The Absolute Essentiality of the Right to Dress Diversely

In 1969, the Supreme Court ruled that schools had the right to “limit student expression if there is a legitimate concern that such expression will be disruptive to the learning environment or violate others”. This ruling was crucial - it was the first time that a precedent for dress codes was legally declared.

Of course, dress codes are important - it’s not right to walk around naked in the hallways and expose students and teachers alike to things they never wanted to see. But how much is too much? How far do we have to go to make sure students pay attention? Do students have a right to self expression? Does what others wear affect how we learn?

I’m not going to pretend that I’m unbiased. I’m a girl, meaning I have to make sure that everything I wear complies with the dress code. Every time I walk into the office, I question if the personnel will make me change because I’m violating some dress code rule I missed. I’m also not going to lie - I disagree with large portions of it. I find it wholly unnecessary to outlaw the showing of bra straps or making pants/skirts have to reach mid-thigh. I’m barely 5 feet, so this isn’t a problem for me, but I can’t tell you the number of times my taller friends have complained to me because of how hard it is to find shorts or skirts that reach that length on them.

But this is not me ranting about my personal opinions without support - I’m not here to make assertions without backing them up. I don’t want people to just know that parts of the dress code should not be there, but why they shouldn’t.

Let’s start with the message it sends. Of course, parts of the dress code are valid and a good choice to have in the student handbook. No one wants barefoot students walking around the hall because of the potential to spread germs (not to mention the smell). But when we are telling people - regardless of their gender - that they must have straps or sleeves on their clothes, we are sending the message that you can’t wear what you want - you have to wear what doesn’t distract others, because, of course, it’s your responsibility to be modest and make sure others pay attention. When we send people home or make them go to the nurse and change because they are distracting other students, we’re taking away from their learning. We’re punishing them because it bothered someone else. See the problem? School is meant to teach you to be responsible for yourself and take the blame for your actions - if you are not paying attention in class because someone's clothing is distracting you, then you weren’t very focused in the first place. You have no right to ask that person to change unless they are posing a safety risk because that is their body and they are a human being who get to decide what they wish to do with it.

Here’s the problem: a lot of kids dress to express themselves. When you tell them that the way they dress isn’t allowed, that it distracts others, you take away a piece of their identity. High school is an emotional and complicated time, and having to come to school every day worried if a teacher will pull you aside and make you change is worrisome and unnecessary.

But whenever I say this to others, I always hear “Oh, but we don’t ever actually enforce it.” And I get that - I really do. But the message still lies there. I think some parts of the dress code are great - I completely understand why we can’t drag around a blanket or wear a trenchcoat. That part of the dress code makes the student body safer as a whole. However, there is absolutely no need to have a rule such as “leggings/yoga pants must be worn with tunic/top/sweater that covers the outline of the private areas.” I cannot tell you of a single boy I have ever seen at Bacon wear yoga pants casually around school - yet everyday I see girls do this. It disproportionately affects women. Girls are being told they need to worry about how they dress on the daily.

And I understand that this is how some believe we should all be dressing, but the workplace is no longer so traditional. The view that formal wear is the best wear may be supported by the few rather than the many. Modern companies like Google have no standard dress code for employees or interviewees.

We need to let students decide what they wear. They need to be able to figure out for themselves what is appropriate, what works for them, what will make them feel good. We need to let them make their own choices, because, when it comes to entering the workforce, they will not have a dress code clearly displayed on the company website with every article of clothing neatly addressed. They will have to figure out for themselves how to succeed - something the student body should be learning to do now.