Dress Code Rules Essay

When reading student handbooks there is always a page (or more) dedicated to the dress code rules. At first glance they seem like common sense. Until you notice that most of the regulations seem to target what girls wear. While many of the regulations are used in gender neutral terms they are applied to articles of clothing that is usually considered for girls and is all about limiting the things that even remotely show off the female form. These regulations tell girls that they need to be ashamed of their bodies and they are a distraction.

Though it can argued that this is all about being appropriate in the learning area. At work you are supposed to look professional and school is hardly any different. If girls wore things such as belly

shirts and bikinis it wouldn’t be the right thing for a learning place. Not to forget that in this day and age it is becoming (somewhat) acceptable for boys to wear traditionally feminine clothing and that these rules would apply to them as well. So while I agree that there should be dress codes, I do not think banning things such as yoga pants is a legitimate concern for what students should be (or not be) wearing.

As stated in s previous paragraph the dress code makes girls feel like they are nothing more than a sexual and that they should be ashamed for showing any amount of skin.

The common arguments for the dress code includes telling girls that they are “distractions”. This only pushes the idea that their comfortability is nothing compared to the possibility of a guy drooling over an exposed shoulder. This also gives the idea that girls have to be the ones to stop boys from making bad choices and within itself promotes victim blaming and rape culture. (Rape culture and victim blaming is what makes it the girl’s fault if she is harassed in any way.) We should not be treating teenaged girls as sexual objects or teaching them that their bodies are supposed to be ashamed of.

Teaching girls that they are distractions or dressing immodestly when they are showing their collar bones (how dare they) opens the floor to slut shaming. Clothes do not determine one’s value on sex and one’s value on sex certainly doesn’t determine someone’s value as a person. These strict dress codes suggest that anyone who exposed their skin is scandalise and deserves to be punished for wearing clothes they are comfortable in. The dress codes tell girls that their bodies are just regarded as a distraction for boys and that their education is thought to be less important than

theirs.

Now as a teenaged girls there is not much they can do to fight against these rules. They are children and their opinions tend to be considered invalid because of our inexperience, While that may be correct at times, this is something that they are going through right now at this stage in our life. Teenagers deserve to be listened to when they feel that something they are going through just isn’t right. They need to learn to question things and bring up the topic while they can. Get adults on their side and seeing their way so their view can seem more valid and be regarded by teachers. Even though they may not have power individually they can still make a difference if they speak up often enough and have adult support.

The issue of dress codes may not seem like a big deal. In fact, it is a tiny battle compared to many others that girls and women have fought. While this is most certainly not something as huge as the right to vote this would still make women one step closer into being equal to men. It’s not always about the huge battles when it comes to equality. Even though this is a small step this is still a step necessary to take. Girls don’t deserve to feel ashamed and they don’t deserve to feel attacked by their teachers or peers. They deserve a comfortable learning environment that boys don’t even know that they have the luxury of.