High school is a very rough time for everyone. There are so many things crossing through the minds of young students- where will I go to college, will I get bullied today, did I finish my homework, is my outfit okay? The last part was a big part of my high school. My high school, as well as many others across the country, has a dress code and it was not a uniform. It was a long list of things that only applied to girls. You had to have your butt covered if you wanted to wear leggings, no tank tops, skirts had to be three inches above the knee, no exposed shoulders, no sweatpants- the list goes on and on. Notice a trend? It’s 2020, don’t we think it’s time to make something as minuscule as the dress code just a little less sexist?
While home for winter break, I watched my little sister, a sophomore in high school, get dress coded almost every single day. Why? Leggings, headbands, cropped sweaters, a multitude of things. One time, it became so ridiculous, a teacher sent her to the office for wearing a “gang sign” on her headband. I can’t even exaggerate this part- it was a Nike headband. It got to the point where she didn’t want to go to school anymore. As a college student, I live in leggings. And as far as I know, not one boy or college professor has ever been distracted by leggings in a college classroom. Man, if they had, nothing would ever get done! So why should this matter in high school? Who really cares other than the administration?
There were times in high school where girls were pulled from class- away from their education (my sister actually missed a test for the Nike headband incident) and embarrassed- and told to change. I know girls who were told to change because “boys were looking up their skirts”, or their leggings were too tight, or that they were showing too much skin. Why does this matter? This is school, it’s not a business. We aren’t getting paid to look a certain way for the district.
There are so many aspects to this. There are continuing fashions and what’s available. When I was in high school, we had to wear shorts that were three inches above the knee. You let me know when you find ANY store that sells those for girls. That’s what men’s shorts look like- not girls’. Perhaps we need administrators who actually have children that go to school in these districts- ones with girls who deal with these battles on the daily. Girls can’t be expected to change the world when they can’t even be comfortable attending school.
The entire concept of a dress code for young girls (and only girls) is so damaging. Being told from a young age that leggings aren’t acceptable because they are “too revealing”, or that our shoulders cause “distractions”, raises entire generations to be afraid of their bodies and told that what they look like is something to be hidden. How toxic is that?
Not only does this affect the girls, but also boys. Maybe if we didn’t make girls think that shoulders were a distraction to boys then boys wouldn’t think that way too. I hate to say it, but isn’t that how rape culture works? You raise women to believe that it’s their fault because of how they dressed or acted. “She asked for it because she was wearing…”. Making clothes out to seem inappropriate and telling girls they need to “cover-up” is the entire basis behind rape culture. This mindset starts very early.
This is a conversation that desperately needs to be had. There’s a difference between a dress code for looking “decent” and a dress code of safety. I can understand restrictions against flip flops because they truly are dangerous footwear. I can understand restrictions against wearing large coats where dangerous objects can be hidden. That’s different than saying, “your bra straps are showing and that’s not okay.” This is a big issue in schools across the country where girls are trying to fix this disgusting issue, but many times their attempts are thwarted by lazy administration. I even went to a school board meeting trying to fix it. The school board was overwhelmed by the angered mothers who showed up and they pushed the issue aside. Nothing was discussed that night. This is such an important conversation that needs to be had between students, parents, and administrators.
So, let’s stop telling young girls their bodies are distracting. Let’s focus more on their education. That’s the point of school, isn’t it? Quit pulling girls from class and embarrassing them, quit making girls change into decade-old stained jeans, and most importantly, quit making young girls be ashamed of their bodies.