Almost every collegiette, especially if you grew up in Utah, has some sort of story that involves the dress code at your High School. If you are like me, generally it involves a bad taste in your mouth, a fight with the administration, perhaps a ruler, and eventually a vendetta against all dress codes, ever. This is not to say that dress codes do not have their appropriate time and place or that there isn’t the possibility that perhaps we all are a little oversensitive and dramatic. At the same time, however, how we enforce them and how they are put in place can be extremely detrimental to girls and how they think about themselves.
One main problem with the dress code, specifically ones implemented at high schools, is that they are almost exclusively directed towards women. This is seen in the specificity that the dress code set for women’s standards; for example, that your skirt/dress has to be past your fingertips or that your tank top sleeve has to be at least three inches wide. In addition to these two, there are also a plethora more that simply do not apply to men. By saying this, it does not mean that men do not have any dress code and on the picture below there is a man and there are restrictions for them too but, many do not apply to your average high school man and they are not nearly as specific or relevant. Because of this, it makes women believe that the way they dress actively affects men/people around them and that they are responsible in order to fix that and alter how people think.
While this is obviously offensive to a woman as an individual, it is offensive to men. Are men really so weak-willed that you cannot focus on school when a girl’s shoulders are shown? Society should have more faith in the teenage boys and if we were to give them the respect they deserve instead of babying them, perhaps they would hold themselves to higher standards as well and that could led to respecting girls and judging them by personality more often, rather than by how they dress. Obviously, there are some exceptions to this rule, I mean some girls’ outfits before have even distracted me, however, in general most girls do not dress that extreme to school and are not at risk of being a “distraction”.
Going alongside the first problem, having such set standards for women treats us like one rule/size fits all and this is really not the case. There are so many different body types and one is not better than any other. One common incidence of this is that some girls are tall and have super long arms and/or legs and therefore they are very limited in the options they have for shorts, dresses and skirts. By making this an across the board standard and having some girls not fitting in to that tight little box of clothes that are allowed to be worn, it can make girls feel like they do not fit in or that their bodies are weird. It also perpetuates the standard that the most important thing about a girl is how she looks and that will be distracting to a male, regardless of how she acts, carries herself, or what she has to say. This is not healthy and damaging to women’s confidence because they are not being treated with as much respect as the men. This is especially for girls of the High School and Junior High age when they are so impressionable and many insecure.
On the other side of this debate, however, dress codes do have their place and I am not of the belief that they should be completely abolished. School and work are public places that are meant to be professional and focused. By having a dress code, you can assure that people are wearing clothes that exude those qualities. Without any dress code, while I’d like to think people would use their common sense you may have times were someone goes over board and the environment can be tainted. The issues do not arise with a dress code in general, but with the dress code that is in place and how it is enforced. Because I grew up, with the mentality “never b*tch about a problem, unless you pitch a solution”, so I do think there are some ways to begin to fix these very complicated issues.
The main way I see these problems being fixed are by using communication and sensitivity. Conversations need to be had with school administrations and every one that is affected by the dress codes; this includes teachers, PTA, and students of both genders and diverse backgrounds. Propositions need to be made about what is a practical dress code and how they can quantify it and make it at least semi-enforceable without setting one standard for everyone. This is obviously tricky but with hard work and perspectives being combined, it is doable. After the dress codes themselves are reformed, discussions need to be had about what is an appropriate way to enforce it. My high school used “hall monitors” to look for dress code violations and would pull you from the hallway (or even class!) and enforce the rule right in front of all your peers and sometimes your teacher. Then, after the initial humiliation, you were given a sweatshirt, scrubs, or both to replace your current “inappropriate” clothing. These two steps were incredibly embarrassing and intrusive. Better ways of addressing it would be to talk to the student in question more privately and offer to let them replace their current clothing with another clothing option of their own. If they do not have any, perhaps they could run home during lunch, call a parent or friend, or *gasp* be given a warning unless it is an extreme situation that needs changing immediately.
Overall, clearly I do not have all the answers and communication and hearing all the sides are really what is going to change these problems. Dress codes and how they are enforced are not only a hot topic right now but an important issue because they lead to girls’ confidence or lack there of and how they feel about their bodies.