School suggested girls submit prom dresses for approval – the internet was not happy
Prom season is coming up, and one central Minnesota school is getting a lot of backlash for a dress code it considered.
The high school in Osakis – which is east of Alexandria – sent out a lengthy letter last month detailing what girls and guys should wear. Then at a school board meeting last week, officials talked about having girls send in photos of their dresses for approval.
The original letter started out with all the event details – times, location, tickets, etc. – then went into dress code.
"OHS is a school that enforces dress code: consequently, appropriate attire is required since prom is an official, formal school event," the school said. It went on to say guys should wear either a tux or a sports coat with dress pants, along with dress shoes and socks.
The ladies section was a little more detailed: a dress must not be too short or low-cut, and it shouldn't show midriff or undergarments.
"An acceptable prom dress is one that you would feel comfortable wearing to a formal event at your church," the letter explains.
No one's allowed to wear baseball caps, sunglasses or tennis shoes.
The response
A lot of people were pretty upset about the dress code – particularly the idea of having only girls send in photos of themselves for approval.
"I understand having a dress code, but making girls send in photos of themselves in their dresses for approval seems EXTREME and violating!" one concerned parent wrote on Facebook.
On the other hand, there were plenty of people who supported having girls send in photos. They noted dresses have become increasingly revealing.
Whatever your thoughts, it's not happening
When all is said and done, it doesn't really matter whether or not you support the dress code, because the whole photo thing isn't actually happening.
The school posted an explanation Tuesday saying nobody has to submit any photos.
That was merely a "suggestion" (their underline) at a meeting to bring the school's dress code "up to contemporary standards."
