When Dress Codes Go Too Far

There has always been a lot of debate about school dress codes and uniforms, but it has especially intensified as our society has grown to be more progressive as we challenge a patriarchal, woman-shaming culture. The common argument against dress codes is that they target girls more than they target boys. Girls are often sent home to change because their attire is too “distracting” for males, perpetuating a dangerous standard that girls’ bodies are naturally inappropriate and that they should be the ones missing their education to change clothing because “boys will be boys.” Those for dress codes will argue that that dress codes prepare young people for the workforce, and that youths should be prepared to look presentable if they want to be respected.

In each side, there are valid points to take away. But the issue isn’t necessarily with dress codes, but rather with the way they are implemented. People are right when they say there’s nothing wrong with expecting somebody to look presentable. And in school, focus should be on academics, not fashion. However, fashion can be a positive creative outlet of expression that can make an individual feel empowered and self-confident. Outside of school, a girl should be able to wear a crop top and shorts if she wishes without feeling shamed or objectified by others.

But where it gets tricky is inside a school. I attend an all-girls’ school, where the implementation of a dress code is mostly due to the fact that we, the students, are supposed to be strong representatives of the school. This is fair. But the issue that people have with dress code stems from a long history of patriarchal standards dictating how a woman should look and act. Often a dress code unfairly targets a girl, especially in coed schools. There are countless stories of how girls were approached and teachers informed them that their attire was distracting boys; as if it was the female student’s fault that boys were ogling and objectifying their bodies. They then informed these female students to go home and change, which made the girls miss valuable time at school. Most of the time these outfits were not even in the least bit “inappropriate”, and the issues arising from these outfits were nitpicks at best.

A teenaged girls’ mind can be very impressionable during this time of growth and development. Subconsciously, when these types of events occur, they are learning that their bodies are immediately inappropriate. They learn that it is their fault if their bodies are objectified. They learn that their education is less important than that of a boy. Instead of teaching young women how not to “distract” young boys, we should be teaching young boys how not to get distracted by a girl’s body. Because when a girl is policed for her clothing, we are not only sending subconscious messages to girls, but boys as well, who learn that it’s okay to ogle, catcall, perhaps even sexually assault a woman because she’s not “covering up.”

So here what I would like to be the big take away from this article. Yes, it is okay to have a dress code at a school. Yes, disciplinary action should be taken when an individual misrepresents their school with a non-school-appropriate outfit. No, girls should not be sent home to change because they are too “distracting.” Dress codes may seem like a small issue to discuss, but they are part of a bigger problem. We, as a society, have a responsibility to fix this problem. But social change begins with individuals. And it is the responsibility of individuals to speak out, discuss, and protest about the injustices of our world. Because that is how change is started.