I can’t see the photo of the woman that sparked the dress code but in HI, many people wear T-shirt dresses and flip flops.
The line between acceptable and unacceptable T-shirt dresses could be quite blurry.
Men regularly wear “revealing” shirts in public that are very tight fitting and/ or their bellies hang under. Funny how those are not worthy of being banned.
Men are also more likely to wear sloppy looking footwear that they shove their feet into and don’t bother dealing with the dangling laces. Why is that more acceptable than sloppy looking hair?
And the woman’s T-shirt dress was too sheer? As she was standing in the sun? So are many many women’s dress blouses even viewed indoor. The vast majority are sheer enough to reveal bras through them. I guess it’s ok if the cut is professional rather than a casual T-shirt though…
Some do…
Some Sikh and Jewish men also wear religious headwear.
Definitely me and I know at least two others who regularly post in the Cafe.
I don’t get the problem with the curlers, especially when they are covered by a scarf. Not to work, but going about one’s life, who cares? I know many black women who set their hair and cover it when going to a pool or the beach in order to protect it’s style from getting wet. It seems completely rational to me.
I used to work in a gym. My “uniform” was leggings/workout clothes. I routinely had to drop at school and go straight to work and if D was sick, would be picking up in that attire.
I thinks it’s absurd to dictate a dress code for parents.
Also. If dress codes were just about personal preference, I would ban “wife-beater” t-shirts on men. They are ubiquitous here and I skeeve them with a passion. I think a nice scarf over whatever is fine, as is a t-shirt dress, but I don’t want to see a man’s hairy underarms and possibly upper back.
That woman was not just dropping the kid at school. She purposefully went to the office to register her kid at that school, maybe even made an appointment. I suppose if she was just sitting in her car, no one would have said a word.
Speaking of people with too much money posting on “those threads,” our money was earned by us, every penny of it, from scratch. No trust fund or inheritance coming our way any time. But even when we were living paycheck to paycheck and shopped for clothes at Goodwill, I would not have dreamed of showing up at our kids’ school in a loose, oversized tee “dress.” That said, I firmly believe that the woman would not have been kicked out unless she made a scene.
But wasn’t “the scene” about not being allowed in? Had she been allowed to register her daughter, regardless of her choice of clothing in a tax supported public school, there would have been no story, right?
In my opinion, this is just one more wedge between the school and the parents and community. It’s unfortunate and not going to improve parent engagement with the school which probably is not high to begin with.
I referred to the “scene” as a potential reason for the police being called to get her off school grounds - not her clothes being the reason for the police call.
I’ve never heard of any police called to any school in our state based on attire worn to a school—that just sets such a bad confrontational tone. How does the parent and school move forward from that?!?!?
Holding people to standards can also be a sign of respect.
I have no idea how people’s idea of dressing appropriately in public devolved to the point where it’s ok to wear pajamas to school, but I cannot imagine a scenario in which my low income mother or grandmother would show up at their kids’ schools in curlers or pjs.
HImom: there is a link to the photo in Sybylla’s washpo link. She’s interviewed by a houston news station.
She’s wearing a graphic gray tee shirt dress, thong sandals and a red scarf. Personally, I like her style. Since avant garde designers I follow do this kind of look, for all I know she spent a fortune on it. I understand it may not be to everyone’s taste, but am surprised it’s a dress code issue. I haven’t been to Houston for a while, but was in Dallas last month and had dinner at a casual, but very expensive, restaurant where this outfit would definitely not have been out of place.
Thinking about the dress code, I’m comparing it to a lily pulitzer tee shirt dress, jack rogers sandals and a sun hat, a kind of uniform for young moms where I live, when they aren’t in leggings. The lily dresses I googled were all shown worn as short as the gray tee shirt dress. They are more form fitting. And usually sleeveless.
The utility of branding always surprises me. I have no idea why.
lily pulitzer dress- is it dress code? I like it, too.
The mother’s outfit is soooo not worth making a fuss over. And creating a dress code policy over as a CYA move by the principal.
Shouldn’t the school be encouraging respect for parents instead trying to embarrass them? School administration should be fostering an environment of cooperation with families not alienating them.
This is definitely classist.
Cooperation would be everyone dressing appropriately in the best interests of the kids.
So when can a fuss be made? What’s the cut off? Not to be confrontational, I’m really asking. So pajamas ok - what if I’m straight from the gym wearing a sports bra and leggings? I agree that the police were called not because of the clothing, but because there was most likely a confrontation.
@alh that Lily Pulitzer dress is kind of see-through too. 
I spent my childhood fighting dress codes. My high school went from uniforms freshman year to jeans allowed senior year. It didn’t seem to hurt the academics, but it sure was more comfortable. I’d rather encourage parents to come into the school however they are dressed in any event.
I’d rather not see curlers in public, but if they are completely covered by a turban, as they were here, I don’t have an issue. And even if they aren’t I don’t think it’s hurting anyone. I’m glad I don’t have to wear white gloves and stockings any more. Fashion evolves.
Or how about while supremacy t-shirts? The confederate flag? Pro-gun shirts showing images of weapons? As long as it is a parent wearing it, anything goes?
Not a hypothetical where I live. Never heard of a parent being barred from entering the school on legitimate business.
I’m not taking a side on these shirts. They offend me personally. fwiw