High School Senior Fights Back Against Dress Code Her Yearbook Photo Is Rejected

"I have spent a good majority of my life wondering why exactly women's shoulders are so offensive."

Update: July 27, 11:32PM EST: After news broke that the principal of Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois apologized for the way the school's dress code affected 17-year-old Grace Goble's yearbook photo, the rising high school senior told Teen Vogue that she "was very happily surprised with the positive reaction from my principal. He was extremely understanding and willing to hear my point of view on the topic, and I was extremely grateful for that."

Part of the solution includes a student-led task force that revisits the Maine South's existing dress code. While Grace says she is "excited that I will get to be a part of the dress code revision, I'm equally as excited that it will be a diverse group of students making the decisions. I think it's important to take as many different student opinions into account when making decisions that will affect them."

"I think that it is often the easier choice to just brush things like this off like they're nothing, but it's so important to stand up for what you believe in," she noted about why she decided to make her Change.org petition to begin with. "I've witnessed small acts of sexism on an almost a daily basis since middle school, and I wasn't going to stay quiet anymore. With everything terrible happening in the country right now, every little bit of good that can be done is well worth it."

Additional reporting by Emma Sarran Webster.

Previously:

When 17-year-old Grace Goble received her high school yearbook photos, the rising senior was surprised to find that the studio that had taken her portrait hadn't cleared any of the images for the yearbook. Why? They said her yellow sweater violated her high school's dress code because it showed the tops of her shoulders.

The teen, who attends Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois, took to Change.org to start a petition that the school change its policy, especially given that her sweater was, she felt, entirely appropriate. What's more, it's clear that no one stopped her from getting her photo taken the day she posed for the portrait — and Grace says she's worn the same shirt to school on numerous occasions, so she wasn't aware that her clothing choice would be an issue.

The sweater features a wide-necked design that sits across Grace's chest in an even line. "As you can see, this photo is completely innocent, and the sweater that I am wearing is modest and covers my body very appropriately," she wrote on the petition. "This is a shirt which I have worn to school and to school events before, and no one has ever given it a second thought."

In response, Grace proposed that her high school change its dress code, which stipulates that "Students are expected to wear opaque clothing that covers them from shoulder to approximately mid-thigh. For example, students shall not wear halter tops, garments with thin straps, or strapless garments. Garments that are 'see-through,' cut low, or exposes one’s midriff are not acceptable."

"I have spent a good majority of my life wondering why exactly women's shoulders are so offensive," she wrote in response. "It is ridiculous that young women aren't allowed to wear the clothing that they wish to wear simply because it could possibly distract someone. Why must young women be denied the ability to express themselves through their fashion simply because there may be a few people out there who cannot control themselves? Shaming women for wearing the things that make them feel comfortable and happy in their bodies is horribly sexist, and leads many girls to grow up believing that if another individual cannot control their actions around women, that the woman was at fault. It is astounding to me that this issue comes up again and again, and not much seems to be done about it. Do not force any more girls to grow up being taught that they must hide their bodies because others cannot control themselves."

She also told Today that while male students are allowed to wear tank tops to school, "if a girl wears a tank top, she has to leave class to go change into her gym shirt so that no one is distracted by her shoulders."

In the time since her petition garnered major press and over 2,000 signatures, Maine South's principal has reached out to Grace to correct the issue. "They have decided to include this photo in the yearbook," she wrote as an update to her petition, and notes that there are "plans to organize a student group dedicated to updating and revising [the dress code] policy."

This isn't the first time this year that a school's dress code policy has made headlines. In May, a high school senior was suspended because her long-sleeved shirt displayed the tops of her shoulders, and a 12-year-old was kicked out of a chess tournament because someone thought her dress was "seductive." But like Maine sixth grader Molly Neuner, Grace's petition seems to be sparking change. Hopefully more schools follow suit.

Related: Why These Female Students Protested Their High School's Sexist Dress Code