How some say this Washington Township school's dress code blames girls for boys' bad behavior

In one Washington Township middle school, the dress code advises: Don't wear skirts shorter than your fingertips. Don't wear leggings unless you cover your butt with a long shirt. Don't wear tank tops that show your shoulders.

But some students and parents worry the message the dress code sends to girls is: Your body is a problem. Don't distract the boys.

Even if that's not the intent, it's an early message, they say, that blames girls for boys' bad behavior.

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The dress code implies that boys can't stop themselves from looking at girls' bodies, some critics say, so it's the girls' fault when boys can't pay attention in math. It's the girls who are taken out of class to change their clothes.

"That is just control over women and girls," said Angela Lyttle, a Northview Middle School parent. "This is where it starts and where we normalize it."

At a time of heightened national concern over sexual harassment, some are asking if school dress codes sexualize and objectify girls in a way that unfairly shifts blame onto them.

Some dress codes see girls as sex objects, they say. Even a bare shoulder can be seen as a distraction that boys can't be expected to endure.

Critics of these types of dress codes say that same message, in its most extreme state, is what leads some to blame women and girls who are victims of sexual assault: Well, what was she wearing? Was she asking for it?

Recognizing that a dress code can send a different message to girls than it does to boys, some school districts across the country are rethinking the rules.

Lyttle asked Northview Middle to reconsider its dress code after her daughter was pulled out of class on her 13th birthday, near the end of August.

The offending outfit: a T-shirt, athletic shorts and sandals.

The shorts were comfortable, not short-shorts or tight shorts. But school policy deemed that her clothing seemed "to interfere with the educational process," and so Lyttle picked up her daughter and took her home to change.

"It made me feel like my body wasn't acceptable," Addie Lyttle, an eighth grader, told IndyStar. "It definitely interrupted my day."

Women have long been subjected to sexist and stereotypical dress codes, such as being expected to wear corsets, skirts and dresses with pantyhose, or high-heeled shoes.

Women still tend to be judged on their bodies and have more rules imposed upon them — That shirt shows too much cleavage! That skirt is way too short! She's too big to be wearing those leggings!

Some women's advocates say when we debate school dress codes, what we're really debating are cultural expectations and societal norms.

"A lot of people have a problem with how girls dress these days — they think it's too sexualized," said Lisa Frack, president of the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for Women, which has published a model dress code. "Whose fault is that? We live in this culture where what we're really bothered by is the hyper-sexualization of girls.

"You're in charge of your body. You get to wear what's comfortable. What's comfortable doesn't have to be connected to any sexual impact."

Dress codes can span a wide range. Some schools, such as Herron High School, require uniforms to create a professional atmosphere and downplay socioeconomic differences. Indianapolis Public Schools requires specific types of clothing, such as polo shirts or collared shirts in certain colors. Its code includes a long list of restricted attire.

And fairness can become an issue. Last year, a group of Girl Scouts went to the IPS board to ask for a change in the dress code, to allow patterned tights instead of only solid-colored tights. The reason: Boys had no restriction on the socks they wear, so the tights rule seemed unfair to girls.

In Washington Township, students don't wear uniforms and can dress casually. The dress code aims to set boundaries for "common decency," as the school board policy states.

"In an effort to instill discipline, help students resist peer pressure and concentrate on their school work, decrease violence and theft, and discourage gang-related activity, the Board of Education believes it is important to establish a policy for student dress and grooming," the board policy says.

Washington Township school board President Don Kite said dress codes, which are set by administrators in each school based on the board policy, haven't been raised as an issue within the district.

"I do think the intent of board policy and administrative guidelines is to not treat young men and women differently," Kite said.

The Lyttles asked Northview Middle School principal Matt Kaiser to hold conversations with families and students about what the dress code should look like.

He formed discussion groups with students in school this fall, and parents met to give their feedback, too. Kaiser didn't promise to make changes, but he wanted to hear what they thought would be "reasonable guidance" for what's appropriate for school.

Some people worry that if students have no rules, they'd all show up to school naked. But students largely agreed that they shouldn't wear see-through shirts, sagging pants or anything that shows their undergarments.

Still, how long shorts and skirts should be, and whether leggings can be worn as pants, remained a contentious issue. Some supported more freedom as an issue of equality; others out of simple choice.

"In classrooms, it's not really about clothes. It's about learning," said Joshua Glore, 13, eighth grade. "No one should focus on what people are wearing."

By far, the dress code rule that perplexed people the most was the mandate for shoulders to be covered.

"If a 12-year-old boy sees a bra strap, is something going to happen?" one parent asked rhetorically.

"It's not like, oh my gosh, I'm turned on by some shoulders," said Tashiyanna Williams, 12, a 7th grader.

This rule also prevents boys from wearing mesh sleeveless sports jerseys to school, which can also expose their nipples.

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Some school communities across the country have also started looking for more body-positive, gender-equitable dress codes.

Last year in Portland, Ore., the school board revamped its dress code to set "minimum safe attire" — a shirt with pants or skirt, or the equivalent, and shoes.

Earlier this year in Evanston, Ill., a high school dress code was rewritten to specifically support equitable access to education and not enforce stereotypes.

The dress code policy laid out values, including that all students should be able to dress comfortably without being afraid of body shaming, and that all students and staff are responsible for managing their own "distractions."

"The point," said Frack, "is that girls don't feel like their bodies are something that's relevant at school, other than their brains and to walk down the hall or run in gym."

Some people may favor more conservative or modest attire. That should be up to families to decide for themselves, Frack said — not schools.

"If you want your kid to dress a certain way, go for it," Frack said. "Whether it's to wear a hijab or a tube top, that's your business as a family. ...We're not telling you that you have to wear short-shorts."

Whether Northview Middle adjusts its dress code or not, Addie Lyttle said she's going to dress the way she wants to — and deal with any dress code violations as they come.

She's comfortable in leggings. She's comfortable in athletic shorts. And she's comfortable that nobody is actually distracted by her outfit, except when she's called out for not meeting the dress code.

"It's kind of dumb to base your clothes on what your school wants to see you as," she said, "and not on what you want to see yourself as."

Call IndyStar reporter Stephanie Wang at (317) 444-6184. Follow her on Twitter: @stephaniewang.