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greater than
in seventh grade, we finally got fed up with the dress code.
and by we, i mean all girls.
you see,
from the time we first went in to school,
we were always warned about dressing inappropriately.
it wasn’t an option to not.
instead of giving a valid reason to have dress codes,
any time the rules were questioned it would be the same answer every time:
you are a distraction.
what about our tank tops
and our short shorts
and our noticeable training bra straps
are a distraction?
explain that to any girl,
at any age and at any point in their life,
and watch how their self-esteem plummets
because
now they feel as though they are nothing but a
distraction.
you see,
somehow,
we’ve let ourselves put up with a sexist system in our schools for so long that
we can’t imagine our lives without it.
every day,
i put on my clothes and i think
i’m tired of second guessing myself.
i should not have to worry about getting dress coded.
my butt may look like it’s hanging out
and my boobs may show
and my shoulders may not always be covered,
but normalizing such demeaning treatment
in a public place
should not be allowed.
i am proud of my body
and i’m not ashamed of it.
so, instead of being apologetic for how you choose to clothe your body
wear those clothes and appreciate yourself for once.
we do not deserve to be sorry.
in eighth grade, i’ve learned that i shouldn’t feel guilty.
even as the dress coding gets worse,
none of that should define my worth.
when we are actively defying something-
something so ingrained into our minds-
we will always face difficulties.
but,
it’s those difficulties that make the outcome that much more worth it.
so if we put our anger
and our blood
and our sweat
and our tears
to show that rules are meant to be changed,
we can open up so many minds.
we can show everyone around us that we are more than just things to look at.
we have brains and we can use them to fight.
we aren’t distractions and we know it.
we are proving that we are so much more than we have been told.
and by the time ninth grade rolls around,
those words will be the very reason
dress codes are no more.
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Hello! My name is Alex and I'm a student at LJHS. This piece of writing is based off of another one that I have previously written and submitted titled "less than." Both of these writings can be read on their own, but I also feel that they are very complimentary to eachother. The goal of this one was to convey an entirely different mood and tone but still use some of the same lines. When comparing the two, you can see the lines that I have chosen to put in each while still making both poems unique.