Revised Third Paper

Bento Williamson

English 101

Position Paper

11/23/15

The Problem With Dress Codes

Feminism: “The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” (Merriam-Webster). For many decades, women have been tirelessly fighting for their rights; across many different areas of life. Although many will argue that women in America have it very good compared to other countries, that is no reason to dismiss the injustices that they still face here every day. One issue that has been at the forefront of young women’s rights (middle school to college) is the unfair and sexist enforcement of dress codes in schools. Dress codes were made constitutional after the Supreme Court case of Tinker vs. Des Moines School District in 1965. Two students, John and Mary Tinker wore black armbands to protest the US involvement in Vietnam. They were quickly suspended by the school, and a court case ensued. Ultimately, the courts ruled that the schools “upheld the constitutionality” of their authority over the students, and they acted to “prevent disturbance of school discipline” (D’Anastasio). This case was the major footing that in the future allowed schools to suppress students’ right to free speech and expression. The sexually biased manner in which many schools across the country make girls’ dress codes shows the misogyny that is deeply ingrained in our society today.  

One of the largest problems with dress codes is that they inadvertently promote rape culture. Rape culture is the “normalization of rape. It teaches that it is the victim’s fault rather than the rapist’s fault” (Nxilbiter). Many people think that if a girl is wearing a crop top or short shorts, she is “asking” for the sexual harassment that could possibly follow. This is not only morally wrong, but illogical. No matter what someone is wearing, any harassment they receive is not their fault. They are not “asking for it.” If a man is lying on the beach with his shirt off, is he “asking” for sexual harassment? No. Is a high school wrestler walking around in his spandex “asking” for sexual harassment? No. Why are male and female bodies viewed so differently? The glaring double standard that exists here is a major fault in our society. Marion Mayer, Junior at Lakeland High School writes a passionate article against dress codes; she pronounces, “My body is not a sinful temptation that needs to be hidden… My body is not any more sexual than a man’s body.” Dress codes further emphasize the feeling for women that they are a sinful temptation, and their bodies are inherently more sexual than a man’s. Additionally, when a girl does wear revealing clothing, society tells the man that he is entitled to her, and has every right to pursue her. This is why a shocking one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college. This is why one in nine teens are forced to have sex, and why one in ten women are purposefully hurt by someone they are dating. Because society condones it (1 Is 2 Many). Furthermore, many girls who report their harassments are told “he just likes you,” or “boys will be boys” (Bates). Yet again, words like these make the horrible actions seem okay, even socially appropriate. Marion Mayer writes: “Being a boy refers to your gender. That’s all.” Society has created this stereotype that Marion describes as “constantly sexually aroused and animalistic.” It removes all morality from all males; if we stopped overlooking sexual harassment, we could in turn overlook this stereotype.

Another major argument that school’s use to justify their strict codes is that they are working to create a “distraction-free learning zone” (Zhou). Without doubt, when a girl is sent home for wearing a tank top, or shorts that go above her knees, it shows how much more we value the male’s education over the female’s. Men’s education is not more important than the women’s. This excuse further shows the deeply ingrained misogyny in our society. It tells us that the boys are not at fault for staying on task and controlling their behavior. That is again the girls’ fault. It gives the impression that boys are entitled to look at them, and that it is the girl’s responsibility to ensure no one gets distracted by her body. However, it seems at this point that to avoid distraction, schools must restrict clothing to Puritan style (not an inch of skin showing) or they can educate the boys of our society about respect and what it means to sexually harass someone. These dress codes are just put in place to blanket this larger issue: the lack of effort in teaching boys how to act around their female counterparts. Simply put, “boys being boys” is not a valid excuse anymore. Boys are not “sexually uncontrollable… they don’t have a genetic, animalistic, violent nature” (Mayer). So let’s educate boys to not be distracted by the females and to “not engage in misogyny and objectification of women’s bodies” (Sindil). Teach them how to behave around girls, when they’re dressed revealingly or not. Teach them how to approach a girl, and properly ask her out. Teach them how to handle these situations so they are not driven to harassment. Teach them the most important message of all: that “no means no.” Additionally, show them that a girl is not always capable of saying no; show them that they need to be active in getting 100% sure consent when they are doing anything from hugging to having sex. Finally, show them that girl’s are just as worthy members of society as men; they are equals. If teachers focus their energy on this, then shaming girls about their clothing will not be necessary.

Finally, many people have asked what the dress code enforcement is like for boys. In reality, many schools hardly discipline boys for wearing inappropriate clothing. Just because they aren’t showing a lot of skin doesn’t mean the clothes are politically correct. One example shows a boy wearing a t-shirt that reads: “Bad Girls suck, Good girls swallow” (My Virtual Life). The author reveals that the boy was not stopped once by any faculty. Coincidentally, on the same day, she was sent to the office for wearing shorts that sat mid-thigh on a hot summer day. There is no logical reason why a sexaully aggressive and offensive shirt would be less offending to students and staff than a girl wearing shorts; which are a basic piece of clothing. Aside from the obvious bias, publicly shaming girls for their clothing choices is extremely detrimental to their emotional state, and their education. The girl to the left was sent home from school for wearing clothing that was too revealing. Can you see it? Can you justify sending her home, and interrupting her education? Her mother, Stacie Dunn explains that she was sent home because her collar bones were showing, and it was distracting to the male students in her class. Since when were collar bones considered sexual? To avoid showing her collar bones, she might as well have worn a turtleneck sweater. An event like this for any student could yield many different emotional responses. The ridicule from a student’s peers would be embarrassing; Amelie Meltzer, blogger for the Moral Communities Project recalls being “ashamed and confused” on her first day of sixth grade when she was sent to the office for wearing a tank top with straps “less than three finger lengths apart.” On her way to the office, her peers gave the usual “Oooh you’re in trouble” response to her leaving, which is humiliating for anyone (Meltzer). Aside from the embarrassment, being restricted of expressing yourself, and feeling comfortable in your own skin can ruin self confidence. A post written on tumblr.com by an anonymous author explains how she feels insecure about her shoulders and legs; and that the school’s banning of shorts and tank tops makes her so uncomfortable that she rarely wears either artical of clothing anywhere. Amelie Meltzer also recalls the profound and long lasting effect it had on her sense of self and worth. She says, “when you control a girl’s body… You take away her agency. You tell her that her body is not her own.” This is a crippling predicament that can have a lasting effect on any girl’s self esteem.  

In the world of feminism, there is a call to action concerning dress codes. They are enforced during a girl’s most impressionable years. The opinions about themselves, and others that they form at that time could be the ones they carry through adulthood. Imagine being shamed for wearing a pair of shorts on a hot day, or for wearing a pair of comfortable leggings. Imagine what that could do to your mental state; how it could change your self-image. Dress codes need to change, or disappear. They are a poorly laid cover for a much bigger issue: the rape culture that is prominent in our society, and that men are not held responsible for their perverse actions. Dress codes are a warning to girls that they shouldn’t love their bodies too much, and they should change who they are to avoid distracting boys, and being harassed by them. Most importantly, teachers need to inform boys about how to be more respectful and sexually aware instead of spending so much energy shaming and ridiculing girls. If this is done, perhaps misogyny will fall, and new generations of strong, self-loving women, and educated, respectful men will rise. With this, we may finally achieve sexual equality.

Works Cited

Bates, Laura. "How School Dress Codes Shame Girls and Perpetuate Rape Culture." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Boboltz, Sara. "These Quotes From Students Nail Everything That's Wrong With School Dress Codes." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

D'Anastasio, Cecilia. "Girls Speak Out Against Sexist School Dress Codes." The Nation. N.p., 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Mayer, Marion. "Why I'm Taking a Stand Against My School's 'Dress Code'" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Meltzer, Amelie. "School Dress Codes and the Sexual Objectification of Girls | The MCP Blog." The Moral Communities Project. N.p., 20 Apr. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"My Virtual Life." Tumblr. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"Nxilbiter." Hi'mølly. N.p., 6 Sept. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"1 Is 2 Many." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

"Ridiculous and Unfair Dress Codes." Quixotic. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Sindil, Riddhi. "Does Slut-shaming Start with School Dress Codes?" Does Slut-shaming Start with School Dress Codes? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Zhou, Li. "The Sexism of School Dress Codes." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.