Dress Code

Yesterday, at a local school that my friend attends, she and her fellow eighth graders received a speech about the dress code. The entire eighth grade was informed that if a girl’s bra strap is showing it is distracting to her male peers. One administrator even said that if a boy touches a girl inappropriately, it’s because she “gave him a pass” to touch her by dressing that way. 

I was appalled and shocked and furious. This was a lie and a perpetration of rape culture at the middle school level. Dress codes are already inherently sexist, but this enforcement crosses a line. Not only did the administration blame young girls for their own sexual harassment, but they gave young boys an excuse to sexually harass. 

So I stood up. I fought back for my fellow eighth grade girls who were being demoted and humiliated by this treatment. I wrote an email to the principals at that school and demanded they retract the statements. I resisted. I got in the way. 

Dress coding is still one of youth culture’s greatest debates. I believe that dress codes are written to prevent women from being distracting to others. The dress code on men is set to keep men presentable, not to keep them from distracting their female counterparts. I hope that I and others will continue to fight not only sexist dress codes, but sexist political leaders and legistlation. 

In this day and age we have to band together to resist sexism in all its forms, no matter how out of our way we must go to fight back.