At my high school, students were allowed to dress in a way that made them comfortable.
At the large public school, I attended in a major city, we didn’t have very strict rules about our clothes (compared to some other schools around the country).
Unfortunately, not every school is as progressive when it comes to clothing. Many schools have a strict dress code that prohibits female students from wearing certain items of clothes.
The constant stories about girls being criticized for so-called “inappropriate outfits” fuel the idea that even showing too much shoulder is enough to warrant a warning or dress code violation write-up.
A California high schooler named Remy Altuna wasn’t willing to stay silent when she was reprimanded by her school’s vice principal after going braless — even though the dress code said nothing about undergarments.
Scroll through to see Remy’s thoughts about this upsetting situation!
Remy went on Twitter to share her story with others.
The teenager could not contain her anger after being called out about her outfit.
Remy’s tweet was accompanied by photos of her in the braless outfit.
The student is seen in a black top with loose-fitting jeans.
While Yahoo Style reported that Remy’s blacktop was actually a bodysuit, the close-fitting and low-backed garment would clearly show off her bra strap if she were to wear one underneath it.
Remy angrily tweeted, referring to the response she received at Beaumont High School in Southern California, “BHS is so out of line. Now they want to dress code you for not wearing a bra. My underwear is none of their [sic] business.”
Remy shared her story on a longer note. She said:
Mrs. Weber told me to put my jacket on. I asked “why is what I’m wearing inappropriate,” she said, “it’s low it [sic], and are you wearing a bra?” I said “no, what does that have to do with anything” then she said “I don’t want people to see you and assume bad things about you. I’m trying to protect you”
Comments on the photo flooded in, with many people criticizing her critics and supporting Remy’s right to wear whatever she wants without being sexualized.
Remy told Yahoo that she went most of the school day in her outfit without anyone from the administration saying anything to her.
But when she went to the school office, an assistant vice principal reprimanded her outfit and questioned whether or not she was wearing a bra.
Yahoo stated that the Beaumont High School dress code doesn’t specify anything about bras or a lack thereof, though it does have rules on tops needing to cover “all parts of undergarments” and mandating they not be low cut or revealing.
The braless teen tweeted again, suggesting that the vice-principal reprimanded the wrong person in this situation: “If Mrs. Weber is concerned about people talking about my appearance she should focus on dealing with students behaving inappropriately.”
One of the comments agreed with Remy by pointing out that it is currently very hot in Southern California, and the girl can’t be blamed for dressing comfortably.
Remy told Yahoo, “If my vice principal was so concerned about bullying and people saying bad things about me […] then she should focus on the students who are behaving inappropriately. We as women shouldn’t be put down because of our bodies.”
Beaumont’s principal, Christina Pierce, issued the following statement to Yahoo:
In a school with 2,800 students, we acknowledge that enforcing the dress code is not a perfect process; administrators diligently work to ensure all students are following the dress code. Our goal is to establish a school culture that supports a productive academic atmosphere and a safe environment. We provide ongoing training for administrators and staff, who educate students in identifying sexual harassment and hold regular discussions with students about respectful behavior at school and in the classroom.
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