Hello dear audience! Today we are going to be discussing something that's been on my mind lately. I recently was thinking about how glad I was to grow up homeschooled. I was reminiscing about things that I gladly didn't have to deal with like a controlled schedule, having to be told when I have to use the bathroom or have breaks, and the dress code came up. I guess I was glad that I didn't have to be told to go home or cover up because my outfit might 'distract the boys.'
This got me thinking about all the girls who have/had to go through this. So, of course, I got to writing. I did some research on the topic and found that the people that enforce and monitor the dress codes not only affect women, but as well as people of color. I must admit, I have never experienced a 'direct' policing of my clothing, I stopped going to public school when I was in 7th grade. But that's not going to stop me from brining awareness to this issue. Before I begin, I'm not saying to completely eliminate dress codes. I think dress codes are a good way to maintain a sense of security and safety. My issue is with who they target the code to, like who gets in trouble for wearing something that the school deemed 'provocative' or 'inappropriate.'
You have your generally acceptable rules like 'no clothing with profanity, violence, drugs, hate speech, or sex' or 'no clothes that expose body parts like the buttocks or genitals' but then you have instances where a girl is pulled aside and told to change because she didn't cover up her ankles.
I have noticed that this is yet another equality that women have to deal with today. More than 90% of those rules prohibit clothing typically worn by female students: items such as 'halter or strapless tops,' 'skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh,' and 'yoga pants or any type of skin tight attire,' the report says. Meanwhile, it found that only 69% of districts were as likely to prohibit male students for wearing similar clothing, like a "muscle shirt."
I think the skirt rule is understandable, that would go along the lines of exposing the nether regions if the skirt is too high. Though I found the rule of banning yoga pants or skintight pants for women is so blatantly sexist that it's sort of funny. Especially when you have perfect examples of the inequality right in front of your face, like these two students named Drew and Kenzie showed. The two friends wore a similar shirt, a crop top, to school. The results were just as you'd expect, the girl got written up for her shirt, and the boy remained unscathed.
The link to the video is below:
I do wonder if the moderators do this intentionally or not, but either way, this is very disappointing. This is yet another instance of women's bodies being depicted as a taboo. Whether it's through the 'hush hush' topic of periods, or if your shoulders are exposed, we are being scrutinized for the thoughts of others. Don't bring up your period because it's gross, don't wear that dress, you're asking for it, men can't control themselves cover up.
We are told that our bodies are synonymous with secrets that should be hidden and covered up. The distraction excuse blames us.
'You're distracting/attracting attention from the boys.'
Maybe we aren't the ones at fault. We should teach boys to control their urges. Maybe we shouldn't be blamed because some people can't control their urges.
This excuse also sustains rape culture, which plays into the 'you're asking for it' excuse. This protects the assaulter by using what a student is wearing as an excuse for someone else’s actions against them. No woman asks to be raped by somebody! No matter what their wearing, they aren't asking for somebody to assault them and if somebody thinks they are, there's something wrong with them. My clothes isn't me accepting your advances! Many also argue that school dress codes can be unfairly enforced based on body type, where more developed women or heavier women are punished more frequently compared to less developed or thinner women.
This is really damaging to women and girls alike. They can't express themselves in ways they want to without the thought of assault at the back of their mind. School is supposed to be a safe place for everyone, but how can you feel safe when you are made to think all eyes are on you and what you're wearing?
I'll say again that some of the restrictions are acceptable, like showing up to school in a top with a swooping neckline that shows cleavage, but writing up a girl for wearing yoga pants or a tube top? That's kind of uncalled for to me!
It's not only women who get affected by the strict dress codes. If you are a person of color, you are more likely to get targeted by the dress code in one way or another.
Many people feel that some school dress code policies unfairly target people of color by banning things that may wear like durags, hair wraps, braids, and dreadlocks. Critics argue this criminalizes culture and can lead to a system where students of color are getting disciplined more for dress code violations.
Looking back at all this makes me realize that there is a LOT of things that need to be done. We need to stop making young women feel like their bodies are constantly being looked at because of what they decided to wear one day, and that they need to fear boys that can't control their urges. We also should keep a balance of cultural representation as well. We should be proud of who we are. Our ethnicity shouldn't be a major topic of debate, we are just people. It doesn't matter where we came from, we are all people who deserve respect, and maybe sometimes we want to pay homage to our heritage. It shouldn't be that big of a problem.
Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed writing it, and always have a good day🏙️/night🌃!
And cheers to 70 posts! 🥂🍾
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