Dress codes have been a hot topic in the media for numerous years, and there have been countless discussions about whether the regulations of clothes in schools are ultimately positive or negative. However, even though there might be several positive aspects about having dress code guidelines, the consequences weigh much heavier and can have a real negative impact on mental health.
Having a dress code in itself is not the issue - it’s the way that they’re being enforced that is the real problem. The fact is that dress codes tend to target females, people of color, and ultimately anyone who doesn’t fit into the stereotypical sexuality and gender roles.
It is well-known that a great deal of dress code regulations is sexist. There is a double-standard within dress codes that forbid females from wearing clothes that men are rarely dress-coded for, like tank tops, just because their bodies are different. Many dress codes regulate clothing where bra straps, thighs, cleavage, stomach, and even shoulders and collar bones are visible, due to a fear of the female body being “distracting” and “provocative” for male students. Not only is this sexualizing young girls and contributing to rape culture by teaching them that they are to blame for men’s actions and reactions to their clothes and bodies, but it is also discrediting male students by assuming that they can’t control their thoughts and desires. There are thousands of examples of girls being dress coded for showing their collarbones, shoulders, and legs. According to Cosmopolitan, an 11-year-old girl was even pulled out of class for wearing leggings.
While the sexist nature of dress codes is pretty obvious, what might be less talked about is the fact that dress codes often also are very racist. A 2018 study of Washington, D.C. schools performed by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) found that African-American girls are often specially targeted and harmed by dress codes, as they often ban hairstyles, accessories, and clothing that predominantly affect black people. Hairstyles like dreadlocks, which are most common amongst black men, and non-religious head coverings such as hair wraps and do-rags don’t comply with many schools’ dress codes. In 2018, Andrew Johnson, a black high school wrestler in New Jersey, was forced to cut his dreadlocks in order to be allowed to participate in a match. The reason for this was that the referee thought his cheekbone-length hair was too long, and Johnson had to choose between forfeiting the match for his team or cutting his hair on the spot. Another example that shows how dress codes tend to target black people is from Boston in 2017. Two black teenage twin girls were banned from participating in extracurricular activities for wearing hair extensions, even though white students who used the same type of extensions never faced any repercussions.
What is even worse (can it really get worse than this?) is that black students have been dress-coded for wearing their hair naturally. In the same school as the aforementioned twin girls, it was reported that officials once told a black student that her natural hair texture violated the dress code and that she had to get it chemically straightened. This discrimination of black people starts in the very beginning of their schooling careers and therefore affects even children. In Tarver Elementary School in Belton, Texas, a 9-year-old black girl was pulled out of school due to her hairstyle not being “in compliance with” the school’s dress code. Likewise, Clinton Stanley Jr, a 6-year-old boy, attending A Book’s Christian Academy in Florida, was turned away by school officials because he was wearing dreadlocks. According to the NWLC website, when the enforcement of these dress codes involves pulling black girls out of class or even sending them home simply because of the clothes they wear and their style of hair and makeup, they fall behind in school. They also argue that this contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline for black girls. The school-to-prison pipeline is amplified by “zero tolerance” policies that were introduced in the 1980s as a part of the “War on Drugs” and were later applied to schools. Increased police presence and surveillance inside schools have changed the definition of what a crime is, and it has led to small misdemeanors suddenly being classified as serious offenses. The truth is that black students tend to be especially targeted by this and often receive much stricter punishments than white students do.
Another group dress codes unfairly target and discriminate against is the LGBTQIA+ community. In Texas, a 17-year-old gay male student was suspended from the public high school he attended just for wearing nail polish. It’s important to note that nail polish wasn’t against the dress code - as long as the student wearing it was female. Likewise, a transgender female student also living in Texas was disciplined by her school for not meeting the dress code requirements for male students. The superintendent at the school, Dr. Garth Oliver, stated that "[the student] is accepted, but the school handbook is clear about what dress code standards students must adhere to, based on their assigned sex at birth". These two examples reinforce the stereotypical gender roles by saying that only females can and have to be feminine, and at the same time they can’t show their bodies, of course, because then they’re "sluts." This is shown by the dress code at Pius X High School in Downey, California from the early 1960s. The dress code states: “Two extremes are to be avoided: both a careless, untidy appearance and a vain, effeminate use of extreme fashions. What the school seeks to promote in a student is a clean, neat, well-groomed, manly appearance”. The idea that people who were born with the male sex, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, have to have a “manly appearance” is why students, especially members of the LGBTQIA+ community, continue to face discriminating dress codes requirements today.
When girls are being shamed for their bodies and students are being punished for their styles of clothes, hair, and makeup, it impacts their self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. Schools with strict dress codes are limiting students' ability to express themselves and reinforcing the body-shaming culture that is already ingrained in today’s society. From being sexualized and punished in school for their clothes and appearance, students learn from a young age that they have to look and act a certain way in order to be accepted. This may have a huge negative impact on mental health, like causing illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. It’s time to stop shaming students and start letting them express who they are without being penalized and disciplined for it. After all, school is supposed to be a safe place where students feel comfortable and valued, not judged and humiliated.
Beck, Laura. “The 11 Most Infuriatingly Sexist Dress Codes That Exist”, Cosmopolitan, 04.09.2016, https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/news/a63695/sexist-dress-codes/
Bohanon, Maria. “Activists and Researchers Say School Dress Codes Unfairly Target African American Girls”, Diversity Is, 02.03.2020, https://diversityis.com/activists-and-researchers-say-school-dress-codes-unfairly-target-african-american-girls
Dunne, Susan, “‘Dress Coded’ highlights harmful effects of school dress codes”, Times News, 26.07.2020, https://www.timesnews.net/living/arts-entertainment/dress-coded-highlights-harmful-effects-of-school-dress-codes/article_89fa5348-c2cc-11ea-98c3-b76d7cd3c57d.html
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Gonzalez, Jennifer. “Time to Take a Look at Your Dress Code”, Cult of Pedagogy, 17.02.2019, https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/dress-code/
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