I Am More Than A Distraction

This letter is coming to you because of a trend we have become aware of at our children’s middle school in South Orange, New Jersey. As the weather has turned warm, our seventh-grade girls have been repeatedly told they are making “inappropriate” clothing choices. On an almost daily basis the principal of the school has announced over the PA system that the girls be aware of the school policy on length of shorts. They have been told that certain types of shorts or tops are “distracting” and inappropriate.

Most recently, the annual year-end pool party flyer went out with the restriction that girls must wear a one-piece bathing suit to this off-campus event. With repeated cautions aimed at only at one part of the student population, our girls have come to wonder about these “distraction” messages. In fact, it led them to question if it was some kind of subtle, institutionalized misogyny. The reality is that they care less about the choice of a one-piece or a two-piece bathing suit than they do about the fact they, and they alone as females, are being repeatedly regulated while the boys face little or no restrictions on their appearance. The school principal and members of the organizing committee have received a letter protesting the policy for the pool party but there has been no action as yet and the party takes place on June 20, 2014.

In response to this, our 13-year-old women have started the #iammorethanadistraction campaign to raise awareness at school as well as among their peers through social media. They are composing a list of issues to address with the school administration and are organizing a silent protest by wearing #iammorethanadistraction t-shirts. These amazing girls realize that they have the power to break down what appears to be outdated patriarchal mores by speaking up and demanding the equality they deserve.

Concerned Parents of South Orange Middle School

South Orange, New Jersey