By CALLIE WATSON
Staff Writer
Dress code. Authority loves it. Girls hate it. I believe that dress codes are often unfairly enforced and often objectify females on a small scale. I also think that dress codes are often put in place to make life easier for men at the expense of women. I’m not saying that all dress codes should be abolished, a little bit is necessary, but I do think dress codes should be revised and revisited.
What’s worse: a guy wearing Playboy merchandise, or a fraction of a girl’s bra showing? Most schools would probably say a girl’s bra showing is the more egregious offense. I beg to differ. The Playboy merchandise is promoting pornography and objectifies women, which is absolutely disgusting if you ask me. But for some reason, schools don’t bother to dress code boys that come to school wearing shirts that blatantly sexualize women. However, they pounce on girls who wear spaghetti strap tank tops. See the problem there? I understand that life is unfair, but the dress code does not have to be. There have been talks within some schools about having a gender-neutral dress code and I wholeheartedly support that. I know some will probably say that I sound like an angry feminist, but I’m just pointing out an inequality in society that can easily be fixed. It’s 2022, it is time to change an inequality that has plagued society for years.
I personally feel that dress codes demote women to objects of male viewing pleasure. Areas like shoulders and midriffs are being hyper-sexualized by society. It is not a young girl’s problem that your son could not focus in class because she was wearing a tank top in 97-degree weather. It is your son’s problem. Girls are not the problem. It is the men that allow their minds to wander that are the issue. Please don’t tell me I need to put a jacket over my tank top or wear pants because my shorts are not fingertipped length. Tell guys to control their thoughts and learn some self-control. A woman’s purpose is not to be a pleasure object for men, however, that seems what some dress codes are communicating. Dress codes can often sexualize pieces of clothing that aren’t even remotely sexual. They are forcing young girls to take responsibility for boys having a lack of self-control. It is not a girl’s fault that a guy cannot concentrate in class because of her short skirt. Don’t we have control of our thoughts? Yes, we do.
This may sound like an angry feminist rant, but it’s not. That stereotype needs to be left in the past along with some beliefs when it comes to dress codes. Let’s seize the opportunity to fix this problem in society!