that comes round every few years when someone (mistakenly) thinks it cool and daring. Then all this nonsense happens for a while. Then it stops because ripped jeans and baggy jumpers come in again.

This is not about fashion or what clothes are called. This is about a middle-aged man making it all about him when his teenage daughter is criticised for her choice of clothing.

I wore stuff like that to school in the 90s. The fashion was tied died slips over trousers. It didn’t impact my learning. The copious amounts of pot did but the slip not so much.

This is not about fashion or what clothes are called

Well it sort of is, because words matter. And he’s obviously a dick, but I can’t get worked up about it.

It was worn for a purpose.
It has achieved that purpose.

The teachers feelings are irrelevant. There should be a clear dress code and if it doesn't comply then that is the reason.

If she tried wearing this kind of thing in any offices I've worked in she'd be sent home too.
People need to understand that school/work/nightclub wear are not interchangeable.
But I guess all teens test boundaries.

Given that so many posters are saying it’s not suitable for school can one of them define exactly why then ? And given the whole point wa the school code said clothing that is distracting to learning I think my point last night is Totally valid despite being sniped at.

It’s not a particularly revealing outfit. It’s on traditional school colours. Unless you believe it’s impacting on her or others learning in some way (and Id be very interested to hear exactly how) what is wrong with it exactly?

@Wetalkedaboutthis not having a go at you specifically as it was other posters stating it was underwear when it’s quite clearly not and even if it was it’s as I said not at all revealing (although I’m itching as I say that).

Given the counselling centres statement (another??) is there a bigger picture going on?

I think the guys quite right having listened to his entire video and I think more men need to need to provide this sort of challenge. Yes he’s a bit emotional. His daughters upset. Is he making it about him? Can’t see it. Should we say only girls and women need to publically challenge damaging behaviour and men shouldn’t? Is that not the exact opposite of what we actually need? Or are you all thinking we should brush this sort of thing under the rug and not make an issue at all?

Cannot follow the logic on this thread at all unless it was let’s have a go at a man for being a man which is not my brand of feminism.

It is a dress, there are plenty of similar examples being sold by mainstream retailers.

The school were wrong to shame her. If they don’t want students dressing like that then clarify the dress code it shouldn’t ever be subjective.

I don’t think she should have been sent home and the “making some uncomfortable” criteria is unworkable.

someone

Wetalked, I’m tall. That hem finishes on the thigh. Every time I walked the hem would move up. I would spend the whole day worried about showing my pants.

What hem are you talking about? The young woman in the article is wearing a dress that ends below her knee.

I mentioned cleavage because I clearly have much “lower” standards than most people as to what I find appropriate. Which may invalidate my opinion on this dress, I don’t think sexy is necessarily inappropriate. People who think it’s underwear are likely to be older. Leggings would be considered underwear in the past but it’s completely normal to wear them out now.

I find this aspect of feminism extremely tedious as women should be allowed to dress how they like ideally. If they want to dress sexy, that’s ok. I personally don’t think the outfit is sexy. But I also don’t think we should be policing women’s clothing beyond school/office rules on hemlines and low cut tops.

It’s incredibly hypocritical of daily mail types to froth at the mouth about this outfit when such publications bombard us, including young girls, with photos of women in bikinis etc.

I can’t remember the last time I saw cleavage in real life. Certainly teenagers aren’t going round with cleavage.

There's either a uniform, a dress code or no guidance at all on dress in any given school or place of work.

Assuming there is a dress code, it should contain objective rules that allow people to understand, ahead of time, whether their choices will be breaching the rules or not.

The dress code as quoted in this article is absurdly subjective and exposes students to the whims and personal preferences of the rule enforcers.

In my view, we have the same problem with statute drafting in this country. It's an insidious and ever more pervasive problem.

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

If she tried wearing this kind of thing in any offices I've worked in she'd be sent home too. People need to understand that school/work/nightclub wear are not interchangeable. But I guess all teens test boundaries.

I agree. Even if one is determined it's a dress what is so difficult about understanding that nightclub wear isn't work wear?

@missbarbary the young woman is at school. She is not in a nightclub and she is not at work.

It’s a slip style dress, not an actual slip. Victoria Beckham wore a similar one to Wimbledon a few years ago. I think the girl was trying to make an outfit like the tennis scene in Clueless as 90s styles are very popular right now.

The dress by itself looks more like evening wear but with the turtleneck, it’s is not showing anything inappropriate for school. I think if the lace was cut off, it would look more casual.

It’s not something I would encourage a girl to wear but I wouldn’t make a fuss over it as it just seems like teenage experimentation. If the school sees this happening a lot, then they need to change the rules and not single out one girl for one outfit, particularly not with reasons like “makes teachers uncomfortable”.

I’m sticking to my opinion that I wouldn’t wear that dress to work or school. It may well be sold as a knee length dress but in the photo it is, in my opinion, not knee length on that actual student. Those of us who are above the average height for women in 1950 when standards were set, do try clothes on. We also need o move about a bit and see whether the material is likely to behave ok doing the intended activity (here a full day at school). I have a number of purchases advertised as dresses that I wear as tops... women who are below the assumed height for a particular brand also make their own adaptations and choices.
That doesn’t mean I think she should have been sent home, but I don’t think it is knee length.