Do School Dress Codes Cause More Harm Than Good?
Break out those burqas, school dress codes have been on the rise. Thus raising the eternally unanswered question, why? Why do we prioritize exposed bra straps over education? Why are we insinuating a promotion of rape culture? Why does society find two centimeters of my shoulder so provocative? In a generation of curious kids with endless resources to educate themselves, social media has provided millennials with answers. It is no surprise that students have begun to fight back against the oppressive forces of public schooling.
The fallacies surrounding dress code are painfully apparent amongst teenage students. Teachers sadistic witch hunts to pounce on any remote instance of a dress
…show more content…
Self-expression and creativity cannot coexist with the oppressiveness of said regulations. A 2013 GLSEN survey (5) concluded that 32% of LGBT students were prevented from wearing clothing that differed from their legal gender. This perpetuates the idea that one must be hyper-cognizant of their appearance to fit in with the norm. Instances of suppressed freedom of speech such as this are not a new occurrence. The textbook Tinker V. Des Moines court case of 1968 (6) regarded a school districts ban on black armbands that protested the Vietnam War. The students recognized that the ban was a clear violation of their right to freedom of speech. The court, who ruled in favor of the students, would certainly be disappointed in the restrictions on the first amendment that are placed in schools today. Schools so not only squander rights, they also demolish young girl’s confidence in regards of their bodies. Telling girls it is wrong to wear tank tops inadvertently is telling them that their shoulders are not suitable for public display. This directly causes self-doubt in young girls as they try to comprehend why their bodies are so wrong. The skin on their face is the same skin on their stomach, so why is one perceived as repugnant? Pooja Patel, a neuroscience and philosophy student at Columbia University, emphasized this idea by stating ,” school dress codes create an environment where …show more content…
How would being removed from class allow students to focus on their lesson? During the first week of Venice High Schools 2016 year, 250 girls allegedly received dress code violations and deprived of precious class time ranging from 10 minutes to a period at a time. The excessive amount lead to a shortage in clothing and girls were forced to wear baseball uniforms. Not only does this imply that male education is more valuable than that of female students (2), but it also proves the solution to change clothing as ineffective. Additionally, dress code approved outfits are majorly uncomfortable and distract students from learning to their full potential. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (11) demonstrates that before one can utilize creativity and learning, they must be at homeostasis and have respect from others. Both of these are abandoned with dress code. Seriously, Florida’s average temperature is 82 F (12) in August. There is no possible way to be comfortable when students are smothered in clothing. Self-confidence causes a more detrimental distraction than any article of clothing could. How is the kid with trichotillomania who had their hat confiscated supposed to write notes when they are too busy using their hands to shield their bald spots? What about the kid who cannot help but sweat profusely under all of the layers they are forced to wear
In a bigger picture, students don’t come to school for a fashion show they come to school for an education. Somewhere along the line some students and parents have forgotten that simple fact. In some districts, like Wilson County Schools, the dress code violations got so out of hand that administration had to threaten suspensions, “During the first six days of the policy change 184 high school students were suspended.” (Creech, 1). The Lima Senior High School campus made the same decision as the Wilson County Schools. On Tuesday January 27, 2009, the Lima City Schools suspended about 164 students for dress code violations. They both knew that their students were having problems following the rules, and since the punishments that were set didn’t affect the students they did the one thing that got the students attention.
“Don’t waste your love on someone who doesn’t value it.” In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare exposes the life of two young lovers in the Renaissance period fighting for something they cannot live without; each other. Although fate takes its toll, the everlasting feud between two families, conditional love by parents, and the irresponsibility’s of father and mother like figure are the main causes in the death of Romeo and Juliet. The idea of love is something that is valued in this play from many different aspects of characters, lines, and scenes. Shakespeare leaves the minds of readers soaring over not why it happened, but who was at fault.
...oday there are increasingly fewer attacks on the student body regarding their clothing, undoubtedly to prevent upsetting more parents. We can see in Source F that this pressure to look a certain way never really ends, and this is true for both men and women. Although this pressure to have a perfect appearance doesn’t stop after high school, the Bedford North Lawrence Community Schools should be understanding and more lenient on some of the less scandalous clothing choices to make students feel comfortable and give them a realistic feel for how people dress and behave in public. In the end, everyone’s body is their own personal business and should not be dictated by another person or shamed for how it is presented, however BNL behaved the exact opposite of this at the beginning of the school year, making the way the administration handled the situation inappropriate.
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.
According to greatschools.org, “Enforcing a strict dress code can place the focus of school on clothing and rules, rather than on education.” Most schools have specific uniforms that a child must wear in order to attend. Many children that go to school, have single parents and / or more than one ...
Many think that a stronger dress code will help students focus in school, but the way a student dresses does not determine a student’s willingness to learn or the teacher’s ability to capture the student’s attention. Also, adults argue that high school is a teenager’s job; therefore, they should dress professionally. However, Elizabeth Forward does not have a policy against sweatpants, sweatshirts, or athletic attire, which are much more unprofessional than tank tops or destroyed denim. I think that the dress code policies should be relaxed to a more lenient state given the temperature of the building throughout the school year, the change in long-term trends among teenagers, and the level of hypocrisy illustrated between the relationship of school’s administration and the dress code policy.
Bates, Laura. "How School Dress Codes Shame Girls and Perpetuate Rape Culture." Time. Time, 22 May 2015. 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. This thought process is what causes a stigma later in college, declaring that when someone is sexually assaulted on campus, the person was asking for it. This can be detrimental to a young girl, and can even
Dress code enforces the modest dress of students, preventing bullying and distractions.Numerous people believe clothing is a distraction and when eliminated the school environment is more professional and gives a better education to a student. Authority figures consider the school apparel enforcements are constitutionally sound, not affecting the child’s right to freely express, and providing a professional and working setting causing a better learning environment and decreased amount of bullying due to clear differences in appearance. However, opposers disagree with the restrictive code because of its limitations on individuality
This book contains a dress code that explains what is appropriate or inappropriate in school. However, many students do not even take a second glance at it once they receive it. These students also end up breaking the dress code, distracting others, and getting themselves into trouble as well. School is an academic facility, not a fashion scene. Children are expected to go to school to learn, and they should be able to do so without distractions from others.
Opponents of school uniform policies proclaim the practice to be futile. What’s more, they claim it infringes on students’ freedom of expression while restricting their creativity (Knechtle, Mitchell 487). Ann Bodine, in her ethnographic study, defines clothing on students as a “screen on which all kinds of beliefs, anxieties and aspirations are projected” (60). The manner in which a student chooses to dress is obviously much more than an expression of personal statement or style. It is a mode to communicate and convey to the world where one fits according to socioeconomic status, in-groups, as well as other factors that can marginalize students who don’t fit a specific criteria.
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.
Dress codes have always existed in the United States. They were especially popular throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Once the ‘80s hit, the dress code fad began to die off until the late ‘90s came around. At the beginning of 1997, three percent of public schools required school uniforms, and by the end of 2000, the percentage had increased to twenty-one percent (“School Uniforms Timeline” 2). This is when school uniforms began to come back into style. More and more schools are now adapting school dress code policies. According to Matt Buesing, about twenty-two percent of children across the nation wore some form of a dress code in 2010 (Cavazos 2). Since then, David Brunsma has found that about one in eight public middle schools and high schools in the United States have policies about what students are supposed to wear to school (Motsinger 1). For example, certain schools have a strict dress code that ma...
Dress codes in high schools have been up for debate between students and administration for decades. They have long been a staple in schools, aiming to try and maintain a sense of “modesty.” However, some argue that these policies can be overly restrictive. Yet, it's important to find a balance between style and modesty. Many of the school’s administration offices have worked to try and minimize “classroom distractions” caused by clothing garments.
At the beginning of the 20th century almost no parent or faculty had any concerns with how students dressed to attend school. Nowadays, though, this is a giant concern among students, parents, and school board officials. Many arguments have been made over the matter saying uniforms should be required and enforced in schools. But, uniforms should not be required as they ultimately eliminate freedom of expression, promote conformity over individuality, may have a detrimental effect on students self image, emphasize the socioeconomic divisions they are supposed to eliminate, and lastly, school uniforms in public schools undermine the promise of a free education by adding an extra expense for families.
Alyssa Norden Princess Storrer AP Composition 20 May 2014 Dress Codes: More Than Just Clothing Regulations Schools all over the world have created and enforced dress codes. Some schools are more relaxed than others; however, they all share the common theme of regulating what students can and cannot wear during the school day. But what happens when the latest fashion trends completely compromise the implemented dress code? That is the problem student’s-particularly young women- are facing in today’s society. The overwhelming increase in dress code violations has brought to light another issue associated with the codes: sexism.