Foster agency threatening jail time, is this appropriate?
Location: California
Age: 17
Status: Foster youth
Hi. Before I get into what happened, here's some context. For the past two to three years I've dressed in a certain manner. A little revealing, but nothing crazy. Just crop tops, teen stuff. Never once have I been dress-coded, nobody has ever said they're uncomfortable with the way I dressed, anything like that aside from strangers calling me names.
Three months ago I was placed into the system at almost freshly 17. In these past three months I've continued to dress as I please. This was not an issue for my foster parent, my new school, or anyone in my life until Tuesday this week. A worker from the agency wanted to talk to me and my brother about things at home, a routine check-in. But when I came inside from my walk she told me not to dress that way when at the park as it is "dangerous" (We live in very safe suburbs by the way). I told her I could handle myself but that I'd change for her sake.
Fast forward maybe two days, I get the following text message from my social worker.
"I received an email from the FFA social workers regarding your clothing attire being too revealing and almost exposing your breasts.
It is appropriate to dress like that when others aren't present. For example when you sleep. However, it is not okay to Be out in public where others can see you almost naked. It's not socially acceptable because Ppl don't want to see others half naked. You're violating their rights by exposing them to that. And since your a minor [misspelling of foster moms name] will get in trouble.
Once you're 18 if you wish to dress that way, it's your call. Just keep in mind, that it only takes one call to the police complaining about "indecent exposure " and the cops take you to jail."
I have a few concerns with this message of course!
How am I violating people's rights by expressing my own right to wear clothing on my body that is comfortable?
The spelling.
I've grown up surrounded by cops who know how I dress and never once has their been an issue with my attire in any way. I don't think they can arrest me over a crop top, and I'm too old to be fooled by the "if you misbehave the cops will take you to jail" tactic.
I see the people at the agency very rarely. If they have such a big issue with the way I dress, they can simply ask me to wear a baggy shirt at the office (as a t shirt in my size is still revealing), instead of trying to intimidate me with threats of my foster mother getting in trouble and me going to jail.
Is this appropriate to say to a teenager? Or for a social worker and FFA agency to try to dictate the way I dress when I'm not breaking any rules, and try to intimidate me with legal action?
What do I do?