Are Dress Codes Sexist?

Growing up Casual Day or Jean Day as some called it, was the best day that the school could give us each week. We had the opportunity to dress in our casual clothing rather than wearing the traditional school uniform. As a little kid in Elementary, I used to wear shorts or even dresses these days. It was a great way for STUCO (student council) to earn money for activities. Sadly as we grew up more and more dress codes were beginning to be applied. I couldn’t wear shorts to school anymore, and even leggings were starting to be seen as inappropriate. The freeing side of being able to wear whatever your heart desired was being taken away from us.

Since the beginning dress codes have been very sexist. They are usually focused on girls’ clothing rather than boys’. This with the excuse to protect females from the boys’ temptations and unwanted advances from them. The problem here is; Should schools not teach boys to respect women rather than oppress girls and their options in clothing? Dress codes create an ideal for young boys and girls that women should be objectified making them more self-conscious of their appearance. School should be a place to learn not only about history, math, or science but also about yourself and who you are. Society should not restrict women on their self-expression through clothing due to being “distractive” to the opposite gender. No one should miss a class or be punished due to their sense of style and fashion. Tank tops, shorts, leggings, and other pieces of clothing have become prohibited in the school setting for girls but boys continue to wear them and they have no repercussions. The way someone dresses to school does not interfere with their learning experience. The ideal dress code should be one that is equal for boys and girls and limits things that are generally portrayed as inappropriate like guns or hate speech. Other than that all students should be free to express themselves through clothing.

As schools enter the hybrid model some have implemented the option to wear uniforms or casual dress codes every single day. I think this is a great idea because most students have learned to dress casually every single day and going back to the strict and traditional use of uniforms. This shows how schools are advancing in their dress codes to a better and more progressive point of view.