Teen Wears Clothes To School That Would Get Him Dress Coded If He Were A Girl, Proves Just How Sexist It Is After No One Says Anything
Interview
School dress codes are sexist, and two teenagers from Illinois, Drew Jarding and Kenzie Crimmins, have the proof. The two teens came to school wearing very similar outfits and filmed their day, later posting the video on TikTok. Both Drew and Kenzie wore crop tops all day long, but only Kenzie got in trouble for how she dressed. This, according to the duo, is perfect proof that students are discriminated against based on their gender.
Their video went viral, getting over 1.8 million likes and over 6.3 million views on TikTok. The video also got 10.8k comments, starting up an important discussion. Check out the full video below and let us know what you think of the entire situation. Do you think that school dress codes are sexist, dear Pandas? Do you have any suggestions on what could be done to change things for the better? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Bored Panda reached out to Drew to talk about his viral video and school dress codes. “I believe the reason for the dress codes is not for the reason of bringing girls down but a way to control them. If teachers and administrators can tell them what to wear, then they have free reign to tell them whatever else they want,” he shared.
More info: TikTok (Drew) | TikTok (Kenzie) | Instagram (Drew)
Drew and Kenzie dressed up in crop tops to prove that their school dress code is sexist
Everything was fine for the majority of the day
The duo even danced in their crop tops in front of their teachers
However, Kenzie was written up during 7th period because she was showing off her stomach. Meanwhile, Drew didn’t get into trouble at all
Image credits: drooscroo
Drew told Bored Panda that he was surprised by just how popular his video became online. “I knew the video had potential and I knew I had to post it to show the biases of dress codes, but I did not expect that much exposure,” he said.
Unfortunately, despite the wide circulation of the video, it hasn’t had the desired impact at school. “Sadly, nothing has changed at my school, nor other schools. Albeit it’s great that we’re bringing attention to this prevalent issue,” Drew said.
In Drew’s opinion, if we want the situation with sexist school dress codes to change, we have to be proactive, instead of leaving the issue for others to solve.
“Bring awareness and act! Don’t just sit on the sidelines, actually go to school, and when teachers and staff write up you or someone you know, protest!”
Drew has been filming himself blatantly breaking the school’s dress code for some time now
He still hasn’t been called out. Drew believes that the opposite would have happened if he were a female student
Image credits: drooscroo
Image credits: drooscroo
Drew wore a crop top and shorts while his friend, Kenzie, wore a crop top and leggings to school. Drew’s idea was to dress similarly, but also to make Kenzie’s outfit slightly more discreet in order to call out the school’s hypocrisy. “Just so you could show how biased they really are,” he told BuzzFeed.
Throughout the day, the two friends didn’t have any trouble with the staff. In fact, they even danced in front of a bunch of teachers in their crop tops at one point without any problems whatsoever. There weren’t any issues until 7th period when Kenzie was written up for “showing her stomach.” Drew, meanwhile, didn’t get into any trouble at all, despite his outfit clearly not covering his stomach either.
The school staff told Kenzie that her shirt was too revealing and offered for her to go change in the resource room. “Honestly, it just makes me want to wear clothes like that more because the standards are so not the same,” she told BuzzFeed.
The school that Drew and Kenzie go to prohibits crop tops, ripped jeans, spaghetti straps, as well as straps that show ‘too much’ shoulder. What’s more, students are also prohibited from wearing dresses, pants, and shorts that are above the knee. Drew has been filming himself blatantly wearing clothes that would get him in trouble if he were a female student, but so far, he hasn’t been called out.
“There were a bunch of comments saying that I should do it with a girl and see if she would get dress-coded. I had known that dress codes had been unfair for a while, I just didn’t know to this extent. I was wearing multiple outfits that were going against the code or whatever and they hadn’t said a single thing to me all that week.”
Here’s how internet users have been reacting to the teens’ experiment with clothes
Others went into detail about what school dress codes reveal about society and about their own experiences being dress-coded
Hey, Kid, I appreciate what are you trying to do, but please - take the mask up over your nose. It is worthless when it is under the nose. I am glad you do what you do, but when you want "to inform/educate", please, do it the right way.
Its been a well established fact that American school dress codes are sexist and are rooted in the ideas that women's bodies are inherently sexual and that men cannot control themselves.
Can't they just make a uniform? Much better in all ways. EDIT: Oh, thanks for explaining.
Load More Replies...
Alternate explanation: the girl's teacher expected it was a run-of-the-mill dress-code violation. The boy's teacher thought he was experimenting with his sexual identity. That teacher was probably scared to get into the politics.
I'm sure that kid isn't getting busted because they aren't looking for a discrimination lawsuit due to being singled out for possibly being gay. They are making an exception for him. At least that is what I suspect. (Not saying I agree or disagree, just analyzing the situation)
He's also a "social media fluencer" and "TikTok star". Kid has a net worth of a few million. That school isn't gonna touch him in fear of defamation. He's been using his platform and going out of his way to try and stir up some sh*t about that school for a long time and they never take his bait.
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Someone please teach this kid the nose hole is connected to the mouth hole.
The only dress code rules needed: -make sure no private parts are showing - no inappropriate words/signs/patterns etc. -No pjs/swimsuits And bam! Sensible dress code!
I’m ok with some modesty dress codes as long as they are equally applied. Like maybe let’s not show bellies regardless of gender. And no, I’m not saying everyone should don a burqa. I think covering your midriff is pretty reasonable. Besides, when I was in high school, the girls would always wear skimpy little summer clothes and then complain and moan all day that the classroom was cold and the air conditioner was on too low. Regardless, dress code should be applied the same way to all and be respectful of religious, spiritual, and ethnic considerations.
I remember reading a story about a school here in the UK (where everyone wears uniforms) that would not let girls wear regulation shorts in the summer. They were only allowed to wear shorter skirts and a lot of the girls didn't want to. So in protest, a whole bunch of the boys went to school in skirts to protest the unfairness and eventually the school changed its stupid sexist dress codes.
Kathleen Carvalho said everything that was needed to say! Perfect comment! Nothing else is needed
My education through age 12 was in a school with strict uniforms: White shirts, tucked into black pants (I believe girls were permitted a uniform skort). This was in a building near Chicago, with floor-to-ceiling windows... and no air conditioning. If crop-tops would have been an option, LOTS of people would have taken them for no reason other than personal comfort.
Guys arent thinking about that stuff, the school is. It's not the clothes that are a problem. You've got some real issues if you dress code girls for something that most guys dont even care about.
it's batsh!t to me that y'all can wear whatever y'all want to school. Every school in my city (that I know of) makes its students wear uniforms. Y'all are lucky that y'all can wear shirts and pants that y'all like. I am NOT saying that the dress code isn't INCREDIBLY sexist (it TOTALLY is and also bullsh!t) but still, be thankful that y'all can wear (mostly) whatever y'all want.
These kids are just abusing the fact that no one dares to tell a gay kid how to dress appropriately because they would loose their jobs in a heart beat in todays pc tyranny
Maybe the teachers were too busy telling him to put his mask over his nose to bother about the crop top.
I heard an anti-masker talking about how their children shouldn't be forced to wear a mask because it's still America and we have freedom of choice. Funny how these are the same people that remove the freedom of choice from women on a wholesale basis.
Such people believe freedom of choice for their own self interest. They can't seem to grasp why you would wear a mask protect other people, although I'm sure they expect people handling their food to wash their hand and wear gloves!
Load More Replies...
School uniforms would negate all this. These photos make everyone look ridiculous for a school setting.
Forget the school dress code, this kid should be charged with violating the Geneva Convention. Those outfits are so hideous they could be classified as instruments of torture.
I am pretty old, so this might not happen anymore, but when I was in high school, girls weren't allowed to wear anything but dresses or skirts. Boys could wear pants or shorts, depending on the weather. We finally staged a revolt, where every girl in the school wore pants one cold day, and they finally caved...we could wear pants IF the temperature was under 50℉. It was a hollow victory, but it got the ball rolling, and when I was a senior, we could wear pants. NOT shorts, despite the Florida heat.
I totally agree. But in the U.K. it's the opposite because we all wear school uniforms. Guys are the ones who are uniform checked for a n untucked shirt but girls don't have too. Yet, girls are still sexualised when teachers tell girls their skirt are rolled up too high. Though once I saw a girl and it was more like a belt.
I remember being told off for wearing a waistcoat to school on my uniform.
Load More Replies...
This is simply sad. Why, school dress codes, are you so STUPID sometimes?!
School dress codes are sexist and misogynistic. They place the responsibility of boy's behavior onto the girl's shoulders. Instead of teaching boys to respect boundaries and respect girls, they teach boys that they can be dogs and the girls will be blamed for 'dressing suggestively' and 'enticing' the boys. Dress codes should be the same for boys and girls. period.
Great job from the kids :) Although, everything has 2 sides. I worked at an American company where there were dress codes. Not so rigorous, it was like "please dress up acceptably". But men were not allowed to wear shorts, while women could wear skirts, which was very comfortable for them during summers :D
It is only provocative if it provokes something. The provoke generally has a bigger problem than the alleged provocateurs'.
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Completely setting aside the obvious gender issues here.... the problem with this is that your idea of 'respectful' isnt my idea of respectful. I might insist that to be respectful children should be covering thier heads, or wearing skirts to thier ankles - boys included. Perhaps being respectful is wearing a burqa? At what point does my idea of respectful become your idea of oppressive? When we police people's clothing based on subjective values we are always at the mercy of someone elses interpretation of respect.
Load More Replies...
Having a fem style doesn't automatically make someone a bottom...
Load More Replies... Hey, Kid, I appreciate what are you trying to do, but please - take the mask up over your nose. It is worthless when it is under the nose. I am glad you do what you do, but when you want "to inform/educate", please, do it the right way.
Its been a well established fact that American school dress codes are sexist and are rooted in the ideas that women's bodies are inherently sexual and that men cannot control themselves.
Can't they just make a uniform? Much better in all ways. EDIT: Oh, thanks for explaining.
Load More Replies... Alternate explanation: the girl's teacher expected it was a run-of-the-mill dress-code violation. The boy's teacher thought he was experimenting with his sexual identity. That teacher was probably scared to get into the politics.
I'm sure that kid isn't getting busted because they aren't looking for a discrimination lawsuit due to being singled out for possibly being gay. They are making an exception for him. At least that is what I suspect. (Not saying I agree or disagree, just analyzing the situation)
He's also a "social media fluencer" and "TikTok star". Kid has a net worth of a few million. That school isn't gonna touch him in fear of defamation. He's been using his platform and going out of his way to try and stir up some sh*t about that school for a long time and they never take his bait.
Load More Replies... Someone please teach this kid the nose hole is connected to the mouth hole.
The only dress code rules needed: -make sure no private parts are showing - no inappropriate words/signs/patterns etc. -No pjs/swimsuits And bam! Sensible dress code!
I’m ok with some modesty dress codes as long as they are equally applied. Like maybe let’s not show bellies regardless of gender. And no, I’m not saying everyone should don a burqa. I think covering your midriff is pretty reasonable. Besides, when I was in high school, the girls would always wear skimpy little summer clothes and then complain and moan all day that the classroom was cold and the air conditioner was on too low. Regardless, dress code should be applied the same way to all and be respectful of religious, spiritual, and ethnic considerations.
I remember reading a story about a school here in the UK (where everyone wears uniforms) that would not let girls wear regulation shorts in the summer. They were only allowed to wear shorter skirts and a lot of the girls didn't want to. So in protest, a whole bunch of the boys went to school in skirts to protest the unfairness and eventually the school changed its stupid sexist dress codes.
Kathleen Carvalho said everything that was needed to say! Perfect comment! Nothing else is needed
My education through age 12 was in a school with strict uniforms: White shirts, tucked into black pants (I believe girls were permitted a uniform skort). This was in a building near Chicago, with floor-to-ceiling windows... and no air conditioning. If crop-tops would have been an option, LOTS of people would have taken them for no reason other than personal comfort.
Guys arent thinking about that stuff, the school is. It's not the clothes that are a problem. You've got some real issues if you dress code girls for something that most guys dont even care about.
it's batsh!t to me that y'all can wear whatever y'all want to school. Every school in my city (that I know of) makes its students wear uniforms. Y'all are lucky that y'all can wear shirts and pants that y'all like. I am NOT saying that the dress code isn't INCREDIBLY sexist (it TOTALLY is and also bullsh!t) but still, be thankful that y'all can wear (mostly) whatever y'all want.
These kids are just abusing the fact that no one dares to tell a gay kid how to dress appropriately because they would loose their jobs in a heart beat in todays pc tyranny
Maybe the teachers were too busy telling him to put his mask over his nose to bother about the crop top.
I heard an anti-masker talking about how their children shouldn't be forced to wear a mask because it's still America and we have freedom of choice. Funny how these are the same people that remove the freedom of choice from women on a wholesale basis.
Such people believe freedom of choice for their own self interest. They can't seem to grasp why you would wear a mask protect other people, although I'm sure they expect people handling their food to wash their hand and wear gloves!
Load More Replies... School uniforms would negate all this. These photos make everyone look ridiculous for a school setting.
Forget the school dress code, this kid should be charged with violating the Geneva Convention. Those outfits are so hideous they could be classified as instruments of torture.
I am pretty old, so this might not happen anymore, but when I was in high school, girls weren't allowed to wear anything but dresses or skirts. Boys could wear pants or shorts, depending on the weather. We finally staged a revolt, where every girl in the school wore pants one cold day, and they finally caved...we could wear pants IF the temperature was under 50℉. It was a hollow victory, but it got the ball rolling, and when I was a senior, we could wear pants. NOT shorts, despite the Florida heat.
I totally agree. But in the U.K. it's the opposite because we all wear school uniforms. Guys are the ones who are uniform checked for a n untucked shirt but girls don't have too. Yet, girls are still sexualised when teachers tell girls their skirt are rolled up too high. Though once I saw a girl and it was more like a belt.
I remember being told off for wearing a waistcoat to school on my uniform.
Load More Replies... This is simply sad. Why, school dress codes, are you so STUPID sometimes?!
School dress codes are sexist and misogynistic. They place the responsibility of boy's behavior onto the girl's shoulders. Instead of teaching boys to respect boundaries and respect girls, they teach boys that they can be dogs and the girls will be blamed for 'dressing suggestively' and 'enticing' the boys. Dress codes should be the same for boys and girls. period.
Great job from the kids :) Although, everything has 2 sides. I worked at an American company where there were dress codes. Not so rigorous, it was like "please dress up acceptably". But men were not allowed to wear shorts, while women could wear skirts, which was very comfortable for them during summers :D
It is only provocative if it provokes something. The provoke generally has a bigger problem than the alleged provocateurs'.
Load More Replies... Completely setting aside the obvious gender issues here.... the problem with this is that your idea of 'respectful' isnt my idea of respectful. I might insist that to be respectful children should be covering thier heads, or wearing skirts to thier ankles - boys included. Perhaps being respectful is wearing a burqa? At what point does my idea of respectful become your idea of oppressive? When we police people's clothing based on subjective values we are always at the mercy of someone elses interpretation of respect.
Load More Replies... Having a fem style doesn't automatically make someone a bottom...
Load More Replies... 
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