Dress code can be a challenge for any girl attending a public school. Our dresses are tight, shorts too short, shirts that reveal too much cleavage and leggings too distracting. Dress codes in schools are unjust, shameful and encourage rape culture.
Girls are more likely to be affected by the school dress code than boys. Boys wear longer shorts. They do not have to wear bras. Nobody is concerned about the lengths of outfits worn by guys but there are dress codes for girls. Dress codes for girls are made. Cox Mill High Schools has a dress-code that is primarily aimed at girls. Although I do understand the need to have a dress-code, I don’t think girls want to show up to school wearing a swimsuit. The girls simply want to be comfortable, and they don’t care if the boys are distracted.
Girls seem to be distracted. What about girls getting distracted? It’s possible that we find those short preppys shorts distracting. Or the boxers peeking out from under their pants. Dress codes at school are not only unfair but they also have a logical basis.
Body shaming is also part of school dress codes. Kelsey Anderson (age 17) was ordered to leave school for being “plus-sized” and “busty.” A South Carolina principal told students to avoid wearing leggings unless they are size 0 or 2. One 12-year-old girl who wore a 2 inch skirt above the knee, was told she looked clubbing. One teen’s collar bone was exposed and she was told to dress differently. Her response was that “distraction is always about what the girl wore”.
The schools teach teenage girls that they should be careful about what they wear to avoid distracting the boys. Schools teach girls to dress in more modest clothing to avoid being raped. Men are able to control their urges and themselves. . It is better to teach men to be gentlemen than to force girls to shoulder the responsibility.
The school believes that the dress code is a distraction to boys. Young girls are told not to expose their bodies out of fear that they will distract the boys. Schools teach girls to cover their body and blame them for anything bad that happens if they wear clothing which is “revealing”. In reality, it’s not the victim that is to blame but the perpetrator.
Schools take on the responsibility of the boys. The school is sending the message that girls are responsible for how boys perceive them by enforcing the way they dress. Girls are held responsible for sexual harassment since boys have no responsibility. It’s not your fault. It’s not the victim who is responsible. The victim didn’t put on leggings hoping that a male would take her without her consent. It is not true that wearing clothing can lead to rape.
This idea has been around for some time. According to Washington Post, Rome’s Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in 1999 that a female wearing jeans couldn’t be raped. Police ask victims “what you were wearing”. As though what a woman wears is a consent from men. Amnesty International conducted a survey in 2005 and found that a third believed women were the ones who assaulted them. Federal Commission Non-Crimes Of Violence discovered that only 4,4 percent of assaults are reported to involve provocation. Rapists have also proven to be unable remembering what their victim wore. According to research, women who cover themselves completely have a higher chance of being raped. One in three men admitted to raping a woman, if possible. This study was not about clothing.
