On August 16th, Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas aired a dress code video that many are calling sexist. Principal Will Skelton has since issued an apology to both students and parents, stating that the video “absolutely missed the mark.”
The video was tweeted out by Catherine Moring, a senior at Marcus High. Set to M.I.A.’s song “Bad Girls,” the video depicts female “dress code violators” being reprimanded for wearing athletic shorts to school. Moring’s tweet has garnered over 7,000 likes since being posted on August 16th and the clip has been viewed over 280,000 times.
“Today my school was shown this video,” Moring wrote in her tweet. “So sad how ONLY girls are shown as the violators. I understand why my school has a dress code, but what about the boys who wear shorts, or show their shoulders? It’s 2018…Why are we still over-sexualizing teen girls?”
Moring later told ABC News that she was not only put off by the “blatant sexism” in the video, but the overall lack of diversity put a sour taste in her mouth. She said, “Not only were there no boys but there were no people of color, plus-sized individuals or people that identify as gender non-binary; all people who wear athletic shorts.”
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For Moring, the dress code isn’t necessarily the problem. The issue is that this video passed through several tiers of the student body and school administration — and no one found it problematic.
In a statement released to parents on August 17th, Principal Skelton offered his apologies. “I’m a firm believer that when you make a mistake, you own it, you apologize, and you make it right,” Skelton wrote. “Please accept my sincere apology for not ensuring our video achieved its intended purpose — to remind ALL students of our dress code expectations.”
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Skelton explained that the video was intended to replace an annual dress code fashion show that was impeded due to construction at the school.
If “ALL students” are expected to adhere to the dress code, then the PSA should represent “ALL students.” It’s 2018 — we should and can be better.