Fed up with the school dress code? Well, you’re not the only one.
Students, mainly young women, have expressed their frustration with school dress codes and how they tend to target women.
While most dress codes themselves do not use gendered language, the enforcement of those policies tend to target female students more than others.
According to EducationWeek, “More than 90% of those dress codes, however, prohibit clothing typically associated with girls, commonly banning clothing items such as “halter or strapless tops,” “skirts or shorter than mid-thigh”
Junior Camille Estrada described her experience with the dress code: “The dress code has affected me in ways that interrupted me expressing my own style and seems more on female students and less on male students, as each individual rule is more on how we dress and the ways we put ourselves out there.”
In addition to Estrada’s experience, Senior Reina Josephs shared why she thinks school dress codes often target female students more than male students. “There’s a stigma towards women and what they wear and how they act,” she says.
Josephs has also been dress-coded and stated how she felt by the justification of female clothing being considered a ‘distraction’ to other students: “It makes me feel objectified and gives off that all men at a school can’t handle seeing a belly button.”
However, schools often highlight the concern in safety behind the rules of the dress code.
According to Fresno Pacific University, “The National School Board Association estimates approximately 135,000 guns are brought to America’s 85,000 public schools each day. This is one reason school districts use to implement dress codes.”
Additionally, they stated, “Educators report a decrease in violence, a reduction in fights in schools and improved student achievements when dress codes have been implemented.”
While these concerns are valid and should not be ignored, they do not address the clear biases within school dress codes.
According to NeaToday, “A recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that, while 90 percent of dress codes prohibit at least one clothing item typically worn by girls, such as strapless tops or yoga pants, about 70 percent prohibit an item typically worn by boys.”
Realistically, getting rid of the dress code all together would be a reckless and nonsensical attempt at fairness. However, one question remains: Is there a way for dress codes to be fair and still keep a safe environment for all staff and students?
The answer is yes! Schools can ensure fairness while still keeping a safe school setting by being clear when stating the concerns of a school without a dress code and enforcing it fairly for all students, not just young women with exposed midriffs, shoulders and legs.
