Taking a Stand for Change
Not all protests are loud; sometimes, the most impactful actions come from quiet defiance. With courage and confidence, a remarkable sixth-grader in Portland challenged her school’s outdated sexist dress code, sending a powerful message that echoed far beyond the classroom.
Claire Johnson, a student at King Middle School, decided to break the school’s dress code to highlight an important issue: #IAmNotADistraction. She wrote the phrase on her arm with a Sharpie while wearing a spaghetti strap tank top as a form of protest.
Claire’s decision came after a humiliating incident where she was criticized in front of her peers for wearing an athletic racerback tank top, something she had worn many times before. “I felt really embarrassed and just wanted to leave the classroom as fast as I could because it was so uncomfortable to be in that situation,” Claire recalled during an interview.
During snack time, a teacher approached Claire and another girl, instructing them to “measure themselves” in front of their classmates. The teacher forced Claire’s classmate to stand up and check if her shorts reached her fingertips. Claire was asked to measure her straps with her fingers—right in front of the whole class. The students watched, and as expected, some boys reacted with immature comments.
Both girls were warned they would face detention if they wore similar outfits again. To make matters worse, the same teacher asked Claire to put on a sweatshirt at lunch, in front of her friends. Claire called her mom right after school to share what had happened.
“She was really upset and it was about 70 degrees that day,” her mother, Laura, mentioned. “The school doesn’t have air-conditioning, and some classes don’t even have windows.”
Laura spoke with the Vice Principal but didn’t receive much support. Together, they researched dress codes and found that many girls face similar issues. They discovered a global movement under the hashtag #IAmNotADistraction, aiming to challenge the normalization of male entitlement over female bodies.
“I felt inspired after seeing it online, so I texted my friends and said, ‘We need to do this tomorrow,’” Claire explained.
The next day, around 20 girls wrote the hashtag on their arms, with some joining Claire in wearing spaghetti strap tops. This time, none of the girls were reprimanded.
“It was so amazing. Everyone was cheering and jumping up and down,” Claire said, beaming with pride.
The enforcement of outdated dress codes often leads to public humiliation for girls, pulling them out of class and taking away valuable learning time. “The width of their straps has nothing to do with their education,” Laura argued, emphasizing the importance of Claire’s protest, which gained traction online.
“Other girls see themselves in Claire, which is bittersweet, but it also ignites a fire in me. They are realizing their voices matter,” she shared, recalling her own experiences of feeling silenced as a young girl.
Unlike Claire, Laura felt she lacked role models who spoke out against injustice when she was growing up. She acknowledges the bravery her daughter has shown, realizing she wouldn’t have had the same courage at that age.
Claire’s parents are immensely proud of her and the attention she’s garnered for challenging the old dress code. She has even been invited to join a district panel that reviews dress codes. While changes may not happen immediately, there’s hope for the future.
Claire encourages other girls facing similar challenges to speak out: “Next time someone does something you don’t agree with, stand up for yourself.” Laura adds, “You hope to instill these beliefs in your children, but you never know until they act on them. Stay strong, mamas; the world needs us and our daughters.”
This article was originally published on April 15, 2017.
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Summary
A courageous sixth-grader, Claire Johnson, stood up against her school’s sexist dress code by wearing a spaghetti strap top and writing #IAmNotADistraction on her arm. After facing humiliation for her outfit, she inspired a movement among her peers, leading to a successful protest. Her mother, Laura, supports her actions and emphasizes the importance of girls finding their voices.