School Dress Code Essay

Dress Code

School dress codes are harmful. It is sexist toward women and limits students’ freedom and expression. It also targets people of color and hinders learning. The dress code was first established in 1969 by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Tinker v. Des Moines case. This dress code is over 50 years old, and times have drastically changed. With the exception of vulgar language/depictions, dress codes should be eradicated.

Firstly, the dress code is highly sexist toward women and sexualizes standard human bodies. It also teaches and reinforces the idea that what a girl wears is the reason for any sort of abuse she endures. Specifically, rape and sexual assault. For example, The Teen Mag states, “The word ‘distracting’ gets thrown around

This teaches girls at an early age that their shoulders and knees, which are normal body parts, should be covered simply because it is “distracting” to the boys.

TIME magazine published an article about how dress codes reinforce rape culture. The author,

Laura Bates, stated, “The problem is often compounded by a lack of any attempt to discipline boys for harassing behavior, which drives home the message that it is the victim’s responsibility to prevent it." We have received thousands of testimonies from girls who have complained about

Bharath 2 being verbally harassed, touched, groped, chased, followed, licked, and assaulted at school, only to be told: ‘he just likes you’, or ‘Boys will be boys’. The hypocrisy is breathtaking" (Bates).

This not only tells women that they are “provoking” men, but it also tells them that their body is not their own. Getting dress coded also varies depending on the girl’s body type. As stated by

Alyssa Pavlakis and Rachel Roegman, “In other words, two girls could be wearing the same exact piece of clothing, but depending on their body type, one would be out of dress code — and in most cases, those being identified as out of dress code, according to students and

Another reason dress codes are not appropriate is that it usually hinders learning opportunities for students. Girls receive more dress code violations than boys on a regular basis. There absolutely should not be double standards when it comes to dress codes. This ideology reinforces the idea that girls, and only girls, bodies being covered “appropriately” is more important than their education. It would lead them to be ashamed of their body. If the dress code is eliminated from schools, it will teach these girls that their body parts are not something to be sexualized. This would also grow their confidence and the courage to speak up for themselves.

Furthermore, by enforcing a dress code, schools take away the students’ outlet for expression. Many kids, especially older kids, express themselves through their choice of clothing. The students use clothing and fashion to express their religion, sexuality, or even just to feel confident. As stated by Planned Parenthood, “This teaches kids that if you don’t fit into this box that has been created for only white people in a binary gendered system, then something is wrong with you” (Hartnett). Another way dress codes limit a student is by not allowing them,

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