Suppose for a moment that you are a poor female and attend a public school. Would you be surprised to know that some activities are off-limits to you because participation heavily depends on your ability to shell out huge dollars to participate?
Some of these areas involve cheerleading, dance teams, and homecoming courts.
Most of these activities primarily involve females. While no one thinks seriously about it, they discriminate against the poor and build class barriers between students.
Homecoming courts are usually comprised of students who are elected to represent their class or school during homecoming festivities. Many girls never run for homecoming court or accept a nomination because of the tremendous costs involved.
It’s not a Monroe problem; it happens across the nation. Homecoming court fees can range from a few hundred to thousands, depending on the school.
They result in the exclusion of students from lower-income families.
Here are some examples of fees that girls may have to pay to be on school homecoming courts:
- In 2019, a high school in Illinois charged girls $2,000 to be on the homecoming court. This fee covered the cost of the dress, makeup, and hair styling for the homecoming dance.
- Another high school in Texas charged girls $500 to be on the homecoming court and an additional $150 if they wanted to participate in the homecoming parade.
- A high school in Alabama charged girls $700 to be on the homecoming court, which covered the cost of the dress, hair styling, and other expenses.
- In some schools, girls may also have to pay for other expenses, such as a limousine rental or a pre-homecoming party, which can add up to several hundred or even thousands of dollars.
That’s around the country, but here is a cost list for the 2022-23 school year from one South Monroe City High School. Others are similar:
Coronation costs (Shared by each girl on the homecoming court) are $13,283.97. This cost includes special lighting, chair rentals and various props, live streaming, photography, rentals of drapes and chair covers, choreographer, director, Tiaras, and protective covering for their gym floor. Fifteen members of the homecoming Court must be able to pay $885.60 each for their part of the fee.
There is more.
Homecoming court participants must be able to shell out another $745 for: a tea dress, shoes, jewelry, shoes, field suit, and outfits to wear to homecomings of rival schools.
A girl who dreams about being on the homecoming court should first consider whether her family can afford to fork over $1,631.48 to the school.
It means that very few girls from low-income families can have these opportunities.
What girls pay in Monroe is generally double what girls pay nationwide. So, city school students must overcome income barriers to be on the homecoming court; is that fair?
A student who plays football, basketball, or baseball has his uniform provided. The student doesn’t have to pay for the lights on the field, the game video, live streaming, or stadium setup or maintenance.
Concerning homecomings, the boys on the court usually don’t have to pay a dime.
Suppose you are a poor girl with outstanding academics, excellent school discipline, and excelling in every area. In that case, you won’t qualify for the court unless you get your hands on about $700 to $900 nationally or about $1,600 locally.
There is something wrong with this picture. Sexism and classism are built into the system and stack the deck against poor females regardless of race.
Like sports activities, maybe schools should level the playing field for participants. Homecoming coronations are public spectacles, so let the public share the cost through ticket sales and business sponsorships.
People enjoy watching the conspicuous displays, pretty dresses, and pageantry; they would probably pay to give even the poorest girl a fair shot.
It works for sports, so why not give very low-income girls a chance?
