Persuasive Essay On School Dress Codes

Do you like to express yourself by wearing clothes that you like? School can make this tricky. Kids all over the world feel as though they can’t express themselves because of strict dress codes. According to EducationWeek “Ninety-three percent of school districts have dress codes or policies on what students wear to school” (Pendharkar). That’s almost every school in the United States. Although dress codes are a way to teach students how to dress once they are older, schools should have dress codes that aren't unfair and unreasonable.

Dress codes are unfair because no two kids are identical. Karen Fraizer cites that according to the Socorro Independent School District, "The length of skirts, skorts, and shorts must extend below the student's

They cannot control their height and finding long enough bottoms is a struggle. This targets girls more because there aren't many long shorts in stores that are attractive. Boys have an unlimited range of shorts that would not violate the dress code. According to the article Typical School Dress Codes, “Pajamas are often allowed for spirit days at school, but tend to be discouraged otherwise because they violate other dress code rules like no wearing of baggy clothes or tank tops” (Frazier). Pajamas aren't allowed in a lot of schools because they are baggy which makes you look unprofessional. Many schools don’t allow overly baggy or bulky clothes. But they also don’t let you wear too tight clothes that show your figure. It's very hard for students to find clothes that they enjoy and that perfectly fit the rules. The schools are too picky in how the clothing fits and kids don’t know what they can and cannot wear when it gets confusing. According to Junior Scholastic, “School dress codes send a clear--and negative--message from administrators to students” (JS 22-23). Dress codes made kids think that

The Atlantic states that “the negative impact biased rules can have on girls’ confidence and sense of self” (Zhou). The girls' confidence and self-esteem are heavily impacted when they are treated differently than the boys when it comes to the dress codes. The way the administration treats young girls in schools greatly affects their perception of themselves when they are the only ones targeted. According to The Atlantic, "the dress codes as sexist in that they unfairly target girls by body-shaming and blaming them for promoting sexual harassment" (Zhou). The schools blame girls for “distracting” the boys in class because of what they wear or do. Teachers sexualize what girls wear but don’t treat the boys the same way. Teachers should not be sexualizing girls and making them feel uncomfortable. What the girls wear is not the problem, boys who can’t “control” themselves are. It’s not the girl's fault that boys think of them in inappropriate ways “male students paying inappropriate attention to female students” (Zhou). Li Zhou states that according to Suneri from Woodford County High, “I’ve never seen a boy called out for his attire even though they also break the rules,” (Zhou). Boys could wear the exact same thing as a girl yet the administration would have no issue with the boys outfit but will find something wrong with the girls. Based on experience, a boy wore a jersey with nothing under. You could see all of his back,