Dress Coded

 Molly Frost is sick of the way the dress code at her middle school is enforced.  All the girls hate the dress code, but the principal takes things too far when he ties an 8th grade campout to dress code violations. 

At first, everyone blames Olivia.  She was wearing a tank top, and she did refuse to take her sweatshirt from her waist and put it on, but that's not the whole story.  She had to leave that sweatshirt around her waist!  Any girl who's lived through middle school knows the embarrassment of getting your period unprepared at school.  When Molly learns the truth, she decides to start a podcast exploring the dress code at school.

At first, people are reluctant to contribute, but slowly they begin to speak out about the humiliation they've felt at being publicly berated for having exposed shoulders or shorts higher than their fingertips.  Some people seem to be targeted, the curvier or more physically mature girls.  Other girls, like Molly, get ignored.  She and one of her best friends even got matching outfits for the first day of school, and her friend got "pulled over" while no one noticed Molly.

This is about more than humiliation though.  Jessica failed a math quiz because she missed class for a dress code violation.  Why is the fear of a boy being distracted more important than a girl's education?

Molly isn't just invisible at school.  Her older brother's vaping addiction takes all her parents' energy.  Danny is too busy vaping and selling pods to care about anyone else, and his behavior toward Molly gets worse every day.  

Molly is tired of being invisible.  She wants to stand up and let her voice be heard at home and at school.

Carrie Firestone's debut novel is a story of girl power and enlightenment.  While the circumstances in Molly's school may be exaggerated, dress codes are clearly aimed at girls and underpinned by the idea that female bodies are inherently sexual.  The book also highlights how inappropriate it is for an adult male to scrutinize female students' bodies and clothing.  It is interesting that the boys in the novel are not "distracted" by the normal clothing the girls want to wear; it is the adults who are causing the problem.  The teacher part of me doesn't want dress codes banished completely, but I do think the book highlights an important issue in a relatable way.  Readers will cheer for Molly and her friends as they stand up to injustice and strengthen their female friendships.  Recommended!