A New Jersey teenager has left a permanent mark in a years-long battle against her high school’s dress code.
Victoria DiPaolo, an 18-year-old senior at West Milford High School, chose a black off-the-shoulder top for her senior photo, with a yearbook quote written underneath the picture: “Sorry, is my shoulder making this quote hard to read?”
The school said it bans tops that reveal midriffs, shorts or skirts which are deemed distracting, and any clothing with rips or holes which make it more revealing or sexualised.
Victoria DiPaolo ended by criticizing her high school’s dress code in a yearbook quote.
DiPaolo said she always thought the dress code was unfair.
“This is all based on sexism and is completely absurd,” DiPaolo told Yahoo Style.
“Over the past four years, I and many of my friends have received dress code citations for clothing that was not inappropriate at all.”
The fourth-year student, who is graduating next week, took a strong stance when he was reprimanded by administrators.
She said she remembers a time when her principal asked her to change because her shirt was too revealing for the school.
“At one point, I put a shirt over my shirt, asked the principal if he was happy with it, then got up and walked out of the principal’s office and took my T-shirt off,” she said.
“I was pretty rebellious, but I was never actually disciplined for speaking up for my opinion. Nobody wants to hear that they’re sexist and oppressive.”
DiPaolo joked about the yearbook on Twitter, telling Yahoo that the consensus among students is that the dress code is ridiculous.
News Break – June 21st