No Such Thing as a Teenage Prostitute: My Response to a Devils Lake High School Assembly

by Karen Van Fossan, Communications Director

I’ve got something in my craw about a recent school assembly at Devils Lake High School. But before I get to that, I want to do two things: express my appreciation for the challenge of teaching teens and bring you up to date on the DLHS media sensation.

 

First, as the foster mom to a wonderful young woman who entered my life when she was 15, I understand the difficulties of fashion, consumer pressures, body image, and self-respect. I have no doubt that the adults at Devils Lake High School take their teaching responsibility seriously.

My kid and me (proud foster mom)

Second, news sources around the country have reported that the administration at Devils Lake High School have instituted a new dress code. Here are a few things going around the media:

1. The dress code in question applies to girls and not boys.

2. It forbids the wearing of tight jeans, leggings, and yoga pants.

3. It is based on concern about the ability of boys to concentrate in school.

4. It was inaugurated with a special assembly for girls, in which they were shown a clip from Pretty Woman, a movie about a prostitute who, among other things, changes the way she dresses and then receives respect.

A quick search will take you to numerous objections to the dress code for all kinds of (often clever) reasons. Blogger kttbirdd, for instance, wonders when the boys’ football team will be written up for running around in tight pants on the field.

Firebirds Football (from kttbirdd's blog)

Representatives of Devils Lake High School object to the media blitz about their recent assembly. According to the Devils Lake Journal and the high school’s website:

1. The dress code was not changed, only presented as a reminder to female students.

2. It states, “Yoga pants, leggings, and/or tights must be appropriately covered by other clothing.”

3. It does not specifically restrict the wardrobe of girls, as opposed to boys.

4. It was re-affirmed with a special assembly for girls, in which they were shown a clip from Pretty Woman, a movie about a prostitute who, among other things, changes the way she dresses and then receives respect.

As you can see, there are many points on which DLHS representatives and national media disagree. You probably also noticed, though, that the school did show a clip from Pretty Woman in its assembly for girls, encouraging girls not to dress – well, the way the star had dressed – like a prostitute.

Probably, this was a simple oversight. School representatives probably hoped the girls would not know the movie’s plotline. But they did. And I do. And I'm still trying to raise a foster daughter myself –

Which is why I want to talk about this thing called prostitution.

It’s a very tricky thing to suggest to young women that they resemble prostitutes. In my worldview, there’s no such thing as a teenage prostitute. Here’s how my logic goes:

Teenagers are minors. Minors, as a category, are more vulnerable than adults. Due to this vulnerability, minors are more susceptible to abuse. Minors, when paid for sex, are being abused. Thus, these minors are not prostitutes; they are victims of sex trafficking.

What would it mean to dress like a victim of sex trafficking? It would mean dressing like a person who doesn’t get to be in charge of her or his own body, let alone wardrobe.

I have no doubt school representatives would like to protect young women – and also young men – from such a reality. In that case, I encourage all adults (myself included) to listen, first, to girls – and also boys – about the realities of their lives.

Chances are, high school students in Devils Lake have a lot to say about what goes into choosing a pair of pants.

Karen Van Fossan, Communications Director for PCAND, directs our faith-based initiatives, while completing her M.Div. through United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. 

The views she presents here do not necessarily reflect the views of either entity.