Dress Code: Rules, Boundaries, and Objectification
Okay, we are all aware of dress code. You encounter it every single day, whether it is at a restaurant, party, church, or at a job. But, where is the one place you hear about it the most? School. Every day, someone somewhere has violated dress code. Now, are teenagers that rebellious, or are schools abusing their rights? For each school, there are different policies, but no matter where you go, they all are almost the same. No sleeveless shirts, tops, or dresses, no leggings without something covering them, and the (insert number of inches) above the top of the knee rule. Now, I have had one too many issues with the dress code and its many rules. I have been dealing with dress code ever since my 6th grade year in middle school, and I am almost a 12th grader in high school. So, about six years now, I have had to deal with this issue. Yes, I have gotten in trouble many times over the past few years, but I have never been written up for any of my “violations”. But, after my most recent incident, I am deciding to take a stand for everyone that has to suffer for far too long. Now, to set the record straight, I have never had an issue with any school authorities before. I was raised to be respectful and to follow the rules as I was growing up. Of course, I have had a few instances where it was very hard to not say anything, so I would just keep my mouth shut so that I would not be punished for it. In fact, I am a good student. I get (almost) every assignment turned in on time, and I try to take a vested interest in my school. I am currently in Student Council Association, Beta Club, and I was just selected to serve as a junior marshal because I am 8th in my class. I have never been in ISS, OSS, detention, and I have never been expelled. But, there comes a time when one must choose between reputation and rights. And now, I am choosing my rights. Every year, when a school has their opening assembly to inform students of the rules and expectations, you will always hear, “And now, let me inform you of the dress code.” And, who has the most limitations? Female students. And I’m not trying to be sexist, but guys, you all have it a lot easier than we do. Besides pulling your pants up to your waist, (maybe) tucking in your shirts, and not wearing bandanas, what else do you have to worry about? You are free to wear shorts, you can expose your collarbone, and you can (gasp!) expose your arms! Meanwhile, women (female students) are not allowed to wear a certain kind of shirt that will expose their chest/shoulders/back, a certain kind of dress, headbands, certain shoes, tank tops, sleeveless tops, leggings (without something over them), a skirt (that does not look like it is from the 18th century), anything with spaghetti straps, crop tops, skinny jeans, etc. I’m not saying that men do not have to suffer from the dress code stress, but it is very rare that one hears of a male student getting into trouble for dress code. I cannot tell you how many times I have left the house thinking, “Huh. I wonder if I will get in trouble for what I have on today.” I have had to keep clothes in my closet for months because they were not deemed acceptable in the dress code. Now, do I dress like I belong in a strip club? No, of course I don’t. (If you question this, you may talk to any of my classmates.) When I get up and get ready, I enjoy dressing myself up for school. There was once a time where I honestly didn’t care if I walked out of my house with a tee and jeans. But, that is not comfortable to me anymore. I love to see my favorite dress in my closet and know, “Hey, I can look nice today.” When I am wearing something that I want to wear, it makes me feel less shy and more optimistic about my day in school. I was picked on a lot when I was little, and because of that, I have self-esteem issues. So, when I am out and I feel good, I can be more positive and make the other people around me happier because of my attitude. It feels really nice to be able to look at myself and smile. I smile because I feel confident and proud, and I can handle anything. Now, I don’t dress for anyone else, but it does feel good to receive a compliment or two from my girlfriends, or even my boyfriend. And what happens when I am having a good day at school? Most of the time, a teacher or school authority has to inform me that my outfit “does not comply with the dress code.” And then, their comment puts me into a bad mood, or a nervous wreck. I am one of those people that cannot get in trouble. (And by this, I mean that if I get in trouble, I start panicking and getting upset.) And this does not go over so well for someone that already suffers from anxiety and depression. Then, the stress kicks in. Because of their comment, that shuts my brain down because that is all that I can think about. This affects my performance in the rest of my classes, and therefore affects my overall G.P.A. Do I really want to have my otherwise good grades be ruined because someone wants to objectify women? Schools nationwide and international, listen up. Nobody will ever be able to follow your dress code rules if you keep placing tighter restrictions on your students. I understand that you want your school to be well represented, and “dress in a respectable manner.” But, come on! This is getting to the point where students are less concerned with learning because they feel so uncomfortable in their own skin. Not only are their grades beginning to suffer, but your reputation as a school is suffering as well. When you have to write so many referrals for those students that have not complied with dress code, those students are missing out on valuable class time, which is heavily affecting their grades in school. I will recall two incidents that have just happened to me in the past week. So, one day, I came in and I was wearing a Doctor Who dress (that I had worn at least 4-5 times before). It was a sleeveless dress that came a little (2-4 inches) above the top of my knee. I usually wear a cardigan and tights with it, but this day, I was wearing said dress with my cardigan, but I was not wearing my navy blue tights. And then, as I was going back to my classroom, my principal said that I could not wear the dress again. EXCUSE ME?!? I have worn the dress before, and nobody has said a word about it. And another incident that happened (just today), was about me wearing shorts. Now, yesterday, I wore shorts and nobody said a word. But today, I wore the same brand of shorts, but they were gray. And my teacher (has not even been in class for a full 5 mins) informs me that I need to go to the office because of my length. Okay, so if these shorts were such a problem, then why didn’t anybody say something yesterday? And now, I’m not allowed to wear the shorts because they are half an inch too short! Half a inch! So, instead of being 4 inches, it was only 3 ½ inches and now I can’t wear them. Schools, listen up. Maybe instead of shaming girls, you should teach the guys to not objectify women. If a guy wants a girl, he will find a way to get her, no matter what she is wearing. This is going to stop, and I will put a stop to it right now.
