Dress Codes Argumentative Essay

Everyday, women are shamed for how they dress. Modern feminists hope to end that. Dress codes are instituted in schools to create fewer distraction and to create a more serious atmosphere. While doing this, the dress codes identify women as distractions and promotes a rape culture. Strictness of dress codes towards females should be eliminated because it supports sexism. Many schools have strict dress code toward girls that sexualize their bodies. Most codes say that girls can’t wear shorts, leggings, yoga pants, and tank tops. This has caused uproars in schools because the restrictions show how a woman’s body is seen as a “distraction” or object. Carrie Preston, a professor in Women’s Studies at Boston University, says, “It certainly is going to give women the idea that the exposure of their bodies is a negative thing” (McMahon). The dress codes gives girls the impression that showing their skin is bad and wrong. When a

This may be a valid argument, but in one school the dress code became gender-neutral. The code was, “all students must be covered from mid-thigh to top of chest in non-see through material” (Hale). Another school eliminated the leggings ban. Erik Burmeister, the assistant superintendent of the school, said, “We didn’t see an inability to focus because we said students can now wear leggings” (Hale). Both dress codes have had positive responses and the students’ focus has remained unchanged. Another argument for strict dress codes is they create a more serious atmosphere in the school. Again, this is a valid argument; however, if a school would like to obtain a serious atmosphere in the school, the education of the students should be more important than how the student is dressed. Sending students home because of how they’re dressed is saying their education doesn’t matter, the only thing that does is the distraction it will cause for the students who don’t have