Schools have been enforcing dress codes since the 1960s, but women’s rights have been restricted for hundreds of years. Instead of adapting to society’s everchanging standards and normalities, school districts across America and the world have continued to impose sexist and outdated dress codes.
If you ask any administrator why they support the dress code used by the district, they will most likely explain that certain clothing items are a “distraction” to the education process, or simply not appropriate for a school environment. However, where did these rules come from, and why do they seem to only affect young girls?
Ever since society developed, we have had clothing. At first, the categories of clothing were just based on weather: thick, long clothing for cold climates, or short, thin items for warmer weather. Society barely had any opinion on how male clothing and female clothing should differ, let alone what clothing was appropriate, and what clothing was not. Throughout history, women and men both wore crop tops, and in certain eras it was fashionable for men to wear skirts and heels. But, after a while, standards started to change. Women were expected to wear longer skirts and cover their stomachs, and follow other standards that our school dress code has today. But do you know what else also happened during this time? Women were not allowed to vote, most of them couldn’t work, and the ones who did were paid less than half compared to men. Clothing and fashion are always changing, but schools keep the outdated and restrictive dress codes that are used to control girls and make torsos seem like inappropriate things that shouldn’t be seen.
The average California public school dress code prohibits clothing items such as cropped shirts showing midriff, spaghetti strap tank tops, short shorts, and clothing that encourages or promotes dangerous activities. Of course there are schools that have more relaxed or more strict dress codes, but this is the most common form. Taking a look at the specifics of the code, you will start to notice a pattern- most of these restrictions affect solely women. Misogynistic rules like these encourage both other students and teachers to sexualize female students and control what they are able to wear. On top of that, most clothing prohibited for males are things that they do not normally wear anyways, so what is the point?
Although a common argument is that revealing clothing is distracting, the only time students actually get distracted by clothing is when a teacher calls it out, often interrupting lessons or passing periods. Adult teachers are the only people on school campuses that actually pay attention to the clothing female students wear, and women tend to get dress coded far more frequently than men. Studies show that 90% of dress codes target women’s clothing, and female students get dress coded 5 times more often than males. Think about it, have you ever seen a boy be dress coded?
Students and parents alike have raised concerns that dress codes sexualize students and interrupt girls’ learning ability instead of helping. Some teachers even alter students’ grades, further inhibiting their learning ability and giving them an academic disadvantage, limiting their opportunities. Schools across the country should start to rethink their dress code rules, because times are changing, and women’s bodies are still being controlled. If schools care about teaching students, the shirt a girl wears should not interrupt her education.
SOURCES:
https://www.familyeducation.com/school-learning/grade/middle-school/are-middle-school-dress-codes-sexist-unfair#:~:text=Who%20Gets%20Dress%2DCoded%20More,clothing%20can%20distract%20male%20students

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-dress-code-debates-sexist-explained/2022/12#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20the%20enforcement%20of,clothing%20worn%20predominantly%20by%20girls.