Why Do We Have Dress Codes In Schools Essay

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.

Dress code is put into place to keep students from being bullied for how they dress and how some people may treat them different depending on what they wear. There is a lot of evidence that show students losing time in the class room because they are too worried about there personal apparel. David Brunsma, a sociologist who wrote Uniforms in Public Schools: A Decade of Research and Debate in 2005, says,

How do you feel when you get in trouble at school for trying to express who you really are with the clothes you just bought and you thought looked really cool in, but turned out it was breaking the dress code, you feel embarrassed right? Well, all schools have a dress code of some sort whether it's a uniform, or you can and can't wear certain clothes. Schools should not have dress codes because students can easily find a loophole in dress code rules, they don't let people express who they are, and uniforms are expensive. These dress codes schools use are to keep people from being bullied. The only problem is the girls are getting targeted more because they wear tank tops with spaghetti straps and leggings so the schools banned them. It's unfair

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

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.

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.

First and foremost why schools should have a no-strict dress code is because it brings girls self-esteem down. When girls get dress coded they might feel: sad, angry, annoyed and upset. And especially body shamed. “As a women, I know almost no women who like their body, who feel good about there body, almost none, but you don’t know how it got there,” Perlman said in an interview. As a result, Dress codes are body shaming girls from when they were in their teens, to adulthood. The average number of girls getting dressed coded has increased by 20% in the past year! That’s crazy! About most of the dress code, girls feel body shamed! One 15-year-old girl said, “I feel bad because it's my body... and there's no reason for the school to be telling me to cover up,” she said. Lastly, if schools had a less strict dress code with the excuse of girls showing too much skin, we would all be more confident with our

“School officials have a responsibility to provide a safe, secure, and productive learning environment.” Therefore, schools have dress codes because the safety of students is very important. A teacher’s number one priority is their student’s safety and to have a good learning environment. All students should have the same right to their education. Is the clothing the students wear distracting others from learning? It is distracting to others, but that is not the only reason why schools have dress codes. Schools also have dress codes because it helps prevent students from being bullied based on their clothing, especially if they wear something offensive or inappropriate. It also helps them prepare for professional environments as adults in the workplace.

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).

School dress codes send a loud and clear message, “Your individuality is inconvenient.” (Rowland 22). The constitution guarantees the right to free speech,which can be interpreted as the right to freedom of self expression, and students use clothing to express themselves. Another message that dress codes send is that “the self identity that you want to express does not belong here.” Self expression is not an inconvenience or a distraction, it is the lifeblood of our nation. (Rowland 22). Schools tell students that they should be confident in themselves, but how can they if they cannot express themselves? School dress codes now are more about shielding the boys then protecting the girls which implies that boys are immature. Calling a girl’s clothes distracting is implying that she is at fault for any disruptions. “That 's like saying that because a store has a cash register, it 's the store 's fault if it gets robbed!” (Menza 1). Students are going to be distracted anyways. Sexist dress codes are like saying that an article of clothing, or a body part showing on a female will distract male students from learning. Dress codes should be simple for both genders, everyone should wear clothing that covers up the same area. With dress codes, students are forced to dress the same as other students, taking the individuality out of school, but schools try to send the message, you are individual. Figure 1 shows a strict dress codes for both students and

Between 2009 and 2010 19% of schools required uniforms and 57% of schools enforce a strict dress code. Kids who follow a strict dress-code policy at school are limited in expression. Many schools think by having strict dress-codes are safer and keep the focus on education, but enforcing a strict dress-code many times place the focus of school on clothing and rules, rather than education. Schools should not have dress codes because they become gender bias, they stunt the growth of individuality, and generally cost more.

Why should schools modify their dress codes? All throughout the United States, schools have dress codes. Some dress codes have meaning full and low dress code rules, others have rules that make teens feel uncomfortable and get punished for. Daily students are judged on how they dress. Dealing with a dress code takes time and effort for a teen to understand why they are being punished.

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.

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.