Persuasive Essay: The Destruction Of Dress Codes

Destruction of Dress Codes She wears short shorts, she wears T-shirts, she’s cheer captain, they are both in the office for violating dress code. Most schools around the nation enforce a strict dress code, mostly directed at the girls, but they claim to be for the benefit of all who attend. However, a recent story about a 17-year-old female student who was disciplined for neglecting to wear a bra suffered through a scenario of shame and embarrassment implemented by her dean, which goes to dispute the usefulness or necessity of a code. School dress codes should be abolished nationwide because they target young female bodies, cause unnecessary repercussions, and force young men to be seen as villains who are unable to control themselves. First

In the end, they are told to be ashamed of the bodies they were born with. A sad fact about the creation of codes such as these is that “everything is sexual, and nothing is innocent” (Love). The question that must be asked is, what is even remotely acceptable about justifying the assumption that bodies are inherently indecent? What 13-year-old boy is going to look at a shoulder and think that harassing a girl is acceptable? The answer is simple. The constant act of teaching students that ridiculing them based off of their clothes not only causes embarrassment, it actually jumpstarts the sexualizaiton of bodies before students even know what that word means. Schools tend to enforce harsh punishments for violating such a small rule, such as suspension, which is all subjective in any case. As seen through Martinez’s experience where she had to “cover her nipples with Band-Aids,” (Love). In this case, it is clear that these situations are not handled with care and consideration, which can cause a big uproar. Even over a measly pair of flip flops, or an oversized grey sweatshirt. The sexist obligation of a dress code ultimately hinders learning because female students are too busy being reprimanded over a