Um, yes. A rule like that is incredibly moronic.

Ridiculous. She's wearing a gown, who's even going to notice that she's wearing pants under it?

If the boys get to wear pants, so should the girls be able to if they so choose. I can't believe we are still dealing with these kinds of issues.... ugh!

seriously she better wear the dress whats the big deal she haves to get confidence -_- if she just does what she wants what will happen later on in life when her job requires her to dress only in black or something like that. For me she is just really spoiled.

It's a graduation. You're under a gown. The most you'll see is the very bottom, and even then, who gives a sh*t? Let them do what they want.

@ Anonymous...Spoiled? Really???

Yes, I think the school should change its policy. It the students' graduation. It's their big day. They earned it. Let them wear whatever they want, given that it's dignified for the occasion.

A female can look perfectly appropriate and elegant in pants, like nice slacks. Personally, some of my most elegant (and feminine) outfits are pant suits. They just as nice as my dresses. JMHO.

Anonymous, she's not asking to wear jeans or flip-flops. I can't think of any job where a woman would be required to wear only skirts/dresses. Dress pants are absolutely acceptable.

Gosh, I hate that I have a different opinion here, but I'd side with the school here.

I think there are some occasions where you have to be ladylike, and a school graduation is certainly one of them. It's just respect for the occasion and respect for the work the people have done.

Yes, women have all kinds of double standards with appearances - but this is just the reality of our culture. I can't go to work in a skirt without my legs shaved, and I have to do my hair in the morning to look presentable. It's just the way it is.

Western cultures are are already so causal compared to others. When I went to Madrid a few months ago, it was shocking to see how much more seriously the women took their appearance. Do we really want to obliterate all requirements of formality?

Bri

I agree with Pisitl & Glowing Moon. You can still be "ladylike" in a nice pair of dress pants. The rule of dresses only for women, pants only for men for these occasions is so outdated.

Pistil** sorry lol

Should be able to wear pants. Why not? I know fat chicks like me can find it incredibly uncomfortable to wear a dress without something like boxers under it. My thighs have GIANT rashes, scars and bruises on the inside from wearing SHORTS and pants with holes in the thighs. Dresses are even worse. And not only do my thighs look gross, but it hurt a lot to get the things in the first place.

I don't know if that has anything to do with the girl in the story, but there are some health "risks" involved in making all girls wear dresses.

spacekatgirl- I agree that certain occasions call for a more formal, put-together appearance. But the issue here is not between casual vs. formal. As several posters have pointed out, dress slacks/pant suits can be both formal and elegant, so I don't see the logic in formal = dresses/skirts only.

If it's a public school -- sounds like a First Amend issue to me

Bull Sh*t on that ladylike crap!
Women can look just as lovely in a nice pair of pants then in any skirt or dress. The girl (and every other one) should definitely be allowed to wear dress pants instead of a dress.
Shame on this school for enforcing out of date stereotypes on how males/females should look.

ladylike does NOT mean you have to wear a dress!!! I'd skip it, it's a ridiculous, outdated rule.

and please, anonymous comments are getting really old!

Hmmm. I, personally, am not a fan of dress pants - so maybe I'm a bit too negative on them. But, I associate them this bogus idea that a woman has to dress like a man to gain respect in a political/business situation. To me, that's the worse stereotype.

To expand a bit, Vouge asked Hillary Clinton to appear in their magazine, and she refused in a really public way. I thought it was such a negative thing that a female leader was opposed to being seen in a fashion-forward venue.

Ugh, just wear the damn dress, it's not like you're going to be "comfortable" in the hat, are you going to insist that you don't have to wear that too? You can make it for a couple of hours.

But the school ultimately will have to let her do what she wants. I just think it's a painfully stupid thing to "take a stand" on.

I just don't care. I had to wear a white dress and white shoes to my graduation. Did I want to? No. Did I get all cranky about it? No. It's like, two hours.

I know it's a small thing, but I was reading more about this situation on another site. Apparently the same girl was allowed to wear a tuxedo (with PANTS) to her prom, why not under her graduation gown? They didn't care about enforcing gender standards then, did they? And prom is a much more formal event that graduation, IMHO.

Let her wear pants. And hell, if a boy wants to wear a skirt and makeup, let him do that as well! Providing they dress in school colors and look presentable there shouldn't be a problem. The school needs to move into the 21st century already...

And I don't know of any (legal) job that would require you to wear a dress/skirt. Even the majority of work uniforms I've seen give women the option to wear pants.

I got to wear what I wanted to when I graduated there was no policy. I was very thankful since I'm not a formal person anyway. My outfit consisted of a t-shirt, camouflage pants, and combat boots. If you don't want to wear a dress just to graduate then don't. Nobody cared what I wore not even my parents.

I'm with tlsgirl and sham...I mean, it's a stupid rule, but it's THE RULE. The school won't change their policy in time for her to wear her damn pants to her graduation anyway, and she'll regret it if she doesn't go.

I agree with sham28 and tlsgirl. Why make such a big deal out of a dress? Some people see sexism on the most irrelevant things...

Totally agree. In a perfect world, you could wear pants. But, as my mother told me so frequently, "You've got to pick your battles."

At my high school graduation, several of the boys handed the principal a condom when they shook his hand. One friend of mine snuck "Free at last" spelled out in masking tape on his hat, so the people above us in the basketball arena could see. Schools try to enforce arbitrary rules to control this kind of behavior.

Well, I certainly hate wearing dresses. In fact, my sister's wedding and my graduation were the only times I've ever worn them. It didn't even occur to me to pick a fight over this, and it really depends on what the reason is why she feels uncomfortable.

Well, looks like the principal saw the light of the 21st century shinning down on him and caved...
http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=10468170

Frankly, I'm surprised at the number of people in this forum who are basically saying, "Go ahead, do what they tell you to do, even if it's archaic and stupid. It's only for a couple of hours." It's a slippery slope for sure.

I don't know this young girl, but it sounds to me like she probably has some sort of gender dysphoria (or, like me, she just hates to wear dresses/skirts because pants are much more comfortable and utilitarian). If that's the case, wearing clothing that is the complete opposite of how she sees herself would be complete torture, I imagine.

A girl wearing dress slacks is not the same as a boy wearing flip flops to a formal event. One is appropriate formal attire, the other is not.

I find it's one of those 'what's the big deal either way' issues. God forbid a girl wears dress pants *under her gown*... or God forbid a girl wears a skirt for an afternoon *under her gown*... as I recall, our grad gowns were past our knees... I can't even remember if I wore pants or a skirt. That's how significant it was. I still think it's a ridiculous rule, but not something I'd want to miss my graduation for.

I went to a public high school and the girls HAD to wear a white, not off-white, not beige, must be WHITE, dress that wasn't longer than the gown and white heeled shoes with a toe and ankle strap. No flip-flops, no flats, had to have a heel and straps. That was the difficult part, finding those shoes, which I have never worn again. They had a teacher at the door checking to make sure girls had on their WHITE dresses (they freaked out about this white thing, I swear...it could have NO color on it) and your homeroom teacher had to check off you were appropriately dressed before you got your diploma.

I think the boys had to wear khakis and a white long sleeved collared shirt, and I did not envy them. It was hot and sticky and I was freaking out about tripping, so I was glad to be in a dress! They just wanted everyone to look the same so no one would get more attention than another person for dressing/acting ridiculous at the ceremony.

I would say, just wear the dress for the ceremony (and June? In South Carolina? I'd hate to be in pants!) and have Mom or Dad bring a change of pants to slip on afterwards if you want to wear pants in your dang pictures.

Chapin is a public school (I'm from SC). Probably not a first amendment issue since shes just uncomfortable in dresses. If she wanted to wear pants to protest gender stereotypes, then maybe first amendment problem. However, going to have to go another route. That being said, let her wear what she wants, as long as its dressy enough. Jeans and flip flops probably wouldnt cut it- thats a different dress style altogether that isnt appropriate for a formal event. We had to wear white dresses too and no one really cared (that I know of anyway). Interesting issue though.

Seriously, just wear the dress. It's not that hard to find a nice, flattering (and modest) dress for your body shape that's also comfortable to wear. The dress offers an attractive, classical, feminine shape.

It's not like she has to wear it forever--my graduation was only two hours.

XanxiuZ, I was thinking along similar lines, that perhaps the girl in question might not express herself with a feminine gender identity. (While I know the technical psychological term is gender dysmorphia, I think that makes it seem like identifying with a different gender is somehow wrong, so I'm not going to use that term here.) So for her, wearing pants is what's comfortable and feels right for her body. And really, it is an archaic and stupid rule, but she shouldn't have to be someone other than herself for the two hours in which she's supposed to celebrate her achievements along with her classmates.

X is right, Fire. The technical psychological term is gender dysphoria, not dismophia.

This is such a, for lack of a better word, dumb rule. Graduation is supposed to be the time to celebrate your four years of hard work, so you should be comfortable. I know the fight may seem a little minor, but rules such as these only perpetuate gender stereotypes. If a woman is comfortable in a dress, she should be able to wear a dress. If a woman wants to wear dress pants, she should be able to do so. Nothing she wears should affect how others judge her work habits, values, etc. I'm happy that the girl got what she wanted--hopefully this will help future students who don't want to be forced to obey such ridiculous, outdated rules.

thats really dumb. this is suppose to be the students "day". i remember my graduation i wore flip flops. she should wear a skort as a joke. 1/2 dress 1/2shorts. both sides win. lol

This sounds like my Catholic high school... the horror. Honestly, on this one issue, I can see why you guys would say pick your battles. But if life throws you these rules over and over and over and over you're going to start to have to defend your individuality. You have no idea how much your individuality is worth until it's stripped away... whether that be in Catholic school, the military, or your career.

Some of you have obviously forgotten what it's like to be in high school. You're brain is as an adults but your stuck in this paternalistic prision. I can see why this girl would get fed up about dress code.

they should let her wear pants. like i dont really like wearing dresses myself but i do only for special occasions.but everyone is different and should be able to wear what they wish

I'm glad my High School allows girls to wear pants or suits to formal events. I just can't wear dresses; they make me feel uncomfortable and even ashamed. I know that the majority of girls love dresses and can't understand why some girls "make a big deal out of it" but it really isn't just a couple of hours, it's a whole life time of people telling you to dress a certain way that just doesn't feel natural to you. My graduation is today at 7pm and i'm wearing pants and my shiny shoes

I attended a Christian school from Kindergarten through 12th grade and had to wear a skirt or dress every single school day. Then I attended a Christian college for 4 years where I had to wear skirts and dresses everyday, even on the weekend whether I was attending class or not. I didn't like it at times, but those were the rules and I followed them to accomplish my goal of obtaining an education. Now I work in an office where skirts, dresses, heels and hose are required work attire for women. Though I can wear pants whenever I want during off hours, I decided that I really didn't like wearing them after all and no longer own even a single pair. Sorry, I just don't feel sorry for this girl at all. Either put on a dress for an hour or two so that your family and friends can have the pleasure of watching you graduate, or disappoint them all and stay home and receive your diploma in the mail.

At one point men said "no more" to wearing togas to graduate. I hope she wore her pants and the school let her walk in graduation.