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Have you ever thought or felt that the dress codes are in to strict? In 2014 a group of kids mainly girls stood up against the strict and sexist dress codes all over the world. Many dress codes are outrageous, a few examples of this would be a junior at a catholic school beating kicked out of prom for wearing a tux to her prom.Dress codes are to strict and sexiest, this can be change by relaxing on the rules and making a more equal dress codes for both men and women. Dress codes are biased on how the guys portray women in certain out fits. Many dress codes are sexualizing women because the guys will be distracted, this is very true for Woodford high school students. There earlier dress code had prohibited show of the collarbones for females. This has sense changed to the shortest part of a credit card can be shown. Another crazy story is a high school student suspended on her last day of school because school officials said it was to short and she was refusing to change. This dress was past finger tip length and didn't have a keyhole back or even a sweetheart neck line. The dress covered a little above her collarbone to about one inch above her knee. Theas dress code violations prove that we are told to conform to the dress codes because guys will be distracted. They are only distracted if you enforce it which is exactly what is happening. …show more content…
Many school administrators are going off of what they see online. Yes many people will look up to their favorite celebrity, but this doesn't mean that the want to dress exactly like them. Sexualizing girls can leave a negative effect on them as they grow older. All dress codes show girls is that they are sexual objects and we don't have any control over our body and feelings. We're being punished for what others do to us, we don't want this to happen
Dress codes can be deceiving as Laura Bates claims her view on school dress codes, “ While the principle of asking students to attend school smartly dressed sounds reasonable, the problem comes when wider sexist attitudes towards women and their bodies are projected on to young women by schools in their attempt to define what constitutes smartness”(Bates, 2015) Within this she is supporting school dress codes, but only to an extent. As soon as the dress code is later seen as sexualizing woman, and what they define as ‘intellectual looking’ she adds certain standards to her claim of supporting dress codes. Now laura bates seems to receive the short end, but other parents seem enlightened when it comes to school uniforms and dress codes. “With uniforms parents and students feel that students are seen for who they are and not by what they do or don’t wear”(McEntire, n.d.). Those who find dress codes beneficial, see the satisfactory within a school uniform, by how the true characteristics of students are seen through actions rather than appearance. Some teachers, and school faculty also see the positive side to school
First off, they are unequipped to solve problems such as violence in schools. Enforcing a school dress code may slow the occurrence of certain difficulties, such as violence and distraction, and can be vital to the well-being of students for a short time, but it does not tackle the origins of the attitudes that cause these problems. The head of psychological services for the Detroit school system, Mary Louise Starks says, "A dress code is a temporary measure that is limited in scope. Students are committing these crimes because they don 't have a sense of power or self-esteem. They steal from their peers to gain control over another person."(qtd. In Miller 87). The impulse to commit violent crimes is an issue within a student that schools cannot diffuse with rules and regulations. This is also applicable to the pretext that regulations are needed because of distractions caused by a student 's choice in clothing. This reasoning falls most heavily upon female students. For instance, if a female student came to school in shorts that were deemed "too short", she would be sanctioned, because according to some school administrators rational, girl 's bodies are too much of distraction in the classroom. Again, this does not answer the question as to why girl 's bodies are so sexualized, or why the idea that boys cannot control themselves exists, it only provides a quick and
Web. 18 Feb. 2016. In this article, Bates argues that today’s school dress codes are sexist and leave a lasting impression on young girls. Bates explains that there are several cases where girls are being punished for their adolescent bodies being distractions to boys. Also, it can teach a young girl that her body is dangerous and that a young boy automatically has the right to sexually diminish and harass adolescent girls in schools.
Dress codes are essentials for all schools across America. Dress codes will set the tone for students to be safe because they will help reduce violence, increase student safety, and provide a positive learning environment.
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
Schools typically justify their dress codes by maintain that it’s important to keep the classroom free of any distractions, however, that language actually reinforces the idea that women’s bodies are inherently tempting to men and it’s their responsibility to cover themselves up.
The dress code is a simple document and concept to understand, and its-fitting-for everybody. If girls were to just cover up we wouldn’t have a dress code issue. School is a learning environment that should be free of any and all clothing distractions so everyone can have the same opportunity to learn and Bartow High School is doing a great job at enforcing such a precious
Ensuing President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address in January of 1996, more and more public schools are implementing dress codes and uniform policies in their schools. As a result, there has been an increase in legal controversies dealing with the issue. The reason that dress codes are not conclusively enforced is due to the application of the First Amendment to juveniles in the public school setting. The First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Should children in public schools be able to wear whatever they want because of the freedoms classified in the First Amendment? I feel that the answer is no. Institutionalizing dress codes in public schools would do a great good for students and the entire academic community. I base my opinion on the fact that the pros of imposing dress codes outweigh the cons of the argument. By imposing dress codes or uniforms for students, it would eliminate opportunities for the ridicule of less popular or less fortunate students based on their attire, help prevent gang violence and gang members from wearing gang colors and insignia in schools, and generate an overall better academic concentration and discipline in the educational community.
It is proclaimed that dress codes objectify females in an unfair manner. Ways in which they do this is by making one feel bad about their body and blaming them for publicizing sexual harassment. Dress code violation often results in girls being removed from class and missing the lesson. Females get sent home, given a hideous pair of clothes to change into, or restricted from meaningful school functions like the prom. A student named Marcia Stevens personally experienced this type of discrimination. Before the incident, she was involved in her reputation was different; teachers classified her as “a fine student without behavioral problems.” (Pomerantz 1 ) It wasn 't the clothes she had on but rather the amount of cleavage she was showing. Stevens cleavage was only visible because her chest is a bit larger than the other girls. “She was punished for having the wrong kind of ("fat," "messy") body in an article of clothing that was not considered inappropriate on other kinds of ("thin," "neat") bodies. Marcia 's body was "inappropriate" because it spilled out; it was not "ladylike" or "school like," it was not tidy, and it was not easily contained. In short, her body was visible as a body. And the visibility of a young woman 's body, according to this dress code interpretation, was tantamount to a crime. Her body made "maintaining a suitable school atmosphere"
A teacher or principle believe that everyone needs to be in a safe and undistracted environment when they are learning. The school dress code to them is just fine and they are always keeping an eagles eye out to spot and hunt down anyone who isn't following it in some type of way. Teachers and principles don’t want students making judgements about others by what type of clothing they are
America’s school systems seem to have many issues concerning students receiving a quality education without distraction. A current debate argues weather a dress code policy is efficient or takes away from student’s expression. Administrators at schools should regulate a dress code policy because the system improves discipline and student’s attention, reduces social conflict and peer pressure related to appearance, and dress code provides a more serious learning environment.
While I was in high school, every year we would get a new hand out booklet of the rules. The first page was always the dress code, and it broke down one by one of what wouldn’t be tolerated. The rules were usually the same every year. Tank tops had to have straps three fingers wide, shorts and skirts had to be mid-thigh, and no loose or tight fitting clothes. Whenever a girl walked down the hall it seemed that she would get pulled aside and talked to about her outfit.
Fashion has swept the nation with new ideas and ways to be “in style”. Teens are the main audience the industry targets. Some may say the fashions are great, and some, way too inappropriate for the age group. Schools are trying to keep up with the fads so they are able to say what’s acceptable and what is not, but are they going too far? School officials should consider the consequences of a stricter dress code because it mainly targets women and promotes male education to be more important than a female.
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.
While dress codes are a necessity in schools to regulate what is and is not appropriate for the learning environment, the fact that they place blame on females for how they are treated because of their clothing is completely sexist and unfair. Hardly ever is a boy busted for wearing athletic shorts or bro-tanks when he should not be, but as soon as a girl wears leggings or shows her shoulders, she is persecuted and given punishment. This is about as unfair as school systems can be, and it also sends the message to girls that what they perceive as being cute and fashionable is perceived by others as “offensive” and that it is their fault for anything bad that happens to them. These ideas should be changed so girls do not have to feel guilty and boys can stop thinking that their behavior in these situations is acceptable.