School To Give ‘Modesty Ponchos’ To Students At Prom
A Catholic school is issuing “modesty ponchos” to kids at prom this year, and it’s raising some eyebrows and some questions.
By DAVID on May 1, 2018
It’s prom season, and girls all over the high-school world have been shopping for their dresses. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when shopping though, of course. Shoulder strap width, overall length, full-sleeve, half-sleeve, no sleeve, etc. There are a lot of styles, many of which have narrow shoulders.
A Catholic school is giving no slack at all on the dress-code, and are offering their own “cover-up.” The cover up is just in case the girls’ outfits are deemed “too slutty” to be appropriate for a high-school prom. The cover-up is being called a “Modesty Poncho,” and it’s literally a bright-pink poncho that the girls would wear over their dress. The school is displaying the modesty ponchos on mannequins in the school with a note attached that reads “If your dress does not meet our formal dance dress requirements — no problem! We’ve got you covered — literally. This is our Modesty Poncho, which you’ll be given at the door.” A fair warning.
See also: A teen took his mom to prom since she missed hers as a kid.
The ponchos are of course being criticized, with one student saying “I do believe the school has gone too far with this… As we walk into prom, we are to shake hands with all the teachers and if you walk through and a teacher deems your dress is inappropriate you will be given a poncho at the door.” The student says that it’s a form of shaming, and a parent agrees with her. “It’s a method of shaming, a method of building and degrading to females and its interpretation what’s modest and what isn’t,” the parent said. Administrators at the school say that it was merely a deterrent. “We are trying focus on the inner beauty and not draw attention to something that doesn’t need attention drawn to it… It was really intended as a deterrent and a light hearted one at that.”
A deterrent or not, do you agree with “modesty ponchos?” Or is prom one of those times where the fashion should be allowed, within reason? How does one determine what’s “inappropriate” anyway? Dress too short? Shoulder straps too narrow? Too much cleavage showing? See the original story here.
UPDATE: Looks like the school has cancelled their plans to pass out “modesty ponchos” after all. Click here for that story.
