Have you ever felt like something was unfair, but you chose not to do anything about it? We are in a similar situation, but we decided to try and change it. If you are wondering what our situation is about, it is the dress code in our school. In our opinion, the dress code has made many female students feel that they can not wear what they feel comfortable in, and feel shamed for it. The dress code is teaching young girls that their bodies need to stay hidden and maybe even making them only seen as distractions. To think of your body as a distraction is objectification.
Our names are Holly Chisholm and Lior Kalev. We are 7th-grade girls and we go to Zurich International School. We believe that the dress code is targeted at women and unfair for girls.
The point of the dress code, according to Assistant Principal Mrs. Keys, is to be respectful of others. "We're here to work. We are not here to wear the latest fashions," said Mrs. Keys in an interview. In our opinion, some rules in the dress code are unnecessary because girls get shamed for wearing things that show their skin and bodies. Some common examples are crop tops or showing shoulders.
"We are here to work we are not here to wear the latest fashions"
- Mrs. Keys
Middle School Assistant Principal
Part of the issue is the way girls get dress coded. As an example, Fátima Gamboa Elizalde, a 7th-grade girl, has told her story about how she got dress-coded. "I was criticized and told that my shirt was too tight and revealing, so I got dress-coded. I was wearing a turtleneck shirt with long sleeves. I was pretty frustrated by it."
To make sure it's fair for everyone, we think both sides need to be helpful with the process of keeping a happy environment in our school. Both students and teachers should control themselves instead of girls having to do all the work.
We also decided to interview some staff members about their dress code opinions. The first person we interviewed was already mentioned, the assistant principal, Mrs. Keys. She thinks the dress code is acceptable, but it is important that teachers are respectful when dress coding students.
Mrs. Keys also said that the dress code is about respect since we all come from different cultures and backgrounds, which can be tied to religion.
Next, we interviewed another staff member who would like to be anonymous. Their opinion on the dress code was quite similar to ours, the dress code is sexist. “I believe that the dress code applies more specifically to girls, the amount of times a girl could get dress coded is far greater than a boy,” they said.
This staff member believes that we should not have a dress code and put girls under the wrong impression. “Why? What are we really saying, that a girl's developing body is shameful? Or are we sexualizing pre-teens by even having a dress code?” they said.
“Why? What are we really saying, that a girl's developing body is shameful? Or are we sexualizing pre-teens by even having a dress code?”
Anonymous Staff Member
The last person interviewed was Ms. Jones Evans, the Grade Level Leader for grade 7. Ms. Jones Evans didn't mind the thought of crop tops being off the dress code. She feels you should wear what you would like, if you feel comfortable and not too exposed. "Especially in the summer, there are girls that come in with thin straps, and I think that's brilliant, it's hot, and you're looking lovely," said Ms. Jones Evans.
So, what would happen if the dress code got removed? What is there to worry about? What some teachers would be worried about is body shaming. By body shaming we mean being criticized for their bodies in any way. For example, if a girl comes to class with a crop top, it is possible that she will get negative comments about how she looks, her choice of clothes and more. But it doesn’t have to be only a crop top. Girls can even wear hoodies and hear jokes about the way they dress. If girls can not wear what they feel like wearing without getting humiliated by others, it proves that they are not the problem. So why should the girls have to do things about it and keep themselves hidden to avoid being body shamed? Instead, we should teach kids when it is necessary to keep things to themselves, and to never make disgusting comments about someone’s appearance.
So what do YOU think about the dress code? Should anything be done about this issue?
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