UPDATE: 13-year-old maliciously complies 3 times with 7th grade teacher who is the "keeper of the dress code": 'No frays on clothing allowed'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 25, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

If I was a teacher, I would let my students wear anything they wanted. Kids love to express themselves through their wardrobe, and they certainly make some odd choices at times. But it always bothered me how the rules would target girls. For example, the "3 finger rule" of tank tops was in place when I was in high school. You could wear tank tops, but only if the arm straps were at least three finger-lengths wide. So any teacher could stop you and have you hold up three fingers to prove how your tank top covered your arms. 

You could kind of get away with having one that was two-fingers wide if the teacher was generous, but it was at that teacher's discretion, and plenty of young girls wasted precious educational time sitting in the front office, waiting for mom or dad to bring them a new shirt, or having to wear their gym shirt all day long to comply with the dress code. The boys had much less strict dress codes, and it just doesn't seem fair. 

This person got back at one teacher who was a major stickler for the rules! You can read the entire story below, as well as a quick update in the comments section about what happened. 

Up next, read about this workplace escape room activity that went south quickly when the boss got upset that his employee solved some puzzles too quickly: "My boss is giving me the cold shoulder."

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  • 01

    "Mrs. Evans, keeper of the dress code"

    This all happened about 20 years ago when I was in 7th grade (12- 13 years old for those not in the US school systems). I remember this day vividly, as it was one of my most rebellious actions against authority I had done in my school years.
    via u/mwood60
  • 02
    My seventh grade science teacher was a curmudgeonly lady that we will call Mrs. Evans. Now, Mrs. Evans had no joys in her job of teaching preteens the foundations of science, but did enjoy sending students to the principal for minor infractions.
    via u/mwood60
  • 03
    An easy way of getting sent to the principal was through dress code violations. Throughout the entirety of the school year with her, I'd seen Mrs. Evans send no less than 75% of the class to principal's office for dress code violation, with most being the girls in class wearing shirts that were "too revealing" because their shoulders were showing, with the others usually being something easily fixed like wearing a hat.
    via u/mwood60
  • 04
    I showed up to class in my standard outfit that I had been wearing up to that point in the school year, a t-shirt and jeans. However, being the outdoorsy kid I was, I had a slight tear on the knee of one of the pants legs.
    via u/mwood60
  • 05
    Mrs. Evans honed in on this slight tear, and instructed me that I would need to be wearing jeans without a tear in them for her to be able to teach her class without distraction, and to go to the principal if I was unable to do so.
    via u/mwood60
  • 06
    Being a smartass 13 year old, I decided to comply by going to my locker, getting my stapler out, and stapling the tear shut on my jeans.
    via u/mwood60
  • 07
    Upon return to class, this was not good enough for Mrs. Evans, Keeper of the Dress Code. She repeated her previous instruction, and said that if I returned without the torn jeans being replaced I was to go to the principal.
    via u/mwood60
  • 08
    Cue compliance #2: I went straight back to my locker, got a pair of scissors out, and cut off the entire leg of the jeans with the offending tear (much to my mother's later dismay).
    via u/mwood60
  • 09
    Upon my re-return to class, Mrs. Evans was quite unhappy. The rest of the class was now properly distracted from her doing, much to her chagrin. But, Mrs. Evans was the Keeper of the Code for a reason one supposed. She cited a line in the school handbook stating "no frays on any clothing allowed". This time, I was sent to the principal.
    via u/mwood60
  • 10
    I had never gotten in too much trouble in school, was in a lot of advanced placement courses, and played football and track for school, so my record was pretty clean. The principal was confused as to why I was sent, until I told him I'd just come from Mrs. Evans class, which told him enough after he saw one pant leg normal, with the other pant leg completely cut below the knee.
    via u/mwood60
  • 11
    He told me to please just wear my gym shorts and have this be the end of it. Cue compliance #3: I returned to class wearing my gym shorts for the day... wearing them over the offending jeans. Mrs. Evans, keeper of the code, decided this warranted a call to the principal from the class phone to report me and get me into further turmoil.
    via u/mwood60
  • 12
    However, I think the principal was just done with getting his time wasted that day. After Mrs. Evans got him on the phone and spoke her piece, there was a long silence while he assumably responded to her. She then hung up the phone, her face slightly flushed, and proceeded with the lesson.
    via u/mwood60
  • 13
    I never once got called out on any dress code violations by the Keeper of the Code for the remainder of my middle school years.
    via u/mwood60
  • 14

    Inquiring minds had questions!

    RealUltimatePapo Glad the principal told her off like she deserved Did you ever get an apology, or did she continue being a curmudgeonly ?
    via u/RealUltimatePapo
  • 15
    mwood60 OP lol well I cannot confirm what was said between her and the principal, but that is the assumption! I can only imagine how many other students had actual issues he was being distracted from, including an arson attempt by one that same year!
    via u/mwood60
  • 16
    Nope, I never got an apology, and honestly I don't think really deserved it. I was technically out of dress code, as asinine as it was, and was obviously being a smartass hormonal rebellious preteen. She continued to be curmudgeonly throughout the entirety of middle school though, with her being one of the least like teachers in the school.
    via u/mwood60
  • 17
    delect
    via Jason Goodman on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 18
    diceunodixon I box dyed my hair once in high school (black cherry) and was dress coded for it being an "unnatural color" but suddenly wasn't in in school suspension when I pointed out the chemistry teacher had the same color hair I did
    via u/diceunodixon
  • 19
    justaman_097 Well played! You tested every frayed nerve that woman had and you won.
    via u/justaman_097
  • 20
    ChiefSlug30 If ripped jeans was what got you in trouble due to a dress code, your teacher would have had a heart attack over what we wore at high school.....50+ years ago.
    via u/ChiefSlug30
  • 21
    Ttyybb_ I would've taken it as clear permission to go home and change.
    via u/Ttyybb_
  • 22
    Dripping Snarka... Woulda been awesome if you had just answered "No." No other words, no explanation, no arguing, no negotiation. Nothing more. Sit there in silence even as she loses her sh telling you to go to the principal. Make her have a conniption as she
    via u/Dripping_Snarkasm
  • 23
    gets the principal involved, only for them to be pred at her for having to come to the classroom for no reason. "No." Let her humiliate herself in front of the whole class. She'll never f again. with you
    via u/Dripping_Snarkasm
  • 24
    (Oh, and after the principal leaves, laugh out loud at her. She'll be too shattered to retaliate.)
    via u/Dripping_Snarkasm

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teens dress code school malicious compliance teenagers pants teacher clothes dress malicious compliance reddit
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