The Dress Code of America
The media, The Board of Education, The Government; All of these places hold a power over the public that they use to indoctrinate society in what they believe should be perceived as “normal”. We, society, allow these people to teach our children how they should view themselves and each other. It is considered a cultural norm to allow the media tell us we should be showing more skin and then let our schools shame us for following through. The result is a disastrous mix of body shaming and the sexualization of women across the nation. School dress codes, while seemingly helpful, only add another layer to the chaotic mess that is body image. How a young girl learns to view her body will not affect her self-esteem for
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In fact, the Salem-Keizer school district has a list on their website detailing general rules for schools to ensure modesty. The list for middle schools (6th-8th) include, but is not limited to the following: No immodest clothing, such as tank tops, muscle shirts, backless tops or dresses. No Gloves, hats or head coverings. And lastly, no long (“Full-length”) coats or rainwear whilst inside the school. While it was a seemingly solid list, it unfortunately falls into a common pitfall most dress codes tend to forget; we are not the same. Each person, each human being, possesses a different body type, skin color, height, weight, not to mention different religions, or other personal believes. There are some religions that have attire that include headwear. Will the district go against students who are exercising their right of the First Amendment? There are some days that can get upward to ninety degrees out during the school year. Will a student be reprimanded for wearing clothing that allows him/her to be comfortable to learn? It is impossible to create a list of fixed rules without leaving a large majority of people ostracized. This idea of standard is intangible at best, yet school districts like Salem-Keizer continue to teach kids that what they view as normal is something that we should all strive to accomplish. This taught ideal of standard that dress codes initiate …show more content…
It seems, especially in the younger age groups, that the schools are creating a problem that doesn’t exist. Indeed, beyond the absurd fact that they are stipulating that young students cannot focus simply because a classmates shoulder is exposed, the entire reason it might be “distracting” is the fact that it is prohibited. This is exemplified by a New Jersey school dealing with the backlash of the imposition of stricter dress codes. In the two weeks following the new rules, dozens of kids were publicly yelled at and some were even given detentions. “The DOE says five students were placed in detention, but dozens of others received verbal warnings”. For rules that were supposed to provide “order” to the school they seem to be having the opposite effect. Plus, besides being humiliated, many kids were outraged that these new rules were dictating clothing that their own parents allow them to wear. Jonathan Giardino, a student at Tottenville High School, states in an interview for 7online.com that “If their parents let them out wearing it, there's no reason the school should be telling them not to wear it,” Giardino raises the interesting question of whether schools should have any say in what students wear. Schools are exist to teach and nurture kids, not parent them. In congruence with that conclusion, shouldn’t schools leave the
Life is full of distractions and, for high school students, inappropriate clothing has the potential to grab much attention. However, does the matter of clothing warrant strict rules? I agree that, like alcohol, the students’ attire should have rules regarding whether or not the choices in clothing are suitable for a public school setting. I also agree that violators of school rules should receive punishment for their lack of compliance to the school policies. However, there is a fine line. Some schools, like Carroll High School, are taking dress codes too far. One rule in particular hinders the students’ ability to wear pants with holes in them. It makes sense that holes located in certain places might cause a...
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.
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
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 ...
Every year parents, students and teachers argue about the issue of applying school uniform, and if it is going to be put into effect or not. Each year, school dress code is being pushed away. Year after year, to help stop violent behavior and encourage order in schools, dress codes are applied. Does the fact of students having to wear a certain dress code reduce the violent behavior and encourage order in schools? (“The Controversial School Uniforms and School Dress Code Debate”, 2008). Research shows, that dress code policies may increase the chance of a child safety in school by a very low percentage, but that still affects the child in a positive way (“Do uniforms make schools better?”, 2004).
"Can Teachers Really Wear That to School? Religious Garb in Public Classrooms." Taylor & Francis. N.p., 08 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. In this article, there is a deliberation of the first amendment in context with dress codes for teachers. Kiracofe explains that codes back in 1901 were much stricter than today’s dress codes. Males could only wear suspenders and a suit coat, and women were required to wear two petticoats and dresses two inches above the ankle. Then the author addresses dress codes in regards to religion explaining how some world religions require clothing to cover every inch of their body. Kiracofe tells the readers how the First Amendment contains two religion clauses, the first The Establishment Clause and the second being The Free Exercise Clause. The author goes on to explain that employers can deny religious dress to employees if the attire would threaten the health of employees or the employer. Also, if an employee is required by religious beliefs to wear a skirt, the manufacturing company could be required the female worker to wear pants. Ethos is used in this paper by appealing to authority and credibility when it uses the first amendment. Even though this article contains information other than dress codes in schools, it still provides a lot of reliable facts and statistics that could be very helpful in an academic research
I disagree with the school dress code because it doesn't allow people to express themselves, people can't dress for the weather, and it doesn't let people choose how they want to look because it's supposedly a distraction. The dress code is "The bottom of your shirt must at least meet the top of your pants or shorts, and undergarments should not be exposed. There must be a substantial covering over both shoulders. See-through clothing or clothing that is so very tight that it draws attention to oneself are also unacceptable. Shorts/skirts must have at least a 4" inseam."
One school rule that I think should be changed is the dress code. Some things on our dress code should be changed. Such as fingertip length shorts, shoulders not being able to be shown (tank tops). Some schools are even beginning to banned leggings and yoga pants. Since I think these should be changed, I will be explaining all of my reasons for each dress code mistake.
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
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.
Also, rules are put into place in schools and states make laws to protect the less educated. If parents don't have the sense to properly dress their boys and girls, then maybe it's time the schools and states to tell parents how to dress their children for in a society which dresses the same there is less to be distracted by therefore people in society will be more interested in what is really important; making a positive change in the lives of those around us.
As a teenager, clothing is a very large role in your life. After all, your style portrays your personality and the crowd that you hang out with. Most teens spend nearly all of their income on buying the next fashion. But today, teens have to second think their purchases for they may not be able to wear them at their school. Public schools have begun to crack down on the dress code, causing high school students to have to ditch half their wardrobe. The public school dress code is questionable in that is the wardrobe of students really affecting the way they learn and act, and are some of the codes really necessary.
more important things to spend their money on than the image of school children. The
or formal dress code stipulating what students can and cannot wear to school, a required school uniform is not as common. Customarily only seen in private and parochial schools, a growing numbers of US public schools are now adopting strict school uniform policies. One in five US public schools required students to wear uniforms during the 2013-2014 school year, up from one in eight in 2003-2004 ("School Uniforms," n.d, p. 1). In today’s world, it is not uncommon to see media stories about crime in schools and our educators are constantly looking for ways to improve safety within this school. Some of these educators feel that school uniforms are one way to protect the safety and welfare of students and school personnel. Many kids find
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.