Dress Code Cons

Dress codes are not helping schools like they are meant to do; they are actually harming students in the school. Dress codes shame students and make them insecure about their bodies. They also disrupt precious class time that is vital to students. Buying clothes to fit the school dress code is costlier than some families can afford. Not only are dress codes stifling, but they are also unfair toward specific body types and different genders. Dress codes also decrease a student’s ability to be different from all of their peers in the way they dress. Schools should not have dress codes because they are sexist, unfair and disrupt class time.

Dress codes in middle and high schools are a form of discrimination against teenage girls in today’s society. Parents and students all over the country argue that dress codes are directed mainly at girls and are a blatant example of gender inequality. The idea behind the strict enforcement of a dress code is that it will teach self-respect and raise moral standards for the students. However, when the reason for many dress code violations is questioned the rationale is often to prevent distracting the male students. Young women across the country are being shamed and punished for wearing what schools consider immodest and being a distraction to their male peers. This discrimination against female students results in their clothes being strictly regulated and dress coded more often than male students’ clothes are. The enforcement of these discriminatory dress codes has become a form of public humiliation for female students. Theoretically, a dress code makes sense and should be effective. In reality, it does not affect how students dress but causes a distraction and interruption of a girl’s education.

As the temperature rises, so do hemlines and the suspension rate. Students get suspended for violating school dress codes by wearing outfits that ‘show too much skin.’ One can argue that revealing clothing is distracting, but some families and students agree that school dress code implementations end up just shaming girls. Dress codes, the epitome of high school, teach girls to act ashamed, not modest. According to most school boards that come up with the dress code, the outfits young women wear come across as too distracting for their peers, especially men, and make it unable for women to be viewed by the public with dignity and respect. Everyday, school dress codes target females—especially females that are more developed.

The people who are in charge of creating the school dress code don’t think of girls feelings, or their need to be an individual. There are also some unnecessary rules in schools, and what schools deemed inappropriate or distracting. The schools are taking some of the girls rights away. I believe that the dress code for the younger generation is too focused on girls, and it’s way too strict. Students should not have to wear school uniforms, some schools went for believing it would get rid of competition.

America, the “land of the free, and home of the brave.” Unfortunately, this doesn 't mean “land of the free to wear whatever one desires.” In fact, school dress codes are taking away American students’ self expression, infringing on their freedom of speech, and enforcing sexist discrimination all over the country. A recent case, that occurred at Tottenville High School in Staten Island, New York, blatantly displays the negative effects dress codes are having on students, especially females. In the first couple of days of the semester, this high school managed to give 200 detentions to students for violating the dress code. Ironically enough, 90 percent of these students were girls (Swafford). The discouraging part is that schools are easily able to get away with this kind of discrimination. This is made possible by state laws that give school boards the power to enforce whatever dress codes they think are necessary to promote a distraction free learning environment, maintain discipline, and to push students to dress similarly in order to create a uniformity in the schools (“School Dress Codes”). The purpose of dress codes may be to create a distraction free learning environment; in reality, however, they produce an environment where students feel discriminated against and aren 't free to express themselves.

First and foremost why schools should have a no-strict dress code is because it brings girls self-esteem down. When girls get dress coded they might feel: sad, angry, annoyed and upset. And especially body shamed. “As a women, I know almost no women who like their body, who feel good about there body, almost none, but you don’t know how it got there,” Perlman said in an interview. As a result, Dress codes are body shaming girls from when they were in their teens, to adulthood. The average number of girls getting dressed coded has increased by 20% in the past year! That’s crazy! About most of the dress code, girls feel body shamed! One 15-year-old girl said, “I feel bad because it's my body... and there's no reason for the school to be telling me to cover up,” she said. Lastly, if schools had a less strict dress code with the excuse of girls showing too much skin, we would all be more confident with our

School dress codes send a loud and clear message, “Your individuality is inconvenient.” (Rowland 22). The constitution guarantees the right to free speech,which can be interpreted as the right to freedom of self expression, and students use clothing to express themselves. Another message that dress codes send is that “the self identity that you want to express does not belong here.” Self expression is not an inconvenience or a distraction, it is the lifeblood of our nation. (Rowland 22). Schools tell students that they should be confident in themselves, but how can they if they cannot express themselves? School dress codes now are more about shielding the boys then protecting the girls which implies that boys are immature. Calling a girl’s clothes distracting is implying that she is at fault for any disruptions. “That 's like saying that because a store has a cash register, it 's the store 's fault if it gets robbed!” (Menza 1). Students are going to be distracted anyways. Sexist dress codes are like saying that an article of clothing, or a body part showing on a female will distract male students from learning. Dress codes should be simple for both genders, everyone should wear clothing that covers up the same area. With dress codes, students are forced to dress the same as other students, taking the individuality out of school, but schools try to send the message, you are individual. Figure 1 shows a strict dress codes for both students and

Now that we've covered the two main reasons let's talk about how much these dress codes will cost families. School dress codes can be financially restricting on a lot of families, especially if they already don’t have a lot of money and are struggling to pay the other school costs. In a personal way, i can understand this, my families never had the money to buy much, so if the dress code was any stricter we would have to go out of our way to buy clothes that would fit into the dress code limits and

In a specific article posted by The Atlantic, a middle school student named Maggie Sunseri realized that her school’s dress code had a major difference for males and females. She mentions, “I’ve never seen a boy called out for his attire even though they also break the rules.” I also agree with her on this. Although I went to a catholic school where we had to wear our school uniforms, I constantly see all over social media how girls are treated differently for breaking the policy. I have seen that girls are sent home for showing their shoulders, collar bones, for wearing their skirts too short, or for even wearing leggings because it is too tight against their skin.

Dress codes treat students unfairly, mainly targeting females. Many students across the nation-particularly girls- are agreeing with school dress codes being too strict and giving unfair treatment to females. A student from Kentucky was sent home for showing her collarbone, a student from Texas was sent home for wearing yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt that completely covered her backside. A teacher explained that when girls don’t meet the school dress code regulations, they are told they

The school dress code is a very controversial topic for boys and girls but mostly girls. They treat girl from a young age that we should be ashamed of our bodies and cover up because we're too distracting to the boys. Yes there does have to be some restrictions to the dress code but others that say our sholder is to distracting is taking it to far. Girls should be proud of themselves and really the dress code is tearing down their confidence. If were to distracting to the boys for even just showing a little bit of shoulder that boy should be talked to that girls shouldn't just be seen as an object of pleasure and that there human to. Instead of doing something like that we are told to cover up and should be ashamed for even showing even a little bit of our shoulders or stomach. We do however do need a dress code so people don’t just

Since I first started attending school, I have always been apart of public schools. The dress code was always very lenient. I believe if students made appropriate choices they would be able to decide how they want to dress. However, some students have not, which has led to this decision right now. From the article “NYC High School Dress Code Crackdown”, the author states,”While there are parents who are objecting to the crackdown, there are many who agree with the school’s policy. One mother said some girls at the school have dressed too provocatively. “The girls wear these little booty shorts…,” said one mother, 34. “They look like they’re training to work in strip

Today, wearing a shirt that simply displays the collarbone could get easily get a student sent home from school, easily because it’s an inappropriate outfit that distracts boys. In the article “The sexism of School Dress Codes,” by Li Zhou, it addresses the issue with the dress code in schools. She argues dress code criticizes girls by body-shaming, blaming them for sexual harassment, and making them feel insecure in their own clothing. Li Zhou most effectively uses logos and ethos when describing the differences in gender and power for sexist dress codes in schools. Dress codes at most schools are known to be too strict and sexist.

She had watched me walk into the hallway and followed me to my locker, and confronted me in front of everyone”. Students shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of what they’re wearing, and they shouldn’t have to hide their bodies. When staff and administrators aim at girls whose dresses may not be a full knee length or shoulder straps that aren’t quite three fingers; it effects their body image and their self worth. This not only affects attitudes inside the school, but outside as well. Girls are viewed as a distraction the more we scold and repudiate girls on how they dress, the more boys will begin to as well.

“ ‘School is telling us female bodies are distracting, and it’s wrong,’ Virginia said, countering that the actual distraction is when teachers interrupt class to send a student away to change.” This statement was in Los Angeles Times. Dress code has become a big deal with schools today. The dress code has become more and more restraining and is causing more of a detraction the clothes being worn! Dress code is becoming sexist and needs need to be less constraining to make us more comfortable, focused, and able to express ourselves more.