By: Emily Mulhausen
Dress codes are all about modesty, but it’s no coincidence that girls are being targeted far more than boys. Many high schools forbid short-shorts, off-the-shoulder and low-cut shirts, crop tops, and shirts that expose too much of the shoulders or back. These rules are enforced mainly so that boys can more easily control their sexual desires and not be “distracted” by girls they find attractive. Dress codes contain separate standards for boys and girls, therefore teaching girls that unless they dress modestly, they will be a disturbance for the boys and less deserving of respect. While administrators are trying to encourage boys to focus in class so that they can learn the material, they are pulling girls from class who are violating the dress code and depriving them from their learning time.
Teachers are given the responsibility to dress code students who do not fall within the dress code guidelines and it is quite a rarity to see a teacher call out a male student for his attire. When a teacher tells a female student that her shirt is exposing too much cleavage, it encourages teachers to also view girls as sexual objects. This gives teachers the right to punish students based on their appearance rather than for academic reasons and can create a negative learning environment. After all, it’s pretty humiliating to be told by a teacher that your shirt is too low, and then being sent to the office to change into other clothing before you’re able to sit down and learn. It’s also a pretty uncomfortable experience to be told by a male teacher that you’re showing too much skin since it obviously means they’ve been staring at your body for long enough to decide that you are not in dress code.
Sure it makes sense to ban clothing that features hate language, gang insignia or sexual images, but banning tights or shirts that expose the shoulders is ridiculous. Why should it be a girl’s fault for “distracting” her male peer all because her shoulders are uncovered? Male students’ education and focus should not be more important than the girls’, but rather it be equal. Dress codes teach girls to be ashamed of their bodies and that unless they dress modestly, they will be depriving their male peers from an education and will consequently be perceived as sexual objects.
Feminism In Schools 