The Student News Site of Neshaminy High School

The Playwickian

The Student News Site of Neshaminy High School

The Playwickian

The Student News Site of Neshaminy High School

The Playwickian

School dress codes reflect lack of gender equality

By Maddy Buffardi
Op-Ed Editor

School dress codes drastically over-sexualize young women while making it seemingly impossible for young men to dress indecently. In the beginning of the school year, announcements were made reminding the students – more specifically the female students – that although the weather is still warm we need to cover up. One announcement went something along the lines of, “Girls, we know it’s still hot out but remember to dress appropriately. No tank tops. No crop-tops. No short-shorts. And to be fair, boys, no short-shorts either.”

Clearly speaking lightly about the topic, and clearly an attempt at humor, but the announcement spoke volumes in regards to how school dress codes are demeaning to women. It seems that only women can violate the dress code and only women can “distract” with their attire.

The word distracting when attributed to a female’s attire is insulting to both parties. In saying that, we are saying that women are responsible for male responses, and in turn that males cannot control themselves.

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Often we hear that an outfit is “unladylike” but never have we heard that a boy’s outfit is “ungentlemanly-like.” Which begs the question, why is it that a woman’s value can fluctuate depending on how much skin she chooses to cover on any given day, but a man’s cannot?

School dress codes play a part in the societal trend of body-shaming toward women as well as contributing to the manifestations of rape-culture. In the Neshaminy dress code it is vaguely stated that, “common sense will prevail.” Which could be translated to, girls should know how much skin is too much skin, girls should know when their outfit may distract their heterosexual male peers, and girls should know when they are being unprofessional and unladylike.

It should also be noted that the section of the school dress code which is directed toward the female students is seven lines long and gives a detailed explanation of the discipline that will ensue if the student refuses to change or has multiple offenses.

The section directed to males however is a mere 3 lines long and gives no mention of what will happen if a boy refuses to change or wears something deemed inappropriate more than once. Granted, this may be because it was mentioned in the paragraph prior but it may also be because it is much harder for a male student to violate the dress code then a female. and alludes to the notion that a female student will be insubordinate and refuse to put on something more conservative, while a male will more than likely comply.

The section directed to females lists a number of body parts which should not be exposed in a school setting – shoulder, chests, back, midsections, and thighs. While the section directed at males lists one – shoulders. So why are a woman’s thighs more offensive then a man’s, or a woman’s back or any other part of a woman for that matter.

This article is not to call for the removal of school dress codes in their entirety, or to suggest that the students should be permitted to come to school completely naked, but to suggest that school dress codes, as they are currently, perpetuate an ongoing patriarchal society which suppresses and shames women for the bodies they were born with – as well as attributing animal-like tendencies to men who can apparently not control themselves.

Finally, the notion that ‘if girls don’t want dress codes directed at them, then they shouldn’t dress so inappropriately’ is taking steps backwards toward progressing out of a society which victim-blames women.

If the schools ‘ motto’ is, “today’s decisions influence tomorrows opportunities,” maybe we should make the decision to stop being so terrified of the bodies in which we will live our entire lives. Maybe we should make the decision to go against social norms which oppress, blame, and objectify young women. And then possibly the opportunity will be a society safer for women and much less male dominated.

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School dress codes reflect lack of gender equality