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Dress Code Discrimination

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Introduction The way in which females dress has played a large role in the sexualization of girls. Recently, researchers have observed that the increase in production and marketing of “sexy” clothing for females has resulted in the inducement of discrimination and sexualization towards girls (Harbach, 2016). In the educational setting, these ideas have been laid out in policies such as dress codes. The main purpose of school dress codes is “to reduce disruption by removing the stimulus that is causing the distraction” (Arns, 2017). Moreover, as clothing has induced gender-based discrimination towards females, their body has become the “distraction.” However, gender-based discrimination is not the only discrimination present in the dress …show more content…

Des Moines case. According to Lovell (2016), “in the 4 years, Tinker v. Des Moines was tied up in the judicial system, students from across the country began battling strict dress codes regulating clothing and hairstyle, yet teenage girls quickly found that their gender limited the way that they could embody countercultural and feminist consciousness-raising.” Since then, student protest for their freedom to wear what they wanted increased, and the idea of sexualization towards females was created (Harabach, 2015). However, females have not been the only targets of discrimination. In fact, as females are perceived as “sexualized figures,” males are seen as “uncontrollable animals…” (Harbach, 2015). Furthermore, the political aspect of this issue has not limited the amount of gender-based discrimination either. Instead, the government believes that it is better to restrict a female’s hair length and clothing to prevent distractions or violence at schools (Wilson, 1998). This vividly demonstrates gender-based discrimination not only through the eyes of the school, but the government. In an excerpt from Wilson’s writings, he states that “uniforms are necessary to provide safe public schools and that in a balancing test; the governmental interest outweighs the incidental burden placed on students” (Wilson, 1998). The government instead of providing students with a safe, not discriminatory …show more content…

In earlier years, those of African-American race were the main targets in schools. Gangs were known to be made up of African-American members. This steered schools to make their dress codes stricter against African-Americans in order to prevent and decrease gang violence in schools (Wilson, 1998). During the 1960’s, immigrants from Mexico rapidly began to migrate to America. This led to an augmentation in discrimination and exclusion of those of Hispanic race (Mora, 2008). In recent years, sociologists have suggested that club owners have utilized dress codes to discriminate against Hispanic and African-Americans. The systematic evidence found that African-Americans and Hispanics were denied access to the clubs more often than those of white race were (Goldsmith, 2017). In recent years, researchers have found that states such as Oklahoma, Idaho and Florida have increasingly implemented stricter policies restricting natural Black hairstyles such as dreads and afro-puffs (Macon, 2015). On the other hand, in a poll released last year through NPR by Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, “a majority of whites say discrimination against them exists in America today” (Gonyea, 2017). Notable, however, is that from those who stated that their race is discriminated upon, a much smaller percentage says that they have experienced it. Furthermore, racial discrimination seems to be present in every race, even if it is

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