Every girl has heard one of these sentences at least once in their lifetime. “Your bra strap is showing,” or “You’re showing too much midriff,” maybe even “Your outfit is a distraction.” I’m sure reading these made-up reprimands sends shivers down a lot of readers’ spines and brings back cringe or traumatic memories of high school past. An almost audible sigh or groan can be heard at even the slightest hint of this two-letter word that we know all too well.
Dress code. The worst set of rules you will ever have to follow in your four years of high school.
Wait, sorry, let me rephrase my previous sentence. Dress code is the worst set of rules girls will ever have to follow in their four years of high school.
Have you ever noticed how dress code rules have always placed more restrictions on girls’ clothing rather than boys’? While I’m sure most schools also have some set rules in place for boys to follow, such as not showing off their boxers or wearing deep-cut tank tops, they’ve never been as strict with guys as they are with girls. I’ve seen multiple guys in my old high school break the rules by sagging their pants.
I once saw a guy have his pants sagged down so much that I saw all the clear and finely printed details on his SpongeBob boxer briefs. That same guy had a male coach pass by him, smile and greet him, high-five him, and, in a not-so-serious tone, tell him to pull his pants up. Meanwhile, I once wore a top with slightly too thin straps, and on top of that, I forgot my jacket and left my change of clothes in my locker. As I was walking to class, two teachers saw me, and only one of them gave me a warning to cover up. I pretended to search in my bag for a jacket, thinking I would be safe until my next class period, when I would have the time to grab my change of clothes. That was until the second teacher who saw me decided to follow me to my classroom. She followed me all the way until I literally sat down in my chair, took her time to chat with my homeroom teacher, and then decided to dress-code me in front of all my classmates.
That feeling of being dress-coded was so humiliating. I just wanted to disappear from that classroom right then and there, even more so when all my classmates turned to scan my outfit.
When I went down to the office, they asked for my size to give me a dress code shirt. When I told them medium, they searched through this giant cardboard box, only to tell me they actually no longer had medium shirts and only had large shirts left over. Did they run out, or had they already dress-coded so many other girls that same exact day?
And in general, it just sucks because fashion is such a critical part of a girl’s identity. The way we dress, the way we style ourselves, our hair, or what makeup we use that day helps create a confident look we are proud of showing off to the world! It’s what helps girls connect with others and find their unique self. But when it gets ruined by the fact that we have to leave that office with an ugly and rough cotton shirt with BIG, bolded, maroon letters that say, “Dress for Success!”, we feel embarrassed about our identity and who we are. As if the us we flaunt around is “too sexual,” and that we have to tone it back because we make people too uncomfortable.
Dress code is such an outdated and sexist rule that schools should honestly just ditch. It was never meant to be fair; it was just a rule made to bring down girls’ confidence in what they wear. All while the guys can just walk around showing off what underwear they chose to wear today and get off with barely even a slap on the wrist. It’s a lame excuse for teachers to pick on girls and degrade them for being “too scandalous” because she wore a top that showed a centimeter of her midriff or a tank top with straps that don’t fully cover her bra.
Because God forbid a girl show too much of her skin, right?