The growing debate around the country over dress codes made its way to Guilford earlier this month when a small group of students and parents arranged a protest to push back against the current dress code policy that they claimed unfairly targets teenage girls.

To protest, students and parents gathered in front of Guilford High School (GHS) on June 7 carrying signs with sayings such as “Clothing Does Not Define Us.” Students also wore clothing that intentionally violated the dress code—such as shirts that did not cover their shoulders—and wrote on their arms and hands “I am not a distraction” and “I am not distracted.”

Parents and students at the protest claimed female students have been unfairly targeted under the dress code. For the school’s administration, however, this was a new issue, according to GHS Principal Rick Misenti.

“A small, peaceful protest about dress code policies was organized by a few parents and students a few weeks ago,” he said. “As principal, I was not approached, nor were any members of my faculty, to talk about this issue prior to this action. We welcome the opportunity in the future to meet with students, parents, and staff to discuss their concerns and work together toward mutual understanding.”

The dress code currently prohibits ripped or torn clothing, shirts that expose the midriff or chest, and backless or strapless tops. Students can wear shorts and skirts as long as they are not considered excessively short. Superintendent of Schools Paul Freeman said they are open to a discussion about the code.

“While it was a small protest, we are always interested in the concerns of our students and welcome the opportunity to have a productive discussion about this topic with our students, parents and staff,” he said.

With the school year coming to a close, some community members have suggested this is a conversation that stretches beyond the GHS dress code including Shoreline Girls United (SGU)’s Jill Paglino.

“As far as Guilford’s take on the dress code, it is a new and evolving conversation,” she said. “I like that the policy uses gender-neutral language, but there’s a curious emphasis on students covering up their shoulders. I think the schools need to clearly explain why shoulders should be considered a problematic body part.”

SGU has not yet discussed the dress code in a workshop setting, but Paglino said this is an issue female students have brought to her attention. She said this is an opportunity to talk about some of the larger issues at hand.

“The sexualization of young girls and women is a much bigger topic than the GHS dress code,” she said. “It’s a global phenomenon, driven primarily by our big corporations, with devastating consequences for females. The American Psychological Association released a report in 2007 that links early sexualization of women to depression, anxiety, body shame, and eating disorders. Obviously, the rise of social media doesn’t help much.”

There are ways to get the conversation going, according to Paglino.

“If Guilford wants to get into that discussion, we could try what the Town of Clinton is doing on the issue of boys’ development,” she said. “They held a town-wide screening of The Mask You Live In, and invited key community leaders to be a part of the conversation. We could do the same thing with a town-wide screening of Miss Representation.