The News of The Blake School Since 1916

The Spectrum

The News of The Blake School Since 1916

The Spectrum

The News of The Blake School Since 1916

The Spectrum

Minneapolis


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Cross Dressing

I walked into Mr. Menge’s office, prepared for a conversation chalk full of political correctness. “Mr. Menge, I had a question about cross dressing in Blake-“

“Oh, there’s no rule about that in the guidebook,” he said. “I don’t know why the SIACs made that rule.” You can imagine my disappointment when I realized the groundwork for my article had just been ripped from under my feet (the feeling was quite small, I assure you) because in its place, I saw the formation of a much more compelling story taking shape.

When I asked senior, Tom Bergen ’12, why SIAC had chosen to include cross dressing in the list of no-to-dos, he mentioned, “the rule against cross dressing was not a decision made by the SIACs as a whole.” What, then, was the incentive to forbid cross-dressing? Although not in the student handbook, there had to be some instigation against it. I can only guess that the reason lies in political correctness.

While there may be some grounds for the precautions, I don’t believe that cross-dressing for Halloween offends a group purposefully. Political correctness came about to try and address issues of discrimination and hate to minority groups. When kids dress up, this isn’t their intention. Sure, they look ridiculous, especially when boys dress in tight leggings and sequined tops, but we’re not poking fun at cross-dressers. We’re teasing the other gender and its fashion statements. Leggings on a tall girl looks oddly comical on a guy the same height. A girl in boxers and low riding jeans two sizes too large and wading through cloth to get to class doesn’t have the same cool factor guys give off. Haven’t we all been taught the evils of stereotyping men and women? What better way to counteract that by breaking from these molds for one day and try something new?

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