Dress Code Discrimination

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.

In the article, “Appearances Are Destructive” by Mark Mathabane argues about how students in school do not focus on learning anymore, but mostly focus on their outfits. He agrees that by providing dress codes will be an effective way to maintain safety in schools. According to Mathabane, dress codes is a solution for students to get on track on their studies, but rather it will not be against freedom. In addition to that, Mathabane claims, that girls pay a lot of attention to their clothing because it gives them respect, to look more attractive, and they feel, they look cool. Mathabane disagree that outfits should be the primary goal for many students, instead of achieving academic success; therefore, dress code will be a solution to have

How does somebodies attire effects other people’s judgments of them? More specifically, how does attire of women influences others judgments? These are questions that take root from evolving problems in the world today. It is hard to give an honest answer because it is an opinionated argument. However, appropriate attire policies is a growing problem for society, there is a growing demand for equality in male and female attire. The argument is expressed in an article written by Laura Bates called, “How School Dress Codes Shame Girls and Perpetuate Rape Culture”. The problem is that women are expected to dress in a way that is socially acceptable. Socially acceptable means that, females must dress in a way that protects and covers the female anatomy. This argument that Bates explains, expresses a pathos appeal because you are allowed to understand the point of view of those who have been victimized by dress codes. The article also gives an ethos appeal because the article makes a person question their morale value. Questioning whether dress codes are equal or unjust and sexist. Reading the argumentative peace it is obvious that Bates stands against sexist dress codes.

For years there have been debates on whether or not dress codes in schools are necessary for student success. Schools should not dictate what students wear to make them feel better about themselves. Strict school dress codes have not been shown to improve either behavior or academic achievement. It is time for schools to abandon these strict dress codes. Dress codes can only harm students in the long run. It stops them from expressing themselves and stifles their creativity. Strict dress codes send the wrong message to students saying that what they wear is sometimes more important than their education. Dress codes can also impose on a student's exploration of their gender identity. From middle school into high school are the ages where children

Do you ever wonder if your school dress code is fair? What i'm trying to say, is the dress code fair for girls. And do boys really get distracted by girls wearing shorts, leggings and yoga pants. Also, should girls/women be allowed to wear shorts and leggings to school, In the dress code girls can’t express themselves through clothing.

It’s commonly believed that boys will be too distracted to learn because of the way a girl is dressed. For fear of distracting boys, girls are being taken away from their education. A mother of a student that goes to a school in New England wrote a blog post all about how she’s fed up with the way the school is treating girls because of the dress code. At this school girls are being shamed, kicked out of proms, and even called skanks by those in authority. (Mangiacotti, "Back Off, Dress Codes. This Is Not Your Call.")

One of the challenges I face in this school is the dress code. I think the dress code is ridiculous, unnecessary, and not fair. One of the ways dress code is not fair is the only dress code girls that are mainly in the 7th grade, and the boys could come to school with tank tops and shorts, and no one would care. As soon as a girl wears a shirt that has a 2 inch wide strap, all of the principles overreact, because it is “distracting.” Instead of dress coding the girls, they should educate these young boys on how to behave, and how to properly treat girls.

In today's society students are continually bombarded with rules and regulations that they must follow, one of them is an ongoing controversy which is dress codes which schools enforce. Many ask themselves is school dress codes are a good idea, but this has become a complicated matter, especially for females since the rules apply more to them, many asserting it is sexist. Some people would claim that dress codes improve learning on school campuses and help promote a “distraction free” learning environment, but in reality dress codes are not only ineffective but hinders creative thought, demonstrates mistrust against students, and perpetrates sexism.

In the constantly evolving 21st century and the age of new and modern ideals, the world is continuously reshaping and progressive movements are becoming increasingly more mainstream. One of the most immense ideas the nation is facing is equality for all. Whether male or female, gay or straight, black or white, individuals all deserve to be equal and to be able to profess their beliefs in a secure way. Unfortunately, from experience, a myriad of people know that society has not reached equality and that there is still a lengthy route to get there. One of the toughest challenges is that since childhood, kids have been taught and instilled in their minds that they are different and that it is okay to generalize girls in one category and boys in another. The biggest way this is put into children's minds is through the dress codes that are mandatory from age 5 until graduation day. And while dressing appropriately for school is vital to an effective education, it is also important that kids get to convey themselves through their clothing. Because of their need for expression, many kids are revolting against the education system until they are able to wear

Diane Ehrensaft, a woman who writes about gender and is a psychologist says“This generation is really challenging the gender norms we grew up with. A lot of youths say they won’t be bound by boys having to wear this or girls wearing that. For them, gender is a creative playing field.” Adults, she added, “become the gender police through dress codes.” (NY TIMES 2009) Take for example a young girl named Aniya Wolf, who was kicked out of prom for wearing a tux. When she showed up for the event with her girlfriend, she was pulled out of line and asked by her principal to leave. She told TODAY reporter, "I felt humiliated, getting kicked out of prom. I wasn't going to hurt anybody with a suit." She was also documented by TODAY saying "It is an attack on my sexual orientation, It's saying, 'We don't want you in our prom. You're a freak of nature.'" (TODAY 2016) For Aniya, this was a very damaging event in her life. She had to experience how it feels to be cast out and shamed for something that makes her different than some of her other classmates. To experience such limitations on expressing oneself, each of these kids in our generation are at risk of dealing with negative effects on their mental health. To deal with the limitations on expressing oneself from peers is one thing but to be limited by adults who these kids are taught to look up to can be extremely confusing and cause a significant level of shame that is not only detrimental to their self-esteem but completely unnecessary. Such strict and unreasonable dress code regulations effectively create several levels of negative impacts on the wellbeing of the youth of our generation while setting back progress in our society to achieve more open-mindedness in the years to

According to educators and some parents, the outfits young women wear is too distracting for men to be able to view women with dignity and respect. Teachers think male students are overly sexualize a normal body part to the point where they apparently can’t function in daily life. Young ladies are not in charge of concealing their bodies for different understudies. Children don't get the opportunity to express their style because boys can get too ‘distracted’. The best way to ensure a policy is applied fairly is diversity and bias prevention training for teachers and administrators. A positive goal is to create a system where teachers can’t dress code students for offenses which aren’t in the school code of conduct. Many anti-dress codes point out that it sends a message to the male student body that they are not solely responsible for their actions. These rules are focused on considerably more at young

“Nineteen percent of the 7,800 students in middle and high schools across the country said they were prevented from wearing clothes deemed ‘inappropriate’ based on their gender” (Sorto, 2016). Considering the number of students surveyed, this percentage is significantly larger than one would think. This survey demonstrates that teenagers constantly feel victimized by their dress codes when class is stopped in order for them to be told to cover up. The issue of sexist dress codes has started a movement all around the United States, and other countries as well, with women fighting back. Protests and petitions have been made and although there has been some progress, there are still ways to go. Girls have been sent home from school, women have

One issue that is often presented in public schools is dress codes. Each school has a variety of different policies for both boys and girls, yet most are more biased against what girls wear. We often find in a student handbook the amount of sentences for what girls aren’t allowed to wear compared to boys. These dress codes are seen as sexist because they require girls to cover anything that seems to be “distracting,” but mainly these codes are made mainly for a boy’s purpose. Regulations include such as, nothing revealing, as for the exposure of shoulders, shorts or skirts have to be a certain length and often yoga or leggings are banned. When girls violate the dress code they are often sent to the office to change or suspended because they didn’t follow the rules. These policies also take over school events like prom and homecomings. It is such an issue because they limit a girls freedom of what they want to wear. Also, it is sexist because most of these regulations are made for boys in order to not be distracted on what a girl wears. These dress codes are problematic at public schools and girls are more targeted on these policies. Throughout the years they have faced discrimination and the effects, yet some agree that these dress codes serve a purpose.

Because of a teenage boy’s lack of control of their sexual impulses, the girls’ educations are compromised. Girls whose clothes are seen as “distracting” to the boys learning environment have had to go home and change their clothes, or in many cases change their shirt or shorts with unwashed, smelly, hand-me-down PE clothes found left in the locker rooms year after year. The school dress code is said to enforce “cleanliness”; making a girl change into a disgusting, pit- stained rag just because it her straps are half an inch smaller than required measures is perfectly

The editorial School dress codes reinforce the message that woman’s bodies are dangerous written by Laura Bates, brings to our attention, the sexism that surrounds the application of dress codes. In the article Bates discusses how, although there are rules for male and female students, girls are mainly punished for dress code violations, and the same dress code rules do not apply for both sexes. Young boys wear athletic shorts however, girls cannot, in some cases, girls cannot show their legs at all. In addition to the sexism in dress codes, is the sexual objectification and publicly shaming of young girls, who are told that showing their legs while wearing skirts is distracting to the male faculty; alongside being publicly shamed by being