Student teacher shares outfits she was wearing when she violated school’s dress code: ‘Very problematic’

‘There is a difference between being young and being inappropriate’

A student teacher has sparked a debate about dress codes after she revealed that four of her recent work outfits have been deemed in violation of her school dress code.

Mei Mei, who goes by the username @meimonstaa on TikTok, frequently shares day-in-the-life videos about her work as a student teacher.

However, in recent videos, the TikToker revealed that a number of her outfits had been declared unsuitable for work, and that she is now facing the possibility of being kicked out of her program.

Mei Mei addressed the violations in a recent video, in which she shared “all of the outfits I’ve worn recently as a student teacher”.

“So, if you have seen my recent videos, you would know that I’ve been getting dress-coded recently,” Mei Mei said, explaining that “four of these outfits got me dress-coded”.

“Literally just guess which ones they are,” she added.

The TikToker then proceeded to show some of her recent outfits, which included a sweater-skirt combo, a pair of blue high-waisted pants and a white silk blouse, and a third outfit, which saw her pair a white graphic T-shirt with a pair of high-rise beige pants and a cream-coloured cardigan.

Mei Mei interrupted the TikTok to explain that she “actually got in trouble for wearing this T-shirt because apparently you’re only supposed to wear T-shirts on spirit days”.

While showing outfit number four, which consisted of a pair of faux leather leggings, a gray turtleneck sweater, and a beige coat, Mei Mei acknowledged that her followers already know she got “dress coded for this one” because of a previous video.

“Which, to be fair, the leggings were kind of hit or miss,” she continued. “But I got in really big trouble for this one.”

The TikToker was also reportedly in violation of the school’s dress code with her fifth outfit, which included black tights, a white sweater dress and a beige coat. In a past video, Mei Mei revealed that she just “really [doesn’t] understand” why the outfit was not appropriate.

“At this point, I’m just really embarrassed. I thought I would be okay with these tights and, like, this dress is really long,” she said in the video as she showed off the outfit she’d been wearing to teach in, adding that she’d even typed into Amazon “dresses for teachers”.

In the recent video, Mei Mei also proceeded to show additional outfits she’s worn while student teaching, including a black jumpsuit with pockets, a green jumpsuit and a white and green checked prairie-style dress, which she said the school actually “really liked”.

“So this is what my outfits have been looking like recently and if I get dress coded one more time, I get kicked out of the program,” Mei Mei concluded.

As of Monday, the video has been viewed more than 2.7m times, with viewers both shocked and confused over the alleged violations of dress code.

“There is a difference between being young and being inappropriate… wearing a T-shirt does not impact your ability to teach…” one viewer wrote.

Another said: “This is so strict, do other people get dress-coded? I feel like they are targeting you. Your outfits are so cute and still professional.”

Someone else noted that the only outfit they could see there being an issue with was the one Mei Mei wore with leather leggings, but that she still looked professional “in like… all of these”.

“My petty self would wear the prairie dress every day since apparently that’s all that’s allowed,” another viewer jokingly added.

This is not the first time that school dress codes have sparked a debate, as students and parents have recently called out the rules for being “sexist” and “misogynistic”

The Independent has contacted Mei Mei for comment.