The dress code at Pleasant Valley has good intentions, but the school is handling it in an unfortunate manner. Many students are frustrated because their choice of apparel was deemed inappropriate by the school.
There is no doubt that some clothing is inappropriate for a school environment; however, certain regulations have taken it too far. It is obvious that clothing involving degrading topics are unacceptable to wear. But, the source of confusion arises when the rules the school utilizes are inconsistent depending on the person or the day.
The first day is usually a common day for enforcement by the staff; Bell Luebken and Sydney Huber were both told to change on their first day. Luebken said, “The dress code policy is not consistent and it is only enforced when a teacher or staff member decided they wanted to enforce it.” For example, many students wear tank tops and it’s only enforced on certain occasions, leaving students contemplating whether the rules should be considered.
The number of females affected by the dress code is much higher than the number of males. Males can get away with different things than females can, displaying the concept of inequality among the students. Enforcement of the dress code also shames body types; someone with a bigger chest will be told to cover up before one with a smaller chest.
Luebken felt body shamed when she was told to change because of how the top fit her body type. Luebken says, “If another girl with a different build than me had the same shirt on a comment would not have been made.” Different body types should be accepted and supported in the school and not criticized.
The apparent reason for enforcing a strict dress code is due to the distractions it might cause to other students; more specifically, to boys. In other words, boys can easily be distracted by girls’ bodies; so, making the girls change instead of focusing on why, creates an increase in the sexualization of girls’ bodies.
Huber says, “I just think that the dress code isn’t necessary at all because nobody is going to be distracted by an inch of my stomach or my shoulders.” Teaching girls to be afraid of their bodies does little to help with the concept of acceptance in schools.
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