Here is a disclaimer: I do believe that dress codes serve a purpose. There are clothes that would be distracting and too inappropriate for school. However, often nowadays it goes beyond this.
One morning as soon as I walked into the school, I was greeted by the following words of two administrators “Oh no, Lauren. Those aren’t going to work.” I looked down at my modest, athletic shorts and was taken back. I went home to change. Having to leave school because my athletic shorts were too inappropriate told me one thing: That my school just put my attire over my education.
Comfortable attire is conducive to learning and that is what school is for, so I searched through my copious amounts of athletic shorts, in hopes of finding a pair that satisfied the dress code. I realized that not a single pair of generic, women’s athletic shorts that I own meet the dress code. I finally found a pair of athletic shorts that met the dress code. I found them in my brother’s closet. They met the dress code because they were men’s shorts.
Is it not odd that women are forced to put in more effort into being dressed appropriately according to the standards of most high schools than men? Men seldom have to wonder if their attire for the day is acceptable. Women are clearly targeted by the dress code currently in place.
The clothes that are against the dress code are banned for this reason: When I am wearing them, you can tell that I have a woman’s body. I am being forced to cover up because my natural, God-given body has been deemed inappropriate by the school system. Since when is having feminine features my fault? The male population within the school is consistently objectifying females. Why do women have to cover up because men objectify them? I should not have to compromise my comfortable attire to appease a man and his lack of self control.
This enforcement of dress code has sent a message to the male students by condoning their outlook on females. When discussing my dress code incident with several other girls, a male student had an insightful take on the dress code enforcement. He said, “It’s the girls’ faults for dressing like sluts.” Yes, let's play into the rape culture shall we? In simple words, the system in place is sexist. There is no way of getting around that.This sexist system shames young women for being women and showing what men have declared too much skin.
High school is supposed to be preparing everyone for life. In life, people are going to wear athletic shorts. They are going to show off their shoulders. If a boy can’t function in school because of a girl’s shoulders, then he probably needs to get some counseling. If a male teacher is uncomfortable because a girl is wearing athletic shorts, then maybe we should teach 35 year old men not to look at 16 year old girls as sexual objects — rather than blaming the girl for doing nothing except being a girl. This preparation for life should extend beyond the workforce and educational aspects of life. We all need to be socially prepared for equal respect among men and women, but thats just how I feel.
