Dress Codes: Encouraging Studies or Encouraging Sexism? FREIYA

DRESS CODES: ENCOURAGING STUDIES OR ENCOURAGING SEXISM?

By Freiya

Dress codes, at first, they seem like a great idea for teachers; they encourage discipline in children’s mindsets, discourage bullying in the classrooms and can help identify intruders in school if they are wearing something outrageously different. However, dress codes over the years seem to have morphed into yet another way to oppress girls and can pressure them into covering up for the benefit of men.

The definition of dress code is ‘a set of rules, often written, with regards to what clothing groups of people must wear’. Why, then, are dress codes usually aimed at girls? The simple answer is sexism. Sexism is the “prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex” and this is clearly displayed in dress codes not just all over England, but worldwide. The fact that dress codes often seem to be aimed at adolescent girls is not unknown to those who must conform to them, so why can they be bad?

Firstly, dress-codes directed towards girls teaches them to be ashamed of their clothing and their bodies, whilst subsequently suggesting to boys that it is right for women to cover up. This can teach them that if a woman does not cover up, then it is alright to objectify and harass them. This idea is backed up by a 2021 investigation that found that 86% of women between the age 18-24 have been sexually harassed. This discrimination in school is harmful because it can enforce the victimblaming mindset surrounding rape culture into the minds of the young and impressionable. Dress codes are often enforced by members of authority, so it is hard for children not to immediately believe the subconscious message being promoted.

Secondly, when teachers remove girls from learning situations due to their outfits (whether that is sending them to the headteacher's office or in some cases sending them home), it prioritises the education of boys over the education of girls. This is harmful because it normalises injustice towards girls growing up in an environment that should feel safe. Additionally, it makes getting good grades for girls harder, since they could have to catch up on missed work on weekends and have to put in more effort for the same schooling that a boy receives in the lesson. Furthermore, if a normal outfit is going to be a 'distraction' for some boys, then it poses the question, ‘why is it not the boys that are removed or sent home?’. If they cannot deal with girls wearing casual clothes, that is not the girl’s fault, but their own. Thirdly, a dress-code ends up promoting the sexualisation of girls from an early age with the average age of puberty starting for girls at eleven, and in some cases as young as aged eight. It is unlikely at this age that children will be thinking about gaining the attention of boys. Dress codes often have many things that girls must cover up, but one that is very commonly reported is brastraps. From Year 6, children are educated about the developments of puberty for both their own and the other gender, so it is not an unfamiliar topic. This, perhaps, suggests that wanting girls’ bra straps to be covered is mainly due to the sexualisation of women in society. This is an item of clothing that half of the population wears – just like socks.

To conclude, I understand what a dress code intends, which is to stop people turning up in a swimming suit or an outfit not suitable for the environment. However, humiliating girls over showing a bra strap or wanting to wear a tank top on a warm summer day should not be allowed. Forcing girls to cover up promotes the victimblaming mindset which is likely the reason that 96% of sexually harassed women don't report it. Overall, this leads me to one final question - is the problem with dress codes caused by the dress codes themselves or by our society as a whole?

REFERENCES

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/dress-code/m03h530?hl=en www.lexico.com/definition/sexism

www.openaccessgovernment.org/97-of-women-in-the-uk/105940/ www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/10/almost-all-young-women-in-the-uk-have-been-sexually-harassedsurvey-finds