Crop tops and Job Ops

What if I wore this (at right) to work?

Mind you, I'm charged with educating the youth of America. Do you think I should be left alone by my school administration or do you think I should be talked to about professionalism and appropriateness? Furthermore, what if I walked into the 9th grade classroom filled with 14-15 year  olds (and the occasional 18 year old, but that's a story for a different post) and said  "Holy s**t! It's f*cking brutally hot in here" (which it gets to be) and when a student interrupts my lesson say, "what the f*ck? I was f*cking talking?!".  Should I then be allowed to continue on without so much as a blink of an eye? No? Well that’s what I get in my classes to which the response when addressed is, "But miss, you be going too hard (rolls eyes, sucks teeth). You know you be wearing mini dresses and cursing when you leave this building!" 

“Yes! You're gosh darn right I like to drop an F-bomb the moment I get around my friends away from this building and I am certainly not trying to get Amish tan lines when I'm at the beach; I'm not at the beach, you are not my friends and this thing called professionalism or more broadly, appropriateness, governs my actions when at work. This is your job, too, you just get paid with a less desirable currency (high school credits). You want the same freedoms we enjoy such as being allowed to go out to lunch, right? So why can't there be certain amount of expected appropriateness from your end? When we (arms making sweeping circles in the air) are at work, we (same exaggerated lassoing motion) shouldn’t have to see your bare bosom and butt cheeks and/or hear 30+ curse words before lunch."

This is my speech. I give it every time a student with a barely-there "shirt" (girls and boys) asks me to shut the window because "it's mad cold in he-ya" or complains that I've written them up for foul language after three warnings/pleas for academic language.  

When did standards and appropriateness go out the window in the education system? Aren’t schools supposed to prepare children for the future? Aren’t schools supposed to work on character building and professionalism as much as math, science, English and history? Isn’t that why there are advisory courses and guidance counselors? Yet somehow, standards and appropriateness have been roped in with with phrases like “rape culture” and “unfair expectations” whenever they are not adhered to by students and then addressed by teachers and administrators. And yes, rape culture exists, but dress codes in this day and age aren’t in place to slut shame or make young women feel uncomfortable in their skin (wear what you want after school and on the weekends or make it a day-to-night look with a  non-transparent cardigan and/or tights). Dress codes are not akin to supporting rapists or the idea that rape for any reason is ok IN ANY WAY. It’s training for the future because “it’s hot!” won’t make it acceptable for a teacher, a lawyer, a professional in general, to walk around in a bra during the work day. Do you think that Burger King or UPS or have their employees wear brown because they are afraid of sexuality or people staring at their workers predatorily?

Dress codes and uniforms have been around since before the coining of the phrase rape culture during the feminist movement in the 70s when people weren’t even aware that rape and violence against women occurred with any regularity. The phrase was revived when someONE (an ignorant misogynist someone) in higher education made a ridiculous statement that went viral about students who dress slutty making themselves victims.  Boom. Codes of dress immediately got labeled as tools of a culture that believes women who dress in ways that show off their bodies deserve to be treated as pieces of meat instead of what dress codes really are, a tool to step up our professional game by reminding people that there is a time and place for everything (the little black dress with the cutouts, chaps, crop tops, foul mouths, etc.). Most professions, whether you are working in a doctor’s office or at McDonalds, require you to adhere to a code of dress and language and school is a job, just one that pays a less desirable currency. 

I think it's worth noting that I'm not some conservative old biddy; I like to rock a spaghetti-strap dress with a bit of cleavage and love a day-to-night look which is easy enough to do with t-shirts and solid cardigans that can later be removed when I leave work. It’s  a simple solution that allows me to feel comfortable and confident in my body and yet be perceived as a professional. I know how to do this simple situational switch because growing up, from 8 AM to 3 PM, I adhered to a dress code that taught me situational awareness and appropriateness. When I was in those clothes, it was easier for me to remember what behaviors were expected and act accordingly. 

If schools back off now because of the fear of being associated with rape culture, the next generation of educators may show up to teach wearing this (at right) because nobody taught them appropriate dress for professional situations. #amiright?