Like me, most women at some point have experienced some negative comments regarding our attire. From teachers telling women to wear longer shorts, to Olympic announcers commenting on bra straps and bikinis-- we’ve heard it all. All across the world women are starting to take a stand against this sexist outlook regarding their apparel especially that incorporated into dress codes. Unfortunately, we still seem to have a long way to go. Most recently, this type of treatment toward women and our attire sparked anger at a Six Flags Theme Park in Jackson, New Jersey. Bina Ramesh was celebrating her birthday in the park and upon re-entering, she was stopped by a security guard who pulled her aside and barred her from entering the facility. Another female employee told her that the gray T-shirt she wore was “inappropriate” because her blue bandeau was slightly visible beneath the fabric. They refused to let her back inside the park and instead suggested that she buy a shirt from their gift store. She ignored the offer and later wrote that she, “refused to spend money because a security guard couldn't keep his eyes away from my cleavage."
You go girl.
I am in complete agreement with Ramesh and would have done the exact same thing. Sure, you can argue that you could see her bra, but nowhere in the park’s official dress code did it specify that an opaque V-neck was a problem. In fact, the staff was only allowed to deny entrance if one’s clothing portrayed pornography, profanity, graphic violence, support of drug use, gang symbols or discriminatory elements. Therefore, either the employees must have considered her V-neck to be “pornographic,” or they blatantly ignored their dress code and chose to impose their own standards of respectability on Ramesh.
Even more outrageous was that Ramesh, frustrated by the incident, eventually attempted to gain entry by switching shirts with her boyfriend. Even with her boyfriend sporting her gray V-neck, they were allowed into the park without a problem. This obvious double standard angered many, including me. I’ve never been an avid supporter of the Free the Nipple Movement-- I’m not against the movement I’ve just personally never really felt the need to pursue it myself. However, after seeing that a woman was made to feel uncomfortable and robbed of her right to re-enter the park solely because she had breasts, I’m rethinking my stance.
The park’s actual dress code is clear and concise, but the problem lays in the way the park’s dress code is enforced. Because of the staff’s ability to deny entry to anyone they deem is dressed inappropriately, the actually accepted attire is left open to interpretation. What they consider to be “respectable” and “appropriate” for a family setting are definitions that vary from person to person. This ambiguity leaves the window open for curvier women to be penalized and for fashion risks to be ridiculed. I’m tired of women being made to feel ashamed of their bodies when they choose to wear clothes that make them feel confident. I’m tired of a double standard in which women are unfairly sexualized. Dress codes need to be made specific enough to where this is no longer a problem, and employees need to be taught to follow the specific guidelines and not let their personal opinions on “what’s appropriate” come into play. Hopefully, we women won’t be shunned when men can see the outline of our bras.
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