Dress Code Persuasive Speech

Any girl who has attended a public high school understands the struggle of dress code. On those scorching hot days as the school year approaches summer, many girls can be found scavenging through their closet for a “school appropriate” outfit or one they won’t melt into a sweaty puddle in. Her dresses will show too much leg, her tops will inapporpriately expose her shoulder or collar bone, and her shorts will be too short - at least that's what the school says. Dress code in modern day high schools discriminates against female students by forcing them to change their appearance because of the potential distraction of their male counterparts in the classroom while also reflecting the out of date mentality of conservative attire. It's fair to
agree with a policy that claims stringent dress codes increase the emphasis on academics, reduce the pressure of socioeconomic status; however, these dress codes violate the students First Amendment right to freedom of expression and the parents’ Fourteenth Amendment right to raise their children in their own way. In 1969, the U.S. supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District upheld the right to freedom of speech of students to protest the Vietnam war by wearing black armbands. The case explained the problem that “students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” (Student) As students, we are free to express ourselves through what we wear. As students, we have every right to proclaim our beliefs through our clothes. As students, we are boundless in what clothes defines who we are. As students, our rights are taken through dress code. Dress codes have some kind of restriction of every article of clothing, among other things, a girl could pould on. Under dresscode tab on many high school websites, students can find a list of dress code limitations such as “Clothing and/or hair should not be so extreme or inappropriate to the school setting as to disrupt the educational process.”. According to this policy all dresses, shorts, skirts, skorts cannot be shorter than four inches above the midline of the students knee nor excessively tight. Halter/tank tops, see through blouses or tops that expose the shoulder are not permitted. Jeans cannot have any ripped holes and no leggings will be tolerated. (Gray) These regulations clearly apply to female students more-so than boys. Many shorts made for boys are made longer, their tank tops have thicker straps, and they have no cleavage or bra straps to hide. Is it possibly a coincidence that dress code happens to be written in favor of all the clothes boys wear? Of course not. Dress code is written for female students. There are not staff who monitor the length of any guy’s shorts, but there is always one watching for a dress that is 3.5 inches ( rather than “4 inches) above the knee. In addition, many department stores often sell clothes that are new and fashionable in the market.
One of the newest editions is a new clothing line being produced by a popular Olympic athlete. While skimming through images of her line, it quickly became evident that much of her new clothing meant to promote positive body or self-image would not be considered “school appropriate”. How can females in school be expected to abide by the dress code rules when fashion styles and trends dictate what is “cool” to wear? How are the female students supposed to buy clothing to match an outdated dress code when modern clothing like this line is considered
“distracting”? Furthermore, when schools enforce dress codes that prohibit items like leggings or midriff-baring tops, it not only sends a negative message to female students but also male.
Girls bodies apparently pose an inconvenience for the teenage boy mind set. If they are not properly covered, a male student might become so entranced with a female students shoulder that he could miss important information during lecture. And whose fault is that? According to schools, the girl he was distracted by holds all the responsibility. This kind of language is not only sexist but it also send the message to the male students that they are not responsible for their actions. For example, recently a 16-year-old female student called out the principal of her school to “reveal Americas real dress code problem” ( Parker ) When the principal was explaining the rules and standards of the dress code he mentioned the following phrases: “Modest is hottest” and “Boys will be boys.”. To express her concern, Marion Mayer uploaded an image of herself wearing a tank top displaying a note card that read “It’s Alright. You’re a boy.”. The imaged was followed up with a meeting with the principal. After the meeting, Mayer concluded “ I explained to him that by using the phrase 'Boys will be boys,' he is excusing and condoning bad behavior from boys, such as sexual harassment and rape. 'But that’s not reality; that’s your opinion.' he said.". (Parker) This double standard not only objectifies females but also
excuses male students for their perverted thoughts and comments. It should be noted that while the dress code policy might state that any student should be removed from class if said student violates policies. Many females typically have to leave class to go home and change whereas male students need only to make minor adjustments. For example, a common article of clothing on dress code is “ Pants and shorts must have belt loops and be worn at the natural waistline” or “No vulgar, obscene or otherwise inappropriate symbols, language or wording will be permitted on clothing or accessories.”(Gray). To fix this violation, a student merely has to pull up his pants or wear his shirt inside out. However, equally common is the no tolerance on leggings. Female students are frequently sent home to change their appearance. Not only is this embarrassing, but it disrupts her education. In her article, “When Enforcing School Dress Codes Turns Into Slut Shaming”, Eliana Dockterman shares her experience of dress code in her Junior year of high school. She writes, “I broke school rules—as just about every other teenage girl in high school did when they got dressed in the morning—and probably deserved to be punished. But this time, my teacher, tired of reprimanding girls for dress code violations every day, had decided to make an example of me in front of the class. The result? I missed important test prep for my upcoming AP exam…” (Dockterman) Since when did what someone wears become more important than a students education?