Today, Buzzfeed posted the above articled, detailing the accounts of a high school senior being sent home for violating the dress code because of the outfit pictured. The girl's sister took the pictures and posted them on Twitter, which quickly went viral. People blamed the high school for body shaming, saying that the school's dress code was inherently sexist and promoted rape culture.
However, this is not the first time I've heard this story told online. It seems as though almost every few weeks there is a new viral post about high school dress codes. While this is an important topic, there hasn't been any real changes made in the school systems. No school has really changed their dress code, or at least not so clearly that it would go viral online.
So this makes me wonder, what is the real power of going viral? Can it be something more than merely someone's fifteen minutes of fame? Or can it actually have an impact?
I think that in this case, it eventually can, but it will be a slow process. The more people address this topic, the more likely a school system will notice and change the rules. However, I think it will be a long time before any school changes anything, because they are so used to the rules that have already been in place. I would expect more angry viral Tweets to show up before there is any more progress.
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