"The following types of dress are prohibited: Tank tops, underwear as an outer garment or exposed...” These are two examples from my high school's handbook on dress code.
Seems pretty easy, right? Mentioning these two types of dress is important because this is supposed to be followed by both genders. The temperature is hottest in school during the first and last few weeks, especially when you go to a school that does not have air conditioning and only one fan in each room that barely moves. Girls come to school wearing shorts and tank tops, which is acceptable in 99 percent of the student population's eyes, but to the administration is distracting and provocative. Boys show up in tank tops that will expose their nipples and sag their shorts to show their boxers, but they are not penalized for it because they need the boys to be in a “comfortable school environment.” This means they can wear whatever they want, and girls can not show shoulder because god forbid our sexualized shoulders are out in the open for everyone to see! Gasp! It suggests that a school’s priority is to create an ideal learning environment for males while ignoring factors that may help females learn.
From a young age, girls are being sexualized by what they wear or what their parents choose for them to wear. Want to send your sweet little six-year-old to school in a sundress? Nope! It shows her shoulders! Schools should learn that shoulders ARE NOT A SEXUAL ORGAN. Neither are breasts. Breasts are not meant to be a sexual organ. They are a body part that helps feed children and helps infants develop. In third world countries, some societies sexualize necks, and in American society we find this weird, but then society and school administrations sexualize shoulders. When children enter the school system at kindergarten age, they are taught to believe that female bodies are sexual symbols and it starts to over-sexualize young girls.
When discussing the dress code, schools often use the defense of needing to create a distraction-free and comfortable environment. This defense is more focused on the boys not being distracted. The problem with this mentality, apart from the blatant sexism, is that it assumes the responsibility for boys' inability to concentrate falls on adolescent girls' shoulders, literally. This practice also teaches girls that their bodies will get them in trouble and are dangerous. No matter what girls wear, whether it is a hoodie sweatshirt and sweats or nothing at all, boys will still look at females.
This also goes along with body shaming and targeting different body types. Just for school, girls have to buy a completely new wardrobe because that really cute top that you got at Forever 21 doesn't fully cover your shoulders and the neckline shows the smallest amount of cleavage. Some types of shorts may look appropriate on a shorter girl but look different on another girl with longer legs. Schools have gone as far as making girls wear a dress code violation outfit. In Florida, a girl was forced to change into what was called the "shame suit" because she unintentionally violated the dress code. This outfit is a bright highlighter yellow shirt that says “dress code violation” on it and red sweatpants that have the same thing written down the leg. There is no reason to be degrading this young girl. Nothing, nothing, would be more humiliating or embarrassing than having to go on with my school day dressed in a shame suit. This school’s decision to make her wear the “shame suit” stripped away her comfortable learning environment. When we are at school, we are there to learn, not to be embarrassed by our bodies. When girls are choosing an outfit in the morning, they shouldn't need to think: “Will this turn someone on?” They should be able to think: “What will I be comfortable in?”
If a boy cannot control himself, that is all on him. It is not the fault of the female. That only teaches young girls that it is their fault if they get attacked or harassed. Boys should be able to control themselves from a shoulder, and most do so. This promotes rape culture and the idea that it is the female’s fault. No woman should have to feel uncomfortable in her own clothes or be targeted for what she wears. So where do we draw the line with the dress code?
