Students outraged, feel that dress codes are out of control
By: Aliaz Hightower
November 2, 2022
Aliaz Hightower, Junior at Carver Highschool. Dress coded for shoulder exposure.
It’s safe to say that school dress codes are often the topic of many school newspaper articles. Whether it be from a positive or negative light, people often take issue with the policies ingrained within public schools. A student from North Carolina was nearly arrested for wearing an off- the shoulder top to school. The student was given a 10 day suspension, putting her chances of getting honor roll and her scholarship at risk. So why are the shoulders of a 17 year old high school student such a big problem when in educational spaces? And why does this conversation only arise when talking about female bodies and femine clothing?
Having a school uniform allows for the Carver community to have a sense of pride. With these set standards and rules, it allows us to maintain respect, comfortability, and professionalism in our school environment. Vice principal Ms Curry, the unofficial enforcer of the uniforms, agrees with this. That the end goal for implementing a school uniform is to bring us together as the student body and promoting professionalism.
The ideas centering professionalism in workplaces and in schools stem from white supremacy and the demonization of people of color (POC). Along with this comes the "[institutionalization of] whiteness and Westernness as both normal and superior to other ethnic, racial, and regional identities and customs. " Thus, creating a standard that puts specifcally white men on a social pedestal, accepting and praising them in a way that colored women aren't. Professionalism creates an enviorment that values western ideas and practices and villifies ethnic cultures. These ideas can be reinforced in terms of work-style, speech, and dress codes.
While Carver's school community has made progressive strides to deconstruct the racial and religious bias held within the standards of professionalism, we have failed to do the same in terms of gender and gender expression.
“I think having a school uniform is useful because it gives a sense of pride and belonging,” Ms. Curry said.
Similar to school uniforms, dress codes were implemented with the thought of student safety and productivity in mind. The educational environment of schools allows for students to come to school dressed comfortably, as well as appropriate. Many school staff and administration hold similar beliefs, dress codes are important.
“ But I do think in a school setting where, just like work has standards, it's okay to have standards and meet those verses wearing what I'm going to wear out on a Friday night," Ms. Curry said. "They're not the same places.”
However, Carver students seem to be more concerned with the dress code policy than the uniform policy. Most students seem to take issue with the fact that the dress code seems to be geared toward women more so than men. And there have been many instances to prove this gender based bias.
“There was a boy who said that it was a girl who had on longer shorts than him and she got dress coded and he didn't.” - Carver Senior Sanai Henry
Many students feel similar about the way the dress code at Carver has been enforced. Giving out demerits, detentions, and possible suspension because a student’s belly button is showing is a little extreme. The question is often asked “is this about student safety and productivity, or are you just over-sexualizing and policing the bodies of teenage girls?” Because boys aren’t targets for being dress coded the same way girls are. While it is true that either gender could wear a crop top, it’s the physical anatomy that makes it different. It’s no secret that women’s bodies are often viewed as sexual, in comparison to men’s.
Aliaz Hightower, Junior at Carver Highschool. Dress coded for bra straps showing.
This is a form of androcentrism, which means that the male body is often favored and seen as standard in relation to the female body. When we have a society set up in a way that favors men, and views women as “other” it leaves a lot of room for sexism in schools, Carver included.
“But sexism shouldn’t exist in educational spaces.” I said to Ms Curry as she explained the reasoning of the dress code policy. Crop tops and shoulders showing shouldn’t be distracting while in school. What any person chooses to wear shouldn’t be up for debate. In most cases, these dress codes oftentimes end up doing more harm than good.
Aliaz Hightower, Junior at Carver Highschool. Dress coded for shirt length.
“Today I was walking down the hallway coming from the bathroom when I got told I needed to be escorted to the office because of the shirt I was wearing. It was a Friday and we were allowed to dress down, I didn’t see the issue as the shirt was cut just above my waist. This made me upset because I had been minding my business when I was told I was dressed inappropriately. Inappropriate to who?” - Junior, Anonymous
Because society’s standards are based around heteronormative ideas, it places negative stereotypes on women’s clothing. It reinforces the idea that girls dress for the male gaze, that wearing a crop top or having your shoulders showing is to appease male eyes. This is far from the truth. Feminie clothing, for years, has been regarded to as being sexual. Many students question why school dress codes are as strict as they are. Administration leads with the idea that student safety is the top priority, many question if this is sincere.
“I know that some students would like it to be more lenient. But I think we give enough flexibility on Fridays for students to have autonomy to dress within the parameters of the Student Handbook, but still show themselves and what interests them.” - Ms Curry
But the handbook isn’t the problem, this isn’t an issue of wanting to show as much skin as possible, but rather an issue of the set standard of professionalism, and where that meaning comes from. Why do we keep abiding by a system that demonizes POC in the name of “professionalism”? Why do we pick apart this idea and only use the parts of it we “like” or find “acceptable”?