Gender Bias For Dress Code

Our clothes is suppose to make us feel comfortable and define who we are instead of “purposely” getting attention from our peers. We never intended for the clothing we wear to school to distract students around school, we just wanted to be able to show off our diversity of clothing. The limitation of the dress code can help students not be able to express themselves fully. The dress code should be changed because of it’s major flaws.

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.

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.

That well known court case is Tinker vs. Des Moines. Tinker vs. Des Moines was a Supreme Court case that happened in 1969 dealing with dress code. Students got suspended from school for wearing black armbands to publicize their objections to the hostilities in Vietnam.The Supreme Court ruled that public school officials could not censor student expression unless they could reasonably forecast that the student expression would cause substantial disruption or material interference with school activities or would invade the rights of others. This case established our second amendment right; the freedom of expression. Students were getting in trouble for expressing themselves. How can you get in trouble for simply expressing yourself? Rachel Zoe said, “Style is a way of saying who you are without having to speak.” Dressing up and wearing the clothes we wear is how we convey a message. What I’m saying is that girls should not be getting in trouble of what they wear if it is not disruptive. Our outfits are not interfering with our schooling. If anything the dress code is telling us that a male's education is more

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.

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.

The dress code specifically bans tank tops with straps less than one inch thick, anything with visible cleavage or exposing the mid drift, cut-off shorts or shorts and pants with holes, and shorts and skirts shorter than fingertip length. The only rule applying directly to boys is prohibiting the “sagging of shorts or pants.” Not only do these rules single out girls, but “[a]t any time, a staff member or administrator may prohibit a student from wearing certain apparel to school.” Because of this addendum, I have seen girls singled out specifically for their clothing. More than once, I have witnessed administration follow a student through the halls, then wait until class starts

Synopsis: “Are Dresscodes Unfair to Girls” is a podcast episode produced by CBC’s The Current. Its aim was to explore the gender inequality involved in the public school system regarding dress codes through interviews with students, parents, and school administrators. Multiple sides of the debate were argued, showing the complexity of a relatively important issue.

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

In my experience at The Pembroke Hill School I have noticed that girls are targeted for violating school dress code policies far more than boys are. Most of the dress code is addressed towards girls, and honestly it is not okay. Obviously there should be a school dress code, but it should be to teach students what they can and cannot wear in public as adults, rather than to body shame them. When the message is saying that exposed shoulders and short

First of all, the thought that dress codes are supposed to be created equally and fairly is absolutely mind blowing. Author, Ellen Friedrichs, provides many facts and myths about dress code that makes you think differently about the whole situation. Friedrichs points out, "So, far from putting all students on equal footing, dress codes disproportionately affect certain students more than others and the idea that a dress code will prevent students from noticing difference is laughable"(Friedrichs). Going along with her statement, instead of boys feeling attacked; it is more girls that feel that way. The dress code policy is more directed towards girls and how they dress rather than the boys. If anything, the administration should feel guilty for body shaming girls and making them feel insecure and ashamed of their bodies. All girls come in all different shapes and sizes. A shirt that looks modest on one girl may look completely different on another due to her body shape. Boys and girls should be free to dress however they want and what makes them feel confident. Dress code destroys all individuality and creativity. The claim the administration made about dress code towards girls is that, some clothes that girls wear distract boys from their work. Girls should not be blamed for the immaturity of boys.

At schools “dress code” is one of the main gender stereotypes, why? Because in private school’s girls have to wear shirts and boys have to wear jeans. In other schools’ girls have to make sure that their shoulders and stomach and legs aren’t showing because they feel that it causes distraction in a classroom. The only thing that boys have to worry about as to pose to dress code is to make sure that their shirts don’t have any drugs, or sexual things on them and that the colors they wear aren’t gang relate. Dress code in school was placed to make sure kids don’t feel left out and make school a lot safer, but is