Dress Codes And Sexual Violence

It is of no possible argument that some of the most valuable and lasting ideas of life and the world around us are taught and learned at school. Hard work does you well. Cheaters never prosper. Education is the key to success. Girls bodies are a distraction and objects to be inevitably sexualized and harassed. This may sound over exaggerated, but this is the message beings sent to millions of students near and far by the sexist, self-esteem demolishing, unfocused dress codes in schools today. This said, dress codes in schools create a negative environment, putting the focus on the wrong things and ideas, both promoting rape culture and a strong sense of sexism.

Throughout the article, “Why Sexist Dress Codes Suck For Everyone” written by Emily Lindin, argues why dress codes hurt everyone. Lindin is a very acclaimed and credible author who has written many pieces for Teen Vogue, along with a memoir about her experience with bullying, which later became a documentary. Lindin targets teen girls throughout most of her pieces, on the idea that girls should not be punished for the way they dress. This controversial article was published in Teen Vogue magazine in May 2016. Lindin’s article argues that school dress codes not only affect girls, but also gives guys a disadvantage as well. Lindin starts off her argument by giving her opinion on dress codes not only in the school systems, but in everyday life too. She goes on to say, “Most school dress codes, however, are deeply sexist both in the way

Quotes from those who feel they have been personally victimized cause the reader to feel angry towards the school administration or officials who are enforcing such a strict dress code. When Bates gives account after account of the dress codes in schools being unfairly carried out or too strict all together, the reader begins to feel sorry for the girls who fall victim to their administrators’ discrimination. Bates says “I can’t help feeling there is a powerful irony in accusing a girl of being ‘provocative’ – in projecting that societal assumption onto her adolescent body – before she is even old enough to have learned how to correctly spell the word.” By stating this, she is arguing that high school girls are too young to already be faced with sexual assault or discrimination from a culture that tells women to cover up because boys can not control themselves. The personal accounts in Bates’ article give the reader an emotional connection to the victims mentioned, thus building

Is it really a female student’s fault that a male peer failed a test because her collar bone was distracting him? The school boards across the United States have girls feeling like it is. Dress codes have become an excuse for male students and a way to devalue female morals and education. Removing students from class time and verbally harassing them for their choice of dress has become a common practice within too many schools across the country. School systems use dress codes for various reasons upon campus.

Zhou does this well later on in her paper. As she ties up her point, she address the more serious side effects of dress codes that people. She uses a series of educators and sociologists who agree that dress code can promote the blaming of victim in cases of sexual harassment and assault. She makes it known that the sexual harassment and assault can happen to any one – the reader’s sister(s), mother(s), relative(s). By doing so, the reader is forced to relate their own lives to that of the article and evaluate Zhou’s point in deeper depth than what they have before. Even more, Zhou brings in example from all age groups and genders. She tells the story of middle schoolers to those well past graduation. She even includes an incident from a non-gender conforming boy. By expanding upon these different age groups and genders, Zhou is able to reach a wider audience that are able to relate and fully analyze her

School dress codes are very sexist and to demonstrate that Lindsay establishes credibility. Not only does Lindsay use credible sources she, herself, is a reliable source. Lindsay has lived through high school with the administration shaming women and promoting rape culture. Rowena is a female writing about how dress codes are sexist towards females. In the article she quotes Laura Bates, The Boston Latin School Change.org petition, Dr. Larry Wilder, Maggie Sunseri, and Liliana Severin. The people she quotes are credible because they all have done extensive research on this topic. One example is Laura Bates, she said, “Often they report hearing phrases like, ‘boys will be boys,’ from teachers…. Girls are receiving very clear messages that male behavior, male entitlement to your body in public space is socially acceptable, but you will be punished,” (Rowena, 3). Lindsay shows Bates’s knowledge on this topic by stating she is a Founder of The Everyday Sexism Project.

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.

In this article “ do school dress codes unfairly target girls” by Hardesty Greg. Hardesty, Greg. "Do School Dress Codes Unfairly Target Girls?" The Orange County Register. N.p., 01 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2017. He says that in schools girls get targeted way more then boys. Yes this is true, schools have more girls get in trouble, it’s hard for girls to find clothes. Boys have long shorts and t-shirts with longer sleeves. Why don’t we have a class to teach boys to not see girls as a sexual object and to only see them for their bodies. Therefore, schools are sexist against girls clothes and the way they dress.

Laura Bates wrote a very controversial article on May 22, 2015. Her two page article, “How Dress Codes Shames Girls and Perpetuates Rape Culture,” set a tone that is hard to forget. Laura includes detailed examples that capture her readers attention and open one’s eyes to the harm that public school dress codes are doing, not only to the physical image of a girl, but to the self-esteem of many girls as well. There are many thoughts and emotions that follow this topic, because of the many girls that have been affected personally by dress codes, or rather, dress code violations. In this groundbreaking article, the question of whether or not a school dress code shames girls and perpetuates rape culture is answered.

Schools dress codes are sexist because they promote body shaming, encourage victim blaming, and value male education over female.

If a woman is wearing scandalous clothing, is it considered their fault for experiencing sexual assault or distracting their peers in class? Girls and women all over the world are blamed because of their choice of clothing or style. The school system considers it a distraction to boys for girls to be wearing clothing that does not meet their strict standards. Dress codes and sexual assault both victimize and prejudice girls because of what they choose to be comfortable in. Sexual assault is considered the biggest threat to society because of all the negative changes it causes in women.

I concede to the fact that there are appropriate and inappropriate clothes for different settings, but the intentions of sending a student home for an extra inch above their knee is not comparable to sending a student home for their neon colored Nikes. Students aren't sent home for the distracting colors to prevent anyone from getting off task. There is also a difference between over sexualizing the female body and having an honest distraction in school. Tara Culp-Ressler, columnist for the Think Progress organization, collaborates with the United Nations in an international research of males have admitted to having forced sexual interactions. The study shows that " among the men who acknowledged they sexually assaulted someone else, more than 70 percent of them said they did it because of 'sexual entitlement'".

Schools are slowly taking away people 's individuality, but only seems like they are focusing on girls not boys. “ The way boys and girls get in trouble for violating dress codes is different and girls are disproportionately targeted for disobeying it” (“Rosalind Classroom Conversation”). Rosalind agrees that girls are targeted for dress codes more than boys are. In a girls point of view it seems unfair that boys can wear anything they would like, for example muscle shirts, shirts with alcohol, shirts with naked women on them, but not even get dress coded or a warning (Bassett). Meanwhile, a student that was a girl gotten dress coded because her collarbone was showing and it was deemed that it was inappropriate, even after her mother brought her a scarf in that covered her collarbone (Alvarez). Another student which was also a girl got dress coded because her skirt was a few centimeters under her finger tip. They had to send her home, she had missed all her classes and what they were teaching that day because of what they thought it was inappropriate (Bassett). Analuiza states that “ The only reason I go to school is to get my education. When I get dressed in the morning, my intention is not to provoke or be sexualized. My intention is to feel comfortable in my own skin” (Bassett). As a girl I believe that Analuiza is correct with what she had stated, that girls should be able to feel comfortable, and not be sexualized or feel like they are

Have you ever been excluded from learning because of what you wore to school? In most schools, dress codes are set in place to provide a better learning space for all students. Having a dress code can oppress students because students are given the impression that they should not express themselves. Not all families can afford the clothes that abide by the rules. For example, some students don 't have the means to pay for new clothes, so they have to use hand-me-down clothing. Enforcing a dress code can lead to more problems in the long run because of the exceptions made for students who are athletes and cheerleaders. Many school faculty members including teachers and administrators think that keeping a dress code will keep students looking appropriate while learning, but this idea is wrong because it keeps students from expressing themselves and, the dress code singles out women.

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.