Boys at several high schools in Montreal have started wearing skirts to school to protest sexist dress code policies against female students.
On Oct. 7, 15-year-old Colin Renaud went to Villa Maria College in Montreal wearing a skirt. He said he was hoping to tackle the hyper sexualization of female bodies, toxic masculinity and sexist dress codes.
“The only message I wanted to send by putting on my skirt is that everyone should wear what they want,” Renaud said in an Instagram post that has since gone viral.
In the post, Renaud addressed how female students are often punished in school if their skirts are too short, a policy Renaud said hypersexualizes women by policing their bodies and what they wear.
“We need to break societal norms so that everyone has the choice to express themselves as they want without being judged and discriminated against by the clothes they wear,” Renaud said in another post.
Renaud encouraged his classmates to join the movement and wear a skirt with him to school on Oct. 13, he said, sending a direct message to administration that instant changes need to be made to dress code policies.
“I [felt] that for once, adults are listening to us and are ready to open a discussion on this subject,” Renaud said.
The movement has quickly gained attention over social media, spreading to other schools across
Québec with the hashtag #jupepourtous—translated as “skirts for all.”
Simon Lefevbre, a student from École internationale Lucille-Teasdale in Montreal, began the movement at his school after hearing about Renaud’s efforts on social media.
Lefevbre explained that after talking to some of the female students at his school about their concerns regarding the dress code policies, he felt motivated to continue the movement at his school.
Over 50 male and female students participated by wearing skirts to school and displaying messages around the school about how the strict dress code makes them feel.
Zachary Paulin was another male high school student who wore a skirt to school after seeing the movement spark popularity online.
Over 80 male-identifying students participated in the campaign at Paulin’s high school, Collèges Nouvelles Frontières.
Paulin, along with the other male students participating in the movement, are calling for all Montreal schools’ dress codes to be gender neutral.
“Most colleges are more conservative with their values, and their dress code is very gendered,” Paulin said.
A few years ago Renaud advocated for his high school, Villa Maria College, to issue a unisex dress code. However, Renaud said he believes gender stereotypes surrounding the uniform still exist.
Nahla Abdo, a professor in the department of sociology and anthropology at Carleton University, said schools should remove dress codes for gender equality and inclusivity.
“Dress codes are considered the policing of women’s bodies because women’s bodies are the target of patriarchal and colonial policies,” she said.
However, the Villa Maria high school that Renaud attends maintains that the school’s uniform promotes inclusivity.
“Villa Maria advocates gender equality and encourages each student to reach his or her full potential,” the school said in an emailed statement to the Charlatan. “The Villa Maria uniform is entirely unisex, whereas all pieces can be worn by boys, girls and/or students who do not identify with one of the genders.”
Renaud is further promoting the movement online through an Instagram account called Cercle Mauve.
He said the objectives of the movement will continue to be to inform people “about the sexist uniform, toxic masculinity, and desexualizing women’s bodies.”
Renaud said he aims to continue to spread these messages over social media, in hopes that other male students in Montreal will support the cause.
Featured image provided by sources.
