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The sixth form that I study at is joining (read being taken over by) a school's trust. They have decided to make the dress code significantly stricter. Currently, it is simply "business wear" but as of September they are making it more specific.

In particular, they are requiring girls to wear blouses/shirts. This would be fine, except that any and all shirts I wear gape open along the line of buttons due to the lack of affordable shirts that suit my body shape. As a result, I would be extremely uncomfortable wearing a shirt, but I don't know how to bring this up with the new headteacher for next year, since she is generally unmoving on issues of dress code. Furthermore, she's not really the one in power, the school trust is, and I have no way to communicate with them that the dress code is unreasonable.

I havent worn shirts for the past two years I've been at the school, and I've been complimented on how smart I look, so it's not an issue of me not meeting the original dress code either. Finally, this issue only affects me as the other two girls in the sixth form are leaving at the end of this academic year.

How do I get my voice heard on the subject by somebody with the power to actually change the dress code?

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    If you are a student, this doesn't seem like a workplace issue.
    – Bernhard Barker
    Jul 15, 2017 at 19:22
  • You could possibly opt for just ignoring it and wait to see whether that creates problems. What makes you think this would be particularly strongly enforced?
    – Bernhard Barker
    Jul 15, 2017 at 19:26
  • @Dukeling their planning a complete crackdown on everything so I'm guessing it's strongly enforcable. Plus, the trust is well known for strict uniform policies. Also I feel as though this is as a workplace question because our school was designed to behave like a workplace and concerns chain of command
    – Gladiator Kittens
    Jul 15, 2017 at 19:29
  • the power dynamics are different as a student, than as an employee.
    – user29055
    Jul 16, 2017 at 8:26
  • can you wear the official shirt with a few buttons undone and a similar color camisole or undershirt? (I say this as a woman with a body type that causes buttoned shirts to gape open; while this may be warm at some times of year it may be a reasonable compromise.) If you say "the uniform shirt does not fit modestly" you may be able to force a concession.
    – arp
    Apr 8, 2018 at 20:48

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Based on:

This would be fine, except that any and all shirts I wear gape open along the line of buttons due to the lack of affordable shirts that suit my body shape. As a result, I would be extremely uncomfortable wearing a shirt...

and

...this issue only affects me as the other two girls in the sixth form are leaving at the end of this academic year.

This becomes a gender/sexual appropriateness issue and possibly discrimination. I would recommend you let the person who told you know that you are not comfortable wearing the selected shirt because you feel it's not being appropriate as a woman and it causes exposure to you in a way that you do not like. Mention that as their are no other options that you feel this presents the option of exposing yourself inappropriately or risk insubordination due to required dress standards. Also mention that you are the only female and this feels discriminatory against you as a woman. Ask that the board add additional options to the dress code for you or that you will feel discriminated upon.

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