Ah, school. I live for the sweet sounds of Socratic seminars, the heavy breathing that comes with hour-long tests, and of course, the shrill shouts of teachers yelling at girls across the hall for exposing the most sacred, private body part of all-their shoulders. Heaven forbid that-gasp- a bra strap makes its appearance during class, or worse... a momentary flash of upper thigh.

All jokes aside, dress codes are a seriously sexist component of education that girls across the country face daily. In my own gym class, we were all briefed on the very first day that gym shorts had to be fingertip length and that yoga pants-although they are specifically made for working out-are too distracting for class. A few days later, a boy showed up to class wearing booty shorts, complete with his leopard print boxers sticking out the bottom. I waited in suspense during the whole period for the teacher to call him out, throw him a pair of loaner shorts. However, not a word was said to him the entire time. I was dumbfounded. Unfortunately, the same trend persists in many other schools. Girls are consistently criticized, embarrassed, sent home, and even made to wear "shame suits" for minute violations of school dress codes. More extreme rules include bans on leggings, natural hair, jackets, and headbands, which are all staples in many girls' daily outfits. It seems that there is no escape.

The truth is, dress codes send the message that male students' education is more important than that of female students'. Boys in muscle tanks emblazoned with naked women skate by administrators while female students are excluded from their schooling because of "distasteful" ripped jeans or the ever-astounding sight of a bare collarbone. It is not right to sexualize female bodies in such an environment that is supposed to be a safe place for self-exploration and acceptance. As a female student, I should not be more worried about the fact that my cute sundress might draw unwanted attention from the boys and teachers in my classes than my upcoming tests and presentations. It is unfair that girls have this added worry on top of all the daily stresses of school and home life. As student protests increase and temperatures rise and fall, schools must reconsider strict dress codes. Nothing is more distracting than a classroom abandoned by girls in search of more conservative sweaters.