daily prompt · Humor · Writing

The Dress Code

Amy
Daily writing prompt
Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?
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Several times, in fact. Having inherited my maternal family’s fashion instincts, I’m a rebel. But I must warn you, only the first time was unintentional. All of the rest were intentional.

I’m sure it all started when I was a toddler and my mom made me dresses that made all the other toddlers envious.

Check out these patent leather Mary Janes, OK? ‘Nuff said.

And it continued from there. In high school, I had all the latest fashions. I regularly wore crop tops with leggings and high boots. I created my own signature style. I remember distinctly one day I wore a crocheted white crop top sweater over a crop top tank with jeans. I was sent to the principal’s office by a teacher. She wasn’t even my teacher. She was a teacher standing in the hall, looking me up and down disapprovingly. She told me I should go into my classroom and get my things and go immediately to the principal‘s office. I walked into my classroom and I told everyone what just happened.

I ended up in the vice principal‘s office. I sat in the chair across from her desk, and she asked me if I knew what I had done wrong. I said no. She said my outfit was inappropriate. I asked why. She said my stomach is showing. I have a 23-inch waist, and the styles were meant to show off your waist. Just like they are now. Fashion always comes back around again. Remember that. (I didn’t say that but that’s what I was thinking.) She said she was going to call my mother at work. She asked me what her phone number was. First of all, they should have that on file. Secondly, I started to giggle. She didn’t like that. I told her to call my mom, but my mom had bought the outfit. for me, so… She didn’t like that either. I told her the number and I waited for her to call my mother.

“Yes, ma’am, do you know what your daughter is wearing to school today?

Yes, it is a white sweater that is cropped and showing her belly.

I see. Well, she can’t wear this. She has to go home and change.”

She hung up the phone. “Your mother said she bought that for you and she thought you looked very nice in it this morning when you left the house.”

I smirked.

“You can’t wear that. You have to go home and change, and then you have to come right back.”

I went back to my classroom pissed off. I got there and I told everyone what happened. “She says I have to go home and change and then come back.” My peers thought that was ridiculous. Some of them were hiding crop tops underneath their jean jackets.

I walked home, which was pretty far considering I took the bus to school. I don’t know what I put on, but it wasn’t as nice as what I had on when I left the first time. I did end up walking back to school. I didn’t cut class.

That was the first documented occasion of a dress code offense.

I’ve had several more at work places. I do not apologize for it. If they want me to change my clothes, I will. But I will always try to be fashionable first.

One time, I had a cute plaid jumper short set. I wish I would’ve kept that outfit. But anyway, I wore that to the job that I had while I was in college. All the ladies in the kitchen design department were up in arms. I was violating the code, my boss and owner of the store at the time told me. I said, “I can’t help it, I have to be fashionable.” He didn’t make me go home and change, but I dressed slightly more boring after that.

A couple years later, I graduated with a major in fashion and a minor in theater/costuming. No one is going to take away my fashion. My mother encouraged me to dress uniquely and fashionably while living on a budget. She set the example, I’m just following. It’s a form of art expression. And I’ll never give it up.

There is a famous saying by Coco Chanel: “I don’t do fashion, I am fashion.” One year for my birthday, my former manager at my current job bought me a journal with that saying on the cover. I’ve used up the entire journal, but I saved the hard-bound part with the saying on it. I have it on display in my house.

This how I break the law (un)intentionally and I am not about to stop.

Fashion and sass, that’s what little girls are made of.

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com

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Published by Amy

I love words. And animals. Photography and fedoras. Welcome. And stay awhile.

57 thoughts on “The Dress Code”

  2. I remember when the advisor of a woman I knew in graduate school told her she dressed too sensually. She was pissed and didn’t change her style because there was no dress code. A woman I worked with had to change once though. Her stomach showed when she reached to get something from a top shelf. An older woman complained. There was a dress code. We all thought it was silly but she didn’t want to get fired.

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    1. Honestly, it’s mostly women who complain about other women’s clothing. Whether or not there’s a violation of a dress code, it’s usually women who complain. 🤷‍♀️
      I do comply when told that I have violated a dress code, but when it’s OK for some people to wear some thing and not OK for another person to wear the same thing, that’s where I have a problem. And that has happened to me too.

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  4. Good for you! I’m also a huge rebel.

    I’m technically a woman, but I hate wearing female clothing. I prefer baggy clothes and shop almost always at a men’s store. Together with my cool hairdo I love sticking out from the crowd!

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  6. Great story Amy!

    We need to see more photos of your fashion escapades.

    As a school teacher myself, I have to okay the whom dress code violation very carefully. I will usually ask a female co-worker to address a female student’s attire – only because I don’t even want to give anyone the impression – inaccurate though it is – that I’m leering at them.

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    1. Thanks, Rob!

      I didn’t know you were a teacher! Cool. What subject?

      100% of the time the dress code complaints have come from females. The teacher who sent me to the principal’s office was a female. Good idea to ask for a female coworker to address the situation, in your situation.

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      1. High school English. I taught middle school for the last 10 years but now I’m back in high school.

        You nailed it about the complaints coming from other females.

        Back in my day, you would occasionally get the guy who decided to wear a kilt just to ruffle some feathers; but that was pretty uncommon.

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      2. Honestly, I would love to see some guy show up to school in a kilt. Now that you say that, the kid with the Cabriolet that I discussed in another prompt. He had a mohawk. Another kid I knew had a mohawk, come to think of it. now I’m starting to get irritated lol.

        10th grade English was the first place I realized that I loved writing. Thank you for teaching the next generation.

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      4. Yeah, and it would be weird if the same thing happened twice. Lol
        Thanks. I will do my best 🫡
        (It seems really weird to me that that emoji is missing half of its face? Lol)

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      9. Going through it myself. It’s the goddamn back and forth. It’s like 45 outside and sunny, but it’s gonna dump into the 20s and snow in a couple hours. Wtf…

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      10. Eww. Yeah that’s what’s happening here too. Minus the snow. It’s freezing cold. My sinuses are a wreck. The robins came back a little too early, and I bet they are regretting it 😅

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      11. Ton of birds here too. Yeah, I am sure they’re having a huge wth moment 😄
        These temp shifts everywhere are nuts. This is why everyone keeps getting sick, I swear. Not just sinus/migraine sufferers either.

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      12. Yep, I believe it’s everyone. I’m not a fan. I feed the birds because I know they don’t have any food yet. Robins typically eat worms, but they will eat peanuts if they have to. The little birds are still here and we’re getting spring little birds. They all eat the seed. I can’t give them warmth, but I can give them food.😊

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      14. Yikes! I’m heading out to the grocery store today because the snow is coming tonight actually. I I’m sorry I will be annoyingly crowded. I have to go to the store today though because there isn’t any more cat food.😂

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      16. Yikes. Take cover inside. Right now it’s sunny here but the snow is coming tonight. So they say.
        Thanks. I fully expect there to be minimal milk, bread and eggs. Oh well. People around here get nervous if we get 1 inch of snow forecasted.😅

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      17. Same here, and it’s not like snow is a rarity in these parts. But nonetheless, panic they do lol
        Yeah, I’m laying low. I’ll have to go out for a bit later, but otherwise, I’m good.

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      18. I just got back. It was actually not crowded. No one knows there’s snow coming I guess. guess what? My store had an entire cart full of Reese’s peanut butter cup Valentine stuff 75% off.

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      19. Hate you so much right now. 😫

        🤣🤣

        I did find a dinky ass table at the market yesterday, but it had jack on it. 🙄

        Maybe everyone is still stocked from the last snow? lol

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      20. lol! I took a picture, but I can’t post it because I don’t know how. It is full and it’s only peanut butter cup stuff. I laughed out loud in the store!
        I have no idea what’s going on. I do know they put down brine in some places, but not the roads I traveled. I could actually choose from a plethora of egg cartons, milk, and bread. 🤷‍♀️🤔

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      21. You ran into a virtual bounty of all the important foods. Milk, eggs, bread and candy. I’m slightly jealous here.
        I’ll be running to the market later for my FULL PRICE candy. 😒

        Liked by 1 person

      24. Well, well, well, look at you and your fresh new Easter candy. You probably got the better deal even paying full price because it’s fresh off the production line.

        Liked by 1 person

      29. We’re not getting a huge accumulation, but we’ve got windchills coming apparently after this little snowfall.
        I mean, it is February, so I can’t bitch too much I guess. lol

        Liked by 1 person

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