This SC high school required approval of girls’ prom dresses but not boys’ attire
A Darlington County high school required girls to send in pictures of their prom dresses for approval but didn’t require the boys to do the same for their attire.
Administration at Mayo High School, a math and science magnet school in Darlington, SC, required girls to send photos of the fronts and backs of the dresses while the girls wore them, the school district confirmed.
Friday, The State asked the Darlington County School District if Mayo High required photos of prom dresses and school approval as well as other questions. The district did not directly answer at the time.
“After looking into the matter, we discontinued the dress protocol,” a spokesperson for the school district told The State on Saturday.
Another district spokesperson clarified that the school, not the district, ended the requirement that dresses be approved.
The district confirmed that boys were not required to have their prom clothing approved.
The State learned of the dress approval policy after a person posted about it on social media.
The person said they were the parent of a girl at Mayo High.
“Girls in the 50s wore strapless dresses to prom,” but that isn’t allowed for Mayo’s prom, the parent said. “Apparently, men have been victims of devolution over the last 70 years to the point that my girls have to cover their shoulders at all times, so boys don’t get the wrong idea.”
A thread of people reacting negatively to the dress approval protocol followed.
Commenters called the protocol “medieval” and “ridiculous.”
“Policing how females dress instead of prohibiting boys’ bad behavior is unacceptable,” a commenter said.
Out of the more than 100 comments, only one supported the dress protocol.
The State asked the district if its Title IX officer looked into the school’s prom dress policy. The district did not answer. School districts are mandated to have Title IX officers to investigate allegations of unequal treatment because of sex.
Mayo High School prom is set for April 2, according to the school’s calendar.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 12:38 PM.