Is the dress code sexist?

        by Brianna Powell

 

        Times are changing, and as people evolve so do the things that they wear. Schools all over the country have installed district dress codes to make sure that the latest style (short, tight and even tighter) is kept under control. The dress code is useful in many ways; it keeps kids out of trouble and focused more on their work than each other’s clothing (or lack thereof). But, when viewing the dress code and its many rules and regulations, many frequently asked questions come to mind, like: “is this really necessary?” “Is the school for real?” “Why can’t I wear that?” and “What’s so sexy about shoulders?” After so many years of reviewing the same dress code over and over and hearing these same questions, I asked myself “Is the Dress Code Sexist?” Do the rules pertain more to girls than to boys, and is this the reason why a boy wearing something inappropriate can get away with dress code violations more often than a girl wearing something clearly more appropriate?

 

         The Mount Pleasant dress code specifically has a lot of regulations that pertain to both genders, and I respect that. It includes all of the basics: No headwear, no short shorts or skirts (4 inches above the knee), no exposed shoulders (?). It also includes a few more specific rules: “Any heavy, bulky jackets or overcoats as determined by the administration should be placed in lockers.”

 

        Speaking of bulky coats, I came across some surprising articles concerning lucrative dress codes and lucrative dress code violations in other schools across the US. 

 

        In Washington, a girl was forced to wear a coat over her dress during a dance because it had been deemed too tight by the principal. Then, when the girl’s mother came to the school to complain that her daughter had been singled out, she was arrested.

 

        On the other side of the issue, when skimpy clothing was banned at Stuyvesant High School in NYC the female students protested by wearing short-shorts and tank tops to school and naming the occasion “Slutty Wednesday.”

 

        Though many people agree that some rules in the dress code are ridiculous and unnecessary, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t obey them just because you think they’re unfair. “Slutty Wednesday” didn’t help the students cause at all and definitely wasn’t helpful in getting the ban (which was actually reasonable) repealed. When asked, many MTP students agreed wholeheartedly with the more feminist point of view on this issue. They agreed that the institution of the dress code was focused more on violations made by girls than those of boys, and that it seemed that administrators looked at girls more than boys when their eyes searched for “trouble makers” in the in the halls.

 

        "Yes, the dress code is sexist, most of the rules that are enforced only apply to girls,” said one passionate student when asked how she felt about Mt. Pleasant’s dress code. I mean, have you ever seen a guy wearing yoga pants or a short skirt?