The Ethics Of The School Dress Code

For the longest time, women’s role in society was very narrow and set in stone. Women weren’t given the chance to decide life for their own, and there was a very sharp distinction of gender roles. Women were viewed as inferior, weak, and dependant. They were expected to be responsible for the family and maintainance of the house. But as the 19th century began, so did a drastic change in society. Women started voicing their opinions and seeking change. Trying to break away from this ideology called “cult of domesticity” was a lengthy, burdensome, and demanding struggle.

Dress code has been a crucial part of public schooling for years. It seems to be growing more strict every year, as it should, with the ever changing clothing trends. How far is too far though? Is it necessary to be so focused on what students wear to school, sometimes more so than their education? Dress code in some aspects is too strict and only promotes negative feelings and judgemental peers. In schools and communities it is an extremely debated topic because there is a broad spectrum of solutions. It is also hard to enforce because rules that may apply to some may not apply to others due to differences in body type and opinions.

Is there anything more embarrassing than being dress coded at school? Enforcing a dress code among children is unfair because it not only discriminates against people but it destroys someone’s whole day. Dress codes and school uniforms are meant to increase student achievement and make everyone equal but instead it only hurts people. Most school dress codes are unnecessary and are sexist. Enforcing dress codes is suppose to boost student achievement but instead is racist, sexist and unnecessary. Schools should take into consideration their student 's feelings before they establish rules for dressing.

The controversy about dress codes asks an important question: are dress codes targeting girls and transgender students? Several sites including:https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/table-talk/what's-fair-and-unfair-about-student-dress-codes, stated that when they spoke to girls they said they feel shamed and judged by dress codes. Are dress codes limiting students creativity. Should these girls really feel harassed men and boys at their school?

Ensuing President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address in January of 1996, more and more public schools are implementing dress codes and uniform policies in their schools. As a result, there has been an increase in legal controversies dealing with the issue. The reason that dress codes are not conclusively enforced is due to the application of the First Amendment to juveniles in the public school setting. The First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Should children in public

The author penned, “there’s also the disruption and humiliation that enforcing the attire rules can pose during school. Frequently, students are openly called out in the middle of class, told to leave and change, and sometimes, to go home and find a more appropriate outfit. In some instances, girls must wear brightly colored shirts that can exacerbate the embarrassment, emblazoned with words like, ‘Dress Code Violator’,”(Zhou).

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.

A writer has many ways in which they can write a piece to fully get their point across. They can use many types of rhetoric devices such as metaphors and enumeration. Li Zhou takes full advantage of the resources she has to help explain her views on sexism and discrimination that is created within dress codes. In Li Zhou’s article “The Sexism of School Dress Code”, she attempts to bring attention to the sexism of school dress code using the credit of others, appealing to the audience's emotions, and makes her points with details.

Frequently throughout American history, the woman has been viewed as the domestic housewife. Becoming a domesticated woman was essentially their way of life. From a young age they were expected to learn how to clean, cook, sew, and take care of the children (Kendall-Tackett, Web). When they were older, they led their household with the same mannerisms. Stigmas were placed on women that differed from the traditions of society. Such stigmas basically marked them as “impure.” The housewives sole job throughout the majority of American history was to cater to the needs of the family within the house. This social norm started to deteriorate post World War II. Colossal amounts of women had inundated into the work force and had no intentions of leaving. The pressing debate of the woman in the kitchen versus the woman in the office waged in the 1950’s through the 1960’s (“The Fight for Reproductive Rights” Web). The social significance of the American female gender role passively shifted out of focus. Now, it is more accepted for women to take on different roles, even male oriented roles, outside of the house and in

Laura Bates, co-founder of The Everyday Sexism Project, says “There’s a real culture being built up through the some of these dress codes where 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” (12). Today in society girls are forced to be a certain shape, dress a certain way, and act a certain way to look presentable to boys and not provoke them. There is so many issues wrong with this idea. Girls are not asking for it like some people think. A girl’s clothes should not define distraction.

In the constantly evolving 21st century and the age of new and modern ideals, the world is continuously reshaping and progressive movements are becoming increasingly more mainstream. One of the most immense ideas the nation is facing is equality for all. Whether male or female, gay or straight, black or white, individuals all deserve to be equal and to be able to profess their beliefs in a secure way. Unfortunately, from experience, a myriad of people know that society has not reached equality and that there is still a lengthy route to get there. One of the toughest challenges is that since childhood, kids have been taught and instilled in their minds that they are different and that it is okay to generalize girls in one category and boys in another. The biggest way this is put into children's minds is through the dress codes that are mandatory from age 5 until graduation day. And while dressing appropriately for school is vital to an effective education, it is also important that kids get to convey themselves through their clothing. Because of their need for expression, many kids are revolting against the education system until they are able to wear

In freshman year I remember walking down the hallway and seeing a girl wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The shorts were blue and adequately covered her body while the t-shirt was a white v-neck that exposed some of her chest. She was sent home because of how much of a “distraction” she would cause for the guys in her classes. I remember thinking that it was completely unfair: She was losing her opportunity to learn because her outfit was considered “distracting.” This type of situation happens a lot. Girls are denied access to education because their clothes don’t meet the dress code standards. Dress codes in the schools are sexist towards females and should be changed.

I feel that the school dress code needs to be revised to a newer, less strict version. Some of the rules are unnecessary and foolish such as the rule about and covering vulgar or offensive tattoos. This is because you have to be 18 or older to get a tattoo in Kansas and most students’ graduate when they are 17 or 18. The last time the school dress code was revised was about four years ago and fashion was a lot different then. There are a few other rules that are unnecessary and one that I think should be put in place.

Dress codes have been implemented in society for centuries. Even if they were not required, there have always been stipulations on the ways people present themselves. Common places requiring some type of dress codes are schools, workplaces, and even churches. These dress codes can range from strict to very minimal. The people follow dress codes to present themselves in a professional manner. The biggest concern recently has been dress code policies in public schools. Public schools typically have a looser dress code than private schools because they mostly wear uniforms and rarely can go wrong with it. An interesting question is why are dress codes different in high school and below than in college? Especially if they are both public institutions. Commonly, college has little to no dress codes, whereas in high school, there is a whole section of dress code restrictions in the handbook. This topic is important because whether you are in school anymore or not because you may eventually have children or people you care about affected by enforced dress codes. There is no way to please everyone. That is an absolute fact. Although, there are ways to make students feel comfortable enough to express and even accept themselves. This can start with a dress code allowing them to do so.

When I was in public school as a child, I was a bit of an early bloomer; I was quick to mature into my body. Sometimes this brought me unsolicited attention, even by adults at school. As a result, my school taught me which parts of my body were the most shameful. My school taught me to hide my growing body away to escape the male gaze. Implementing these dress code policies can in some ways result in institutionalized “slut-shaming” that girls in all grades may experience. Moreover, the attitude that “boys will be boys” takes the responsibility off of the boys and puts it on the girls, who are told to be modest. As Wendy Yeung (yung) wrote in Berkeley Political Review, “from a