Remember in high school when you constantly told how to act, dress, speak, and socialize? Me too. I have been so astounded by coming to college and watching what young adults can do when they aren’t held behind by rules. One of these examples is how students dress. Why don’t we have dress codes? Well, we are not only impeding self-expression by telling individuals what to wear or not wear, but are sexualizing children, teens, and young adults in the process. So what better way to kick off this post than to share stories of my glorious high school/junior high upbringing?
- Gym Swim: In my high school, during our Physical Education classes, we would have Swim Unit. We’d do diving, swim drills, etc. Who really cares? I know. But guess what rules only girls would have to obey? “Please wear a modest one-piece swimsuit. If you wear a two-piece, you need to wear a t-shirt or some kind of shirt over it.” Oh wait. Let me get this straight–boys can wear whatever they want, even a Speedo, but girls have to wear a baggy shirt to cover themselves? What are you implying? Are stomachs inappropriate? Clearly not, since boys don’t need to wear shirts. So what? Breasts? Breasts that women are born with and cannot help having? So we are punished because of that? Wow, that’s fair. Better yet, for what reason? So boys don’t stare? Why are we sexualizing women’s bodies? Why aren’t we teaching males to respect women so they can wear whatever they want? These ideas are planting themselves, with help of the school district, into women’s heads, letting them believe that they are less than men and are supposed to heed to their desires. Wow, I’m really glad that wearing a garbage bag over my body while swimming will help boys learn better!!!!
- “Unfortunate” Body Typing: Growing up, I was always very short. Up until Junior/Senior year of high school, I was easily 5’2. But after I hit 17, I shot up and am now 5’8. This was good news for me, since it’s good to be tall in dance. Well, not in high school. Basically any dress you wear will be deemed “too short” even if it is the “school appropriate length,” which is as long as your fingertips are. Let’s also include that I have very long arms. When a school doesn’t have air conditioning and it’s easily over 80 degrees outside, most girls resort to wearing shorts, tank tops, and dresses. Well, you can do that–as long as your shoulders to your knees are covered! Um, what? Yep. Apparently shoulders are “distracting,” along with anything slightly above the knee. I’m surprised schools didn’t just make females wear petticoats. I remember avoiding and dodging certain teachers just because I know they would yell at me or make me change because my dress was “too short.” I couldn’t help having long legs. This led to Madeline having to walk directly next to someone or speed-walking by, even sometimes having to take a longer route. On top of that, like I previously stated, shoulders needed to be covered, so you might as well put a sweater on top of that dress so you will glisten in sweat while sitting in an un-air conditioned school, just to please school board administrators who don’t even see you throughout the day.
- Disclaimer: Again, I am not advising people to show up naked or in barely any clothing. I am just trying to prove a point that dress codes are sexist and not tailored to the student population as a whole. I agree with the dress codes regarding inappropriate graphics and slang terms. Those terms and pictures are not appropriate for anyone. But I do think there is a major difference between swear words and a girl exposing her collarbone. I have the utmost respect for school districts and the rules they put in place to guarantee everyone’s safety, but last time I checked, a woman with her shoulders uncovered is not putting anyone’s safety at risk. If anything, it is poisoning the minds of our children, leading them to believe that women are submissive and oppressive because of their bodies.
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I could go on for hours, but I hope you get the point. Let’s put an end to the subtle hits at America’s young women. When I was in high school, I thought it was unfair, but didn’t think much of it. I thought that was the way it had to be. Don’t let yourself fall victim to society’s norms, even if you find yourself in the middle of it. Stand up for what’s right and what you believe in. If I could go back to high school, it’s the first thing I’d do.