Gabi Finlayson was looking forward to showing off her beaded lace dress at a dance at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah.
Just to make sure she would not be violating the dress code, the 15-year-old altered the bodice underneath the lace to make the dress even more moderate.
But when she arrived at the highly anticipated dance, she was told to put on another layer because her shoulders were too exposed. Three other girls were also asked to cover up.
“I didn’t want to make a scene, so I said yes. I had a coat in the car so I had to go back and get it,” she told KUTV.
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Finlayson said she felt embarrassed and angry to have been forced to wear her winter coat for the entire dance.
The school’s dress code states that backs of formal dresses should not extend beyond the shoulder blades, and the straps must at least be 2-inches wide.
When Finlayson and her mom bought the dress in Paris, France, they were sure that with just that one small bodice alteration, it would be perfect.
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Finlayson was surprised that more girls weren’t asked to cover up.
“There were a lot of dresses that were very short, very tight. A lot more exposing or revealing than mine,” she said.
But what has her even more upset is that girls are the ones who are expected to bear the burden of “appropriate” standards.
“Maybe instead of teaching girls they should cover themselves up, we should be teaching boys that we’re not sex objects that you can look at and derive pleasure,” she said.
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