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Why should schools lessen their dress codes
Why should schools lessen their dress codes
Why should schools lessen their dress codes
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Shoulders and knees have become a battleground recently. Girls have been asked to leave their school dance because chaperones consider their dresses too “sexual” or “provocative.” By giving girls detention or sending them home to change because of their outfit choice removes them from the learning environment and lessens their learning time. The school is prioritizing a male’s education over a female because she happens to be showing more skin. “When a school takes the decision to police female students’ bodies while turning a blind eye to boy’s behavior, it sets up a lifelong assumption that sexual violence is inevitable and victims are partially responsible” (Bates). Male students are conditioned to believe that it is okay to sexualize a
Advocates of school uniforms repeatedly use arguments such as: uniforms decrease violence and gang activities, uniforms remove distractions from the classroom, and uniforms enhance academic performances but multiple studies have proven that uniforms or enforcing a stricter dress code of any kind produces any noteworthy changes. Most of the time it’s only the parents and administrators that see the results but that might just be a placebo effect, where a person claims they see changes because they expected it. It’s often seen in scientific studies where group one receives the experimental substance and group two received a substance with a similar appearance in order to see if the substance is viable. The school staffs sees changes but the student do not proving that dress attire does not have a great impact on learning. Dress code policies are also very sexist and aimed mostly towards females. It teaches boys it’s okay to sexualize girls and that it’s in their nature. Girl’s are told it is their fault if a boy objectifies them. Girls cannot embrace their bodies in fear that they will be harassed and can’t sit comfortably in a classroom on a hot day without being paranoid that she could get pulled out and sent home for exposing her shoulders. Etobicoke School of the Arts senior Alexi Halket once said “We are just trying to love our bodies and appreciate them for what they are, even with a dress code. Why would you send a female home because guys can 't control themselves when they see a girl 's outfit?” We need to be teaching boys to view women as people and not sexualized
In Zhou, Li’s article “The Sexism of School Dress Codes,” she explains how the dress codes are diminishing children's self-esteem and, is mostly sexist towards girls as well as the LGBT community. To reach a wide audience including students, parents, and high school administrators, she relies on a wide variety of sources from high school students to highly credited professors. Zhou creates a strong argument against strict dress codes and encourages audience to take a stand against out of date dress codes that schools implement, using the rhetorical tools ethos, pathos, and logos to advance her argument.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is rape culture. Rape culture teaches young girls to not dress “provocatively,” tells them that “boys will be boys, they can’t help themselves,” and establishes sexual violence as the norm. Rape culture normalizes hypermasculinity and promotes victim blaming. Rape culture is incredibly dangerous and very, very common.
Applying to the dress code, sexism can be seen commonly in schools due to the excessive amount of females who violate compared to the males. Basic arguments for dress code include eliminating distractions, which include the fantasies of a male student, which also leads into rape culture, defined as a society whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing sexual assault or abuse. Females are punished for a male capability to be distracted, allowing a male to fantasize about a female. Ultimately, this causes increase in rape culture, which has been very prominent in today's
In the 2015 article on The Atlantic on The Sexism of School Dress Codes, stating that "Many of these protests have criticized the dress codes as sexist in that they unfairly target girls by body-shaming and blaming them for promoting sexual harassment. Documented cases show female students being chastised by school officials, sent home, or barred from attending events like prom." (Zhou, l.) There are more dress code policies for the females compared to the males. For example, girls should not use backless shirts, no spaghetti tops, no crop-tops that exposes the stomach, no short shorts, no miniskirts, etc. Boys on the other hand have no specific dress code policies. Dress codes may come off as sexist for women and they get insulted by it. An article on the problem with dress code from The Daily Princetonian stating "- women are policed so that they are no longer distracting to men, while men, if policed at all, are never told to change for the benefit of the opposite sex. The most prominent example that comes to mind when thinking of male-specific supplements to dress codes relates to sagging pants, an urban trend where pants are worn low to expose many inches worth of boxers. Efforts to ban these practices have never once mentioned how visible boxers would tortuously distract nearby females. Rather, they focus on visible underwear being inappropriate for a learning or work environment.", based on that article, dress codes seem to be a little too specific on what girls should or should not be allowed to wear, while boys only have a few dress code policies to worry
Us girls feel personally attacked by the dress code policies simply because even if so much as a centimeter of skin from under our jeans, or a portion of my bra strap is showing we get sent to the office and we are given the lecture of needing to keep a better image of ourselves, and being more conservative about our bodies. Well from coming from a girl's perspective, we feel like we have to bow down to the boys just because they think inappropriate thoughts if any part of a girls skin is showing. Well, we have society and adults to thank for this simply because when boys are caught doing something they aren't supposed to do or watch something they are not supposed to be watching, adults simply say, “Oh boys will be boys.”. Now adults have conditioned boys to think that thinking these thoughts is a way of life and that it is okay to think them just because they are boys. God made us girls the way we are for a reason, why are we letting guys discriminate us women in such a way that we basically have to dress like a boy in order to keep them from thinking these sinful
Schools all over the United States argue and debate over if school uniforms should be required or not. Most schools that do require these school uniforms don’t have very happy students. Some people say making students wear these uniforms will stop a lot of problems. Kids won’t get bullied as much and won’t be judged on the clothing they like to wear. Other people say this wont change anything. Requiring students to wear uniforms isn’t going to stop bullying. Bullies will be bullies, if they can’t make fun of other childrens clothes anymore, they’ll move onto other things to judge them for.
It is extremely apparent to me, and should be apparent to others, on how much of a significant difference there is in the academic environment when dress codes and uniforms are enforced in public schools. By enforcing these policies, it neither makes students feel physically, mentally, or socially uncomfortable, nor takes away any freedoms that are stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Besides eliminating opportunities for the ridicule of less fortunate students based on their attire, helping prevent gang violence and in schools, and generating overall academic excellence and discipline in the educational community, there are numerous other reasons to support the principles of having dress codes or uniform policies established in every public school across the nation.
Too often kids of all ages are bullied because of what they are wearing or what they can not afford to wear, requiring uniforms reduces this issue, tremendously. Dr. Reginald Wilson, senior scholar at the American Council of Education in Washington, D.C., told Jet that, “Uniforms would help discourage violence because students will not have a need to fight over who looks better or want to cause harm in an attempt to take another student 's trendy clothes” (1). No matter how much money a student has or how little money one has, everyone would be wearing the same thing. If everyone wore uniforms and no one was put to a higher standard, then no child would get jealous of the other and want to fight/steal something from another. School uniforms keep kids focused on what the teacher is saying or, more importantly, what the have to do to graduate rather than what cute shirt Susie has on today. Although uniforms reduce crime and bullying in school it does not eliminate it all together. An opponent of the Philadelphia Plan said, “The social and economic factors that contribute to gang activity need to be addressed directly, and that failing students need extra tutoring--not a change of clothes” (Kizis 2). Changing a student’s appearance is not going to change their habits. Bullying, crime, and failure rates may go down, but they are not going to go away just
This however, is an entirely sexist argument that continues to humiliate and body shame girls every day who are forced to change because their outfit, or sometimes even more extreme measures are taken in these cases. It insults students of both genders, by implying that all boys don’t have self control, and all girls need to hide their bodies. While their will always be students who will help perpetuate this mindset, the rest of the student body shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences. Inequality is something women have faced for centuries, and the worst part is that it is present in schools, where the minds of youth are shaped for the future. Unfair dress codes can make young girls insecure, and strip them of their dignity, and these can affect them in terrible ways throughout the rest of their lives.
Many kids at their school do not like their uniforms or rules on school clothes.50% of students and parents on Debate.org say no to school uniforms.“ Uniforms ugh, this is by a TEN YEAR OLD. Uniforms,you can be a bully target with uniforms.” This was by a real person on debate.org stating their opinion on uniforms. I personally agree because i have seen kids at the school I go to be bullied because they have a stain on their shirt, but they have to wear it because it’ school policy. Overall many kids can be bullied because of uniforms and that can cause suicide and and leave a family wanting to do something about it but can’t. Something needs to be done because of this horrible effect.
According to a “national survey reported on Greatschools.org are staggering”.”28 % of students in this survey reported that in the last six months they had been bullied either verbally or physically’’,”60 % of students who were identified as bullies in grades 6-9 went on at least one criminal conviction by the time they turned 24”.”School intervention programs (which include school uniforms) are reported at reducing bullying by 30-50%”.(Kristy). “Principals are charged with developing and maintaining a positive and safe school pop culture,”said Gail Connelly,NAESP executive director.”We know that a school uniform policy can help reduce instances of classroom discipline and bullying,as well as improve student safety and attendance. The use of school uniforms,whether in public or private schools,has a powerful influence on school culture in ways that contribute to greater levels of student achievement.” “ Another reason for the rise of school uniforms could be the budgetary benefits they offer parents,especially in the current state of the down economy. Of the school leaders surveyed with a uniform or formal dress code in place,77 percent estimated the average cost of school uniforms per child,per year was, was 150$ or less. With that said, it was not surprising to uncover that eight out of 10 survey respondents (86 Percent) believed one of the main benefits to parents is that school uniforms are most cost effective than regular apparel”.(Tucker) However students might not realize the significance that required school uniforms hold as a result required uniforms not only cost less they also help
To many Americans the idea of school uniforms is like an old-fashioned concept. School uniforms have always been a contentious topic in the United States because of the culture adopted by most Americans. Unless a child attends a private educational institution, wearing specific uniforms is not practiced by children. A common argument today is that whether uniforms should be mandated in public school system. Why do more than half public schools now enforce dress codes (Toppo)? There are many different benefits for having uniforms in schools. Uniforms in public schools decrease economic problems for schools and parents, reduce social barriers between students, encourage discipline, and create a safe environment.
In Long Beach, CA, after two years of having the new expectations of uniforms (K-8), reports of assault and battery in the district's schools decreased by 34%, school fights went down by 51% and sex offenses where dropped by 74%. Some student's parents or care takers might not be able to buy the students clothes often so the student or students could be bullied because of this. With uniforms students wouldn't be so focused on their appearance and would focus more on the education. School uniforms make getting around in the mornings way more easy because the students know exactly what they are wearing for the next day of school. Studies have shown that when students wear school uniforms the social classes disappear and a lot of students start getting along better.
We see stories Social media has more stories of girls being sent home because of dress code violations. Maybe the problem isn’t the students, but dress codes in general. Dress codes ultimately disrupt the pursuit of knowledge for the students, encourage gender bias, and can be dangerous. If we want the younger generations to succeed in the education system, we should utilize school uniforms. Uniforms in schools from elementary to high schools, will promote gender equality and facilitate student safety.