Persuasive Argument On Dress Codes

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.

We all know that there is different rules in almost all school dress codes that apply to guys and girls. For example, at some schools guys can't wear beanies during class but girls can. A girl can't have shorts that reach before their fingertips when they have their arms down. I personally feel like there shouldn't be “dress code” because for many people they like to express themselves by what they wear, why should schools make people feel uncomfortable? Not having uniforms can make the students feel competitive on what they wear and where they have got their clothes from. For some students those things do matter, but for some of them it doesn’t matter they’re going to school to learn, not to impress people at school. Some schools hate what their students wear to school, but don’t they have like favorite pieces of clothing that they also love as much as the students do? If schools don't like what they are seeing in the student’s “outfits” each day then they should start making students to wear their school uniforms. 15 year old, Miranda Larkin, was sent to the nurse's office for wearing a short skirt that violated the school dress code, and they made

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.

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

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.

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.

Dress code has been proven to be sexist. For example, the staff at schools make female students stand just to see if their shorts are long enough, if their shirts cover their shoulder, if their pants have holes above the knee, or if they are wearing any pants that are tight, which if they are a shirt must be covering their bum. Girls are targeted when it comes to dresscode. Why? All because of how society views their bodies. “It’s telling women and girls that it’s your responsibility to control boys and men and their presumed aggressiveness.”

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

Dress code is a controversial subject in a lot of schools. Dress code is a set of rules put into place to promote school safety and encourage a positive learning atmosphere where students are not distracted by their peers’ outfit choices (Daniels). This set of rules allegedly is put into place to stop the sexualizing of women by keeping them from wearing “suggestive clothing,” but what is suggestive clothing? Who defines what clothes are seen as “suggestive?” Dress code does more harm than good for students, therefore it should not be present in public schools.

How many times have you heard of a child being sent home due to their outfit? In so many towns and cities there is ridiculous dress codes. Most of the dress codes are directed towards females. These rules somewhat make them feel as if they have to hid their bodies so they won’t distract men. High school dress codes are detrimental to all student’s confidence outside and inside the classroom.

A recent study by Lands’ End found that the number of schools with dress codes increased by twenty one percent from 2000 to 2013. School dress code is a very controversial topic in today’s America. Weather they are against or for it; everyone has their own two cents to put in. Some schools force their students to wear uniforms; while others just say do not wear shorts. I think dress code should be more lenient for three main reasons: there in an inconsistency in rules about dress code, it promotes rape culture, and it promotes sexism in our youth.

Dress codes are worldwide and many people have problems dealing with them. Uniforms or dress codes are implemented at both jobs and school. Some dress codes make it to where people cannot express who they are or how they may feel. Dress codes should be implemented but not as strict. Uniforms help many people financially, but that does not keep the issues such as bullying away. They also limit people to who they are and that is not okay. Lighten up on dress codes.

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.

The topic of school dress codes has been widely discussed in and outside of the classroom and considering that, out of one hundred sixty-three female students at Brevard High School ninety-four percent believe that dress codes only applies to them, one could see why. Eighty-three percent of the two hundred eighty-four students and staff at Brevard High School believe that dress codes are primarily directed at female students (Brevard High School Survey 2016). With those statistics in mind it is no wonder why dress codes are still being debated to this day. Dress codes in public high schools not only limit a student's first amendment rights but also lack legitimate reason and promote a sexist environment.