Why We Should Be Allowed To Have Dress Codes In School

Are school dress codes fair to you? School dress codes have been a controversial topic for a while. They have been mentioned in many places such as: social media, articles, schools, etc. Although they may prevent some students from dressing “provocative”, they also take away the child’s right to be comfortable. Dress codes should be changed for multiple reasons. They are sexist, unconstitutional, unnecessary extra cost, and they take away each kid’s unique style. Dress codes have always been more trouble than they’re worth. I don’t think dress codes should be completely taken away, but modified greatly.

"Listen, or thy tongue will make thee deaf." is an old Native American proverb; a piece of advice that I take quite kindly to. It basically advises that if you listen, you will have good ears; yet if you talk, you will become deaf to the words of others around you. I suppose that I am a good example of this. In the past, I have spoken and not listened, and after the fact I hadn't heard a word of anybody else. Let's bring up an argument of the past. A while ago, maybe two years ago or so, my mom and I had an argument about the color of pants I was wearing. This does sound silly, yes. Yet this was a problem because I was violating the elementary school dress code. Sadly, I was too lazy to turn the light on, and look at what color the pants were.

Students all over the world are being bullied because of what they wear. Whether they wear the clothes to stand out or if it is related to their culture, bullies are going after them because they may look different than the average student. Dress codes are a great option for schools with reports of students being bullied because of what they wear. Dress codes are beneficial in schools by reducing bullying opportunities and promoting a more serious school atmosphere.

As springtime rolls around so does the night that most girls in highschool look forward to for years: Prom. Prom, or banquet, as it’s called at Liberty Christian School, is a night where girl do their hair and makeup all nice, get their dates, and most importantly find their perfect dress. But for the girls at Liberty finding their perfect dress isn’t all that easy. At Liberty girls are given a list of rules to follow when buying their dress, then expected to go to a dress check where it is made sure that all the rules were followed. With all the requirements some girl question if it is even worth it.

Only 4% of girls around the world truly consider themselves to be beautiful. Strict dress codes such as the one at Woodford County High School are only increasing self esteem issues for girls. Researchers found that suicidal thoughts were increasingly higher for girls who see themselves negatively. Taking away a girl's right to pick out an outfit is absurd and harmful to the way they perceive themselves.

The school dress code is setting up a mind for a more professional look in a work space. In some job offers it’s more important to give a good first impression so that it can open more opportunities. This represents that it’s better to start learning how to dress properly in a workspace earlier so that in a situation where a student needs to be dressed appropriately, they will be prepared. This also states that, since school is a professional

Should students have a dress code that they have to follow or should they be free to wear whatever they want to wear? There has been a great deal of studies and thoughts about this topic. Today some dress codes are getting way out of hand like for example, “Aniya Wolf, a student at Catholic high school Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, PA, was kicked out of her own prom this past weekend for wearing a tuxedo”(The Huffington Post). This is just one example of hundreds more of why schools should not have a dress code.

Specific reasons may cause certain governments or institutes to set requirements in what clothing one should or should not wear. However, without reasonable reasoning such groups of people should not be allowed to set restrictions. Governments in general including the veil decree in Persepolis and France’s banning should not be allowed to have a say in the way people dress. However, public schools including the administrators of Heights High School should be allowed to set dress codes, for they unlike governments have valid able reasons.

Complaint I: I think we shouldn’t have a dress code at school. I honestly feel that if I’m paying for my clothes, my own self I should be able to wear them. I feel like the majority of the clothes I wear aren’t inappropiate or if they are I don’t try to be , I simply wear them to express myself. I also feel that if they keep the dress code they need to be fair with it and not let some people wear it and some people not.

Why do we have dress code? The generality of schools in America do not require a dress code. It makes the students look proper, but we all become the same. There isn’t any diversity among us. In addition, the uniforms aren’t pleasant or snug. I presume I have the same opinion as the predominance of the school. Dress code provides the exact opposite of comfort and pleasure.

Statistics show that 57% schools now have a strict dress code. Students should be able to wear whatever they want to. School dress code is mainly targeted at girls. Boys dress code is not strict and usually never get dress coded which is unfair.

Every school has a dress code in their extensive school handbook. There are mountains upon mountains of dress code lists that go on and on forever, and many people are wondering why. Many schools believe that school dress codes help the environment of the school. That is why there are so many more dress codes pertaining to girls than to boys, just what OCR thinks as well by stating a dress code, “Shorts too short. Shoulder straps on her top too thin. Skirt exposing too much skin above her knees,” (Hardesty). School dress codes are not beneficial for students because they are not able to express their opinions, they are unfair mostly to girls than boys, and they have grown too much over the years.

By the 1900s, most if not all public secondary schools in the United States were coeducational, and approximately seventy percent of American colleges were coeducational as well. During the late 20th century, both dress codes and uniforms began to be implemented as a solution to alleged feminine distractions and violence within the educational environment and the local community. Since then, it’s been argued that these methods are ineffective, and that dress and behavior-related problems share no relationship. While the education system asserts they establish dress code and uniforms for the sole purpose of protecting the value of education, there are millions of statements from students and data arguing that these regulations are nothing but limiting to teenage development. Despite their good intentions, educators must consider how these measures affect the growth of adolescents.

Shoulders…knee caps…bra straps…collarbones…all scary, right? No? Well, if they aren’t scaring you then they are glowing, right? No? If they aren’t scary or glowing then why are they so distracting? Emily Lindon writes about how school dress codes are sexist in her article “Why Sexist Dress Codes Suck for Everyone.” I don’t believe that schools should make students feel uncomfortable with their bodies; I don’t believe that schools should make female students feel inferior to male students; I don’t believe schools should humiliate students for their clothing choices. I believe that dress codes are sexist.

Picture this: your mom buys you the cutest pair of jeans. You go to wear them in the morning before school completely on edge about your outfit choice. As you look at the outfit in the mirror one last time you realize that you can’t wear them because the rips just above the knees are “too revealing” according to your school dress code. You become enraged as you take them off and change your entire outfit. School dress codes have affected the outfit choices of women since 1969. In fact, as time continues conflicts between schools and students will progress to get more intense. As long as teenagers have been interested in fashion, there have been conflicts over school dress codes (Buggs). School dress codes have increasingly made women insecure about their regular clothing choices by making them more sexual than men's.