Persuasive Essay On Dress Code

The way one dresses has always been a way to express not only themselves, but also their individuality. Throughout the years people have added their own flairs to the normal appearance of clothing in order to show oneself as they wish to appear. However, with these personal additions there have been regulations to limit these sparks of personality, from ankles not being allowed, to guidelines being set for events, there have been rules. These guidelines have usually always been grouped under the guise of a ‘Dress Code’. These rules were considered appropriate and filtered in order to allow a certain sense of individuality as well as be balanced between the sexes. However, it has revealed itself, in mostly school settings, to be a sexist, problematic,

While reviewing the student handbook it’s obvious that the list given for the genders is unbalanced; the feminine presenting genders are given an extensive list limiting almost every piece of clothing possible, while masculine presenting genders are given a short list almost limiting only a single type of shirt. The Dress Code is meant to help guide people to more appropriate attire and is supposed to be equally enforced toward all genders, however it’s become apparent that only ever are feminine genders being called out for ‘distracting’ clothing; while men walk by with sexist slander clearly written on their shirts. The main reason that the dress code is said to be in place is due to the fact that these underage girls will become a ‘distraction’ toward the opposite genders. Not only is this a sexualizing statement made toward underage girls, but it also perpetuates rape culture in the sense that men are unable to control themselves when presented with a

The standard handbook distributed to all students clearly states “hats, bandannas, or other head covers are prohibited by all students”. This statement is normally understandable, but when placed upon the fact that certain religions call for the covering of one’s head, this rule may become problematic. Now, there may be an after thought somewhere that the religious attire may be permitted, but dress codes are meant to be clear and concise in their meaning and rulings, and to leave out that religious attire is permitted within the school setting was a poor move. Second, there is the issue exclusive to male teachers in how they must punish girls for their clothing. In order for a male teacher to call out a girl for her attire they must recognize that the attire is ‘inappropriate’, and in order to do this technically the teacher has to sexualize that underage girl in order to realize. This knowledge is extremely uncomfortable for not only children that are perpetuated by this, but also to the teachers that recognize this once told. Lastly, there is the fact that many school officials use the dress code to perpetuate that transphobia onto young trans youth. There have been accounts in which schools will force trans boys to change out of their dresses or skirts, despite being regulation attire, due to them being ‘distracting’ to other students. Another school