The bandana thing had to go the next day. Sarah was right. It violated the dress code in some perverse gender-equality way. You see, boys aren’t allowed to wear caps or hats in our school, so in order to make things “equal,” the powers that be have declared that girls can’t wear any head coverings, either. Now, maybe I’m a little nutso here, but I think the reason the boys can’t wear the caps is because it’s a symbol of disrespect. You know, that whole backwards baseball cap kind of thing (and yes, I’m ashamed to say that Doug has worn backward baseball caps on occasion, too) is a sort of “in your face” iconoclasm. (Okay, okay, so it’s vocab week in English. “Iconoclasm” is attacking settled beliefs or institutions.) Wearing a bandana, on the other hand, is merely adornment. It has nothing whatsoever to do with attacking institutions, or rebellion of any kind. It’s a fashion statement—the height of conformity! I wanted to look nice, just like the other girls!
