In the United States, there is a law against dress codes being explicitly discriminatory. Do you think that schools go against this law? “Schools that merely exclude types of clothing such as gang colors and provocative attire tend to be enacted without much controversy”(Carey). Unfortunately, that’s not always what happens. Schools throughout the US should update their dress codes as they are commonly outdated and discriminatory. 

The dress code is completely discriminatory towards many groups of people, most commonly women. 90 percent of dress codes ban clothes conventionally associated with women (Sherwin). Clothing such as halters, strapless, and cropped shirts.  Not only women, but black students, LGBTQ students, and indigenous students are disproportionately affected. “Transgender and gender non-conforming students are often reprimanded for not dressing “properly” according to their biological gender” (Pendharkar). This limits their self-expression and gender expression, which can lead to issues with self-esteem that can become much worse problems. Some dress codes prevent hairstyles and head coverings worn for religious reasons (Sherwin). 59 percent of dress codes in the US ban several hairstyles commonly worn by black and indigenous people (Dress Codes in Schools Statistics). So although there is a law against it, there are dress codes that are extremely discriminatory. 

 The dress code enables young boys’ inappropriate behavior towards women. Many dress codes use the reason that young girls bodies would distract boys from their learning, which enables the boys’ inappropriate behavior instead of correcting it, unfairly punishing and suppressing women’s expression. It allows them to believe that they can get away with this sort of behvior, and that there is nothing wrong with it, and carry on that behavior for the rest of their lives (Sherwin). Women with larger features often get dress coded more than ones who don’t, which is completely unfair and obviously based on what boys are looking at rather than wether or not the outfit is deemed “appropriate”. If schools keep up these dress codes, these morals will be carried on throughout the boys’ lives, enabling this behavior in their futures. 

Although some might say that the dress code is completely fair, it’s hypocritical and obviously targets women unfairly. “A school district suspended female athletes for practicing ni sports bras while allowing the boys to practice without shirts on” (Morris). Another example of the hypocrisy of the dress code is the fact that during the warmer months, boys can wear tank tops without punishment, while there are several regulations that women have to follow, such as the length of the shirt and the width of the straps. This shows just how hypocritical the dress code is. 

Because it is discriminatory, outdated, and enables inappropriate behavior, the dress code in schools needs to be updated. “In a study, 54% of girls felt as if they were targeted by a dress code” (Dress Codes In Schools Statistics). Do you think this is fair?