Once again, school dress codes are in the news in Montana. I read a story in our newspaper this morning about middle school kids in another town who were staging a peaceful protest regarding the dress code at their school. Chiefly, they were protesting because the dress code is sexist because there are more regulations regarding girls' clothing than boys' clothing, and that the regulations seemed to suggest that boys' education was more valuable than girls' because the boys were "easily distracted" by girls' clothing and therefore the girls needed to be the ones to change.
A few years ago, Billings (and my district and school specifically) made national news because the school had added a ban on leggings and yoga pants if not worn with an appropriate-length top. A student wrote a lengthy complaint, it got heard by the district board of trustees, the story got picked up by several local news sources and then forwarded to the national news sources, and suddenly we're viral. Eventually the school eased up on that particular issue, but there are still elements of our dress code that students find frustrating: boys can't wear muscle shirts or tank tops where there is a gap under the armpit, girls can't wear shorts or skirts shorter than their fingertips or strapless or spaghetti strap tank tops.
I am of two minds on the whole issue of dress code. On one hand, I think it's great that the kids are willing to stand up for something they believe in, and that they are constructing solid arguments to back their cause, instead of just saying "I want to wear this and you aren't letting me and I'm gonna whine about it..." I agree with them that it is unfortunate that girls are treated as objects and somehow inferior to boys. I taught at an all-girls school for seven years, and it was an enjoyable experience because we didn't have to deal with the drama and annoyances that high school boys tend to contribute to the whole picture. I also agree that kids should be able to dress comfortably in order to afford themselves the best educational opportunity.
But this is where I grind to a halt. Because I really, truly do believe that many girls dress inappropriately for school (and for a lot of other situations, as well).
Many students argue that they should be allowed to express their personalities through their clothing. Well, at the school where I used to teach, the students couldn't do that, because they had to wear uniforms. So guess how they expressed their personalities? Through their actions, through their words, through their art, through their music, through their writing. Through all different ways that are so much more important and so much more lasting and so much deeper than the superficiality that is one's clothing. Clothes don't actually make the man, or the woman.
Many students also argue that they should be allowed to dress in a manner that is comfortable to them, which will enhance their educational experience. I fully agree. However, I also call bullshit. Because there is no way in hell that a short skirt, tight top, and heels are comfortable. Those don't enhance one's educational experience. If kids truly wanted to be comfortable, they would wear baggy t-shirts and sweatpants. Seriously. I don't believe you when you tell me that you are wearing that because it's comfortable; you are wearing it because you think it makes you look cute. And if you want to look cute, you should expect that others may find you cute as well.
I agree that no one should objectify females. Boys should be taught to behave appropriately. However, it must also be noted that boys' and girls' brains develop differently. Boys do not mature as quickly with regards to their behavior. They act impulsively and often do not handle decision-making well. This is why boys continue to pay higher insurance premiums into their mid-20s. So, while boys certainly need to learn to behave appropriately, they aren't at the same point in their emotional development as girls, so it's true that they'll have some difficulty with it.
While it's great that kids are expressing themselves and finding their voices, at what point did modesty become a bad thing? Why is it somehow OK and even someone's right to dress in a manner that is inconsistent with and inappropriate for the situation at hand? I often tell my students that there are different forms of writing for communication, and that those different forms are all various levels of formality. I make the comparison between those forms of writing and the way people dress, that the way you text your BFF is much the same as you would dress for the beach, casual and extremely informal. The way you write an essay is the same as you would dress for a job interview, professional and proper. But these kids don't see any difference in the way you dress for situations, so why would they understand that there are differences in the way you write?
What I'm saying is that both sides have a valid point. There are aspects of the school's dress code that are sexist, out-dated, and silly. But kids should be a little more modest and understand that shirts with pot leaves, curse words, and naked ladies are not appropriate for school. Seriously.
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