By Ana Billotti
Round Table web producer
In early January, Colorado high school senior, Sydney Spies, claimed that her high school unfairly censored her. Spies’ school allows students to submit their own personal portraits to appear as their senior portrait in the yearbook, but Spies’ submission was voted down by the yearbook editors.
When Spies first submitted her photo, she was told that it would be allowed to run in the yearbook, but was notified later that it would not be allowed to appear “because her attire in the photo violated dress code,” according to an article by The Durango Herald.
The photo in question shows Spies wearing a short yellow skirt with a black shawl that exposes her shoulders and midsection. Spies’ school dress code policy requires that tops “fully cover the chest, back, abdomen and sides of the student.” Spies’ outfit of choice clearly did not abide by the dress code for her school.
After Spies was informed that her first photo choice would not be appearing in the yearbook, she selected another one. This time she is wearing what appears to be a short dress while leaning away from a brick wall. This photo was also rejected by the yearbook editors.
Inappropriate clothing choice is a concern shared by many high schools across the country. Middletown High School’s own dress code policy states, “Students should not wear unduly revealing clothing, e.g. see-through shirts, tops cut low at the neck or low under the arms (including muscle shirts), those exposing bare midriffs, shoulders, or backs, pants or skirts worn below the hips exposing the student’s underwear or skin.”
MHS, unlike Spies’ school, does not allow students to submit their own senior portraits. According to The Chestnut Burr, MHS’ yearbook, “All students and school personnel are required to have their portraits taken by the school photographer for yearbook publishing purposes. No portrait photograph from any other photography studio or person will be accepted for printing in the yearbook. There are no exceptions to this policy.” This policy can help The Chestnut Burr avoid situations similar to those currently facing Spies’ yearbook.
In addition, when all the senior portraits are done by the same photographer, the pictures look more similar and no one is subject to a “better” photo. This can happen if one student shells out hundreds of dollars for a professional photographer to take her picture at different locations and in different outfits while someone whose family doesn’t have a lot of money can only afford paying a little bit to have her senior portrait taken in a photography studio.
Spies’ parents, after their daughters’ third attempt to submit a yearbook portrait was rejected, are now planning on filing “a complaint with the Durango, Colo., school board and superintendent in the hope that they ‘acknowledge that there’s been a lot of mishandling of this situation.’,” according to ABC News. Spies’ mother states, “Sydney feels very bullied, by the entire school, basically.”
The yearbook editors for Spies’ school have since decided to use Spies’ school ID as her senior portrait. But outcry from Spies’ and her family are sure to continue. Whether or not Spies’ yearbook made the right decision by saying no is to be decided on an individual basis. The yearbook editors have stuck by their decision and it seems likely that they will continue to do so unless they are told to allow Spies’ portrait. Spies, as a result, will most likely continue to fight against her being “censored” for a long time to come.
