Persuasive Essay On School Dress Code

1174 Words3 Pages

Recently, students have come together on social media to protest their school 's dress codes. There are thousands of stories all over the internet of teens being shamed, oppressed, and embarrassed by school staff for their clothing. School dress codes today are outdated, sexist, and unfair and need to be amended. I consider this to be an issue in my high school as I have found many of my peers have been a victimized by the school dress code. I have witnessed teachers shouting down hallways full of students to call attention to a girl’s shorts that are shorter than fingertip length. But, in turn, they let boys go an entire day in the school with inappropriate pictures such as naked women or lewd phrases like “Blow Me” on their shirts. This Many dress codes are decades old with little revision year to year. Administrators need to accept that times are constantly changing. As said in a CNN article, “Nineteen percent of the 7,800 students surveyed in middle and high schools across the country said they were prevented from wearing clothing deemed “inappropriate”...” (Sorto par. 5). Some school dress codes are unconstitutional and overly broad. This leaves a lot of room for school officials to enforce it and interpret it as they want. Dress codes should allow students to express themselves and be comfortable in a safe school environment. Students should not have to worry about distracting the opposite gender, and constantly pulling down their shorts in fear they will be humiliated if a teacher calls them out. They were created to prevent students from wearing things that promote violence, pornography, hate speech, alcohol and drug use, and profanity. Not to restrict our first and fourteenth amendments, which state our rights to freedom of speech and expression, and equal Students in high school are fourteen to eighteen years old and are much more mature and have more self-respect than adults seem to think. This allows us to be comfortable in what we wear and express ourselves more freely. Schools enforcing dress codes also does not allow parents to raise their children as they would like. Parents have to abide by these rules too, which leaves them little control over what their child can wear. As the parent, they should have first say in what their child wears anywhere which is why dress codes are not necessary. Parents do not want their child wearing something they find inappropriate anymore than school officials do. School dress codes today are outdated, sexist, and unfair and need to be amended. Many school dress codes are archaic in comparison to our current generation. They are discriminatory towards lesbians, gays, and transgenders and over sexualize adolescent girls. And, dress codes are a violation to our First and Fourteenth Amendments. The modernization of school dress codes is long overdue, and should accommodate to our present high school

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