Is the School Dress Code sexist?
April 20, 2021
The dress code has always been an issue for kids at West. Some kids like it, some kids struggle with it, but some girls feel that the dress code is more targeted at girls than boys. Is the dress code sexist or not? I interviewed Cassidy Kanclerz, a 7th grader at West, and Mrs. Howe, a counselor at West, to find the answer to this question.
First things first, what happens when you get dress coded? Mrs. Howe states that now that PBIS is back, the first time someone gets dress coded, they get a warning and sit down with the counselors for some reteaching. The second time, the student will get a PBIS card taken away.
When asked if the dress code is targeted more at girls than boys, Mrs. Howe and Cassidy have a similar opinion. Mrs. Howe expresses that “Both boys and girls want to do what’s in fashion but boy’s outfits are simple. Girls have a wide range of clothes from shorts to crop tops to shirts that show a lot of skin.” Cassidy agreed that girls have a wider range of clothing items to choose from than boys. I asked Cassidy how she felt about the topic, and she responded, “I don’t have anything against it because I wouldn’t wear things that are on the dress code, but I think that they are very strict about it though.”
I asked Mrs. Howe if she thought the school dress code was taken seriously or not, and she had an interesting opinion, “Yes, and no. Some kids are rule followers, some kids care more about what they wear than the dress code. Some kids want to make a statement and some kids don’t. You need to think about how you want people to perceive you, and we don’t want to offend anyone.” Cassidy also states that there should be a dress code but nothing too strict.
The dress code can be hard, but it’s there to protect us as students and help us focus on our school work rather than what we are wearing. We’ll never really know if it’s fair or not because everyone has their own opinion. Some students feel differently and this will most likely be a topic that will be talked about for years to come.
... • Feb 9, 2022 at 1:03 pm
personally, I think the dress code is a little sexist. there should be limits, but the fingertip rule isn’t fair, because what if your arms are just very long? and for crop tops/cropped shirts, you could wear high-waisted jeans or leggings and that would solve that problem. shoulders arent ‘revealing’ it’s a normal part of the body that connects your arms to ur body????????? how is that revealing???? these are my thoughts on the dress codes at schools. -?
Emily Dancy • Jan 13, 2022 at 1:36 pm
School dress codes remind me of the 1800s
like ‘thou shalt not show thy shoulders, and thy knee are of the scandalous sort, so henceforth and forward women and girls alike shall not show skin, now and forever,’
Shane • Oct 6, 2021 at 7:30 pm
I totally think the dress code is more strict towards girls. I don’t agree with the fingertip rule. But I think that anyone should be able to wear what they are comfortable in (with limits obviously) But skin, undergarments and other things you may get dressed coded for isn’t really fair to me. I loved this article by the way!
Laurenne Elise • Jun 2, 2021 at 10:40 am
I think that the fingertip rule is unfair. Yes, I think that there should still be a rule for shorts, but not this one. Not only is it unfair to girls in general, but I feel that it is unfair to girls with long arms.
sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh • Jun 2, 2021 at 9:37 am
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sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh • Jun 2, 2021 at 9:36 am
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complaining nerd • May 28, 2021 at 8:58 am
why so serious about the dress code? if you don’t like the dress code, just slap on a hoodie/short sleeves with a thing of shorts/ pants on
August • May 28, 2021 at 8:52 am
Why so serious? I think the dress code has to be a little stricter on girls because girls have clothing options than men.
Just A Regular Shiba Inu • May 14, 2021 at 8:10 am
I can see how it’s a bit more strict on girls, but that’s mainly to keep the bad apples out, but sometimes it might unfairly affect someone.
Emily Baffy • May 14, 2021 at 8:03 am
I absolutely love this article. I think it’s very very interesting to hear both sides of this argument. I feel that maybe the dress code is a little unfair. How is it a girl’s fault if a boy is thinking bad things? All in all, I really liked this article. Keep it up!
Reese Mosier • May 4, 2021 at 8:26 am
I think they should change the rule of are shorts being to are finger tips because some peoples finger tips go to there knees. I also feel like we should be able to wear tink tops because went its gets to 90 degrees they say you need to wear leggings and teeshirts
swag • Apr 23, 2021 at 8:25 am
I feel the dress code is kinda sexist, my shoulders, my shoulders are skin, and they are nowhere near remotely attractive or sexual. I’m not trying to make a big deal, but if I went up to a boy and said, “Hey your knees are sticking out of your pants.” Wouldn’t that be awkward? It’s the same thing with shoulders, they are a piece of skin. Now, I’m not saying to come to school fully unclothed, but please, you have to respect our bodies, it’s our choice on how to dress them. I’m obviously not gonna come to school in a full-on inappropriate outfit, but for the sake of us stop targeting the dress code on girls.
Hazel Kiblinger • Apr 22, 2021 at 2:32 pm
THIS IS AWESOME. I love the interview style of this and it actually helped me on a school project, I am writing about school dress codes. I believe that dress codes are sexist and unfair, but I like hearing both sides of the story.