Dress Code Persuasive Essay

Imagine this: a student is walking down the hallway when suddenly, he gasps and exclaims to a girl, “I can see your see your shoulder! Cover it up!” This situation may sound ridiculous, but this is the basis for one of the dress code rules at our school. As the school is considering making a change to the dress code, I advise the school to get rid of the no-bra strap/no visible shoulder rule. I think it wrong that schools have considered bra straps, a common and ordinary garment, as distracting and indecent. Visible bra straps should be allowed because it is not logical to force girls to miss class in order to change into more “appropriate” clothes, wearing a bra is completely normal, and saying that bra straps are wrong hurts girls’ self-esteem.
First, the Rocky Run dress code states, “Students not complying with this code will be asked to cover noncomplying clothing, change clothes,

or go home. Repeated infractions will result in disciplinary action.” Forcing girls to take time out of class to change will negatively affect their education. Valuable time and resources are wasted and being referred for disciplinary action is excessive. Instead, teachers should be more focused on more meaningful and important issues such as bullying, cheating, and school safety.
Bras are a normal and common part of a girl’s life, and most girls start to wear bras in middle school.

Adults who write the dress code make visible bra straps sound like a promiscuous, when really, it is a necessary part of a girl’s life. As a girl in middle school, I do not think having bra straps is either promiscuous or offensive. I understand that some people think it is distracting to boys, but I there is a study that proves it wrong. Random boys were selected to take a test, except in one group, a girl had her shoulders showing, and in another group, a girl had completely covered shoulders. The test grades were not affected by the girl’s shoulders. Contradictory to the idea that visible shoulders is distracting to other students, this study proves it wrong.
Lastly, as girls enter adolescence, most become insecure about their looks and personality. When girls are penalized for just having the strap showing, it is considered wrong. This damages the confidence of girls. I know this because if I was punished for wearing an outfit I liked, I would feel embarrassed and

shameful.
The next time you see a girl with visible shoulders, notice that none of the other students take a second glance. As you change the dress code, the no bra strap rule should be removed because it is unreasonable to take girls out of class, it is normal to wear a bra, and it hurts girls confidence when they are dress coded. Dr. Goodloe, as a woman you understand the struggles of dress code, so I urge that you allow take action and allow visible straps/shoulders in school.