High school teen works to prove his theory on 'sexist' dress codes
One teen is conducting social experiments to prove his theory that dress codes are sexist.
In a series of videos posted on TikTok, Drew Jarding, 17, from Illinois, wears the same outfits as his female friends to school to see who will get written up for violating the dress code.
"I wanted to see what would happen where it’s a guy and a girl wearing basically the same thing," Jarding told "Good Morning America." "I have a platform, and I wanted to put it to good use."
The idea for the videos stemmed from years of watching his female friends get in trouble while boys at school seemed to fly under the radar, Jarding, who’s now a high school senior, said.
"Ever since I had been going to high school, I saw all of my female friends get pulled aside for things that didn’t really make sense to me," he said. "For example, having shoulders exposed -- I’ve worn plenty of sweater vests and so on that showed my shoulders."
Jarding makes sure the outfits he and his friends wear are almost exactly the same, though oftentimes he’ll choose clothes that are more revealing to further prove his point.
His first video, which has since been taken down, shows him and his friend Kenzie Crimmins wearing similar outfits to school. Crimmins is wearing leggings and a crop top while Jarding has on an even shorter crop top and shorts cut above the knee. In the end, only Crimmins is written up for violating the dress code.
"I wasn’t really taken by surprise, but it definitely opened my eyes," Crimmins, 17, told "GMA."
According to Crimmins, students may be asked to cover up, and if they have nothing on hand to do that with, they may be sent home to change and are expected to return. Students receive written warnings for dress code violations, and after a certain number of violations, the punishment is taken further.
Jarding noted that even prior to filming the videos, he’s never been written up for a dress code violation.
"All of my high school career I’ve worn these outfits," he said. "They were all in my closet."
Even when Jarding’s been directly in front of a teacher, principal or other staff member while wearing clothes that normally would’ve violated the dress code, he said he’s never been reprimanded.
"They didn’t say anything to me," Jarding said. "Nobody has ever said anything to me."
In another video, Jarding tests his theory with two different girls. The first is wearing pants and a tank top, while the other and Jarding are both wearing shorts and crop tops. The first friend is written up before second period, and the other is written up while standing right next to Jarding.
"I had always known this issue was prevalent in schools all around the world, so it wasn’t necessarily a shock," Jarding said. "It was a wake-up call."
