Men are never told that their legs, arms, or stomachs are a problem for other people. They are seen as human and very rarely seen as something there for your sexual exploits. There are fourteen-year-old girls at this school. If you are sexualizing them, you are the problem— not their clothing.  

As a female student going to a public school where dress code is enforced, I constantly find myself questioning if my school is more focused on how I dress than on teaching others to accept and respect women. In a high school environment, whether in a class or on campus, students are often learning what their teachers and peers are preaching. If shaming girls for their bodies is the message our public schools release when enforcing dress code, why still do we have it in 2022? I thought misogyny died with Arthur Miller and his 1953 play The Crucible.   

I am someone who has experienced being dress coded. I was dress coded for a shirt that a peer of mine wore and, unlike me, was not dress coded. When you interrupt a girl’s school day to force her to change her clothes or send her home because her shorts are too short, or her bra straps are visible, you are telling her that making sure boys have a “distraction free” learning environment is more important than their education. Instead of shaming girls for their bodies, teach boys and girls that girls are not sexual objects.  

When I moved to Florida, I thought that those living here understood the climate they were faced with. When it is hot outside and I have to take a math test, I might break a sweat, so I dress accordingly with a workout top and shorts. If I am forced to wear something that would be too warm for me to concentrate in, then that would have an effect on the outcome of my grade. I thought the new academic motto was to “even the playing field” for everyone involved, not to make it more difficult for those with testing anxiety.  

I am forced to look a certain way and dress a certain way only for public schools to pride themselves with expressive students, individualism, and inclusivity. Nothing about a dress code says “be yourself.” Dress codes are perpetuating rape culture and oppressive objectification towards women.  

Finally, here is my PSA to the teachers enforcing dress code: When I decided to wear that tank top, it is with the intention of being comfortable during my 12 hours of schoolwork I plan to put in for the day that is vital to my performance that day, not so Brad from AP Psychology can have something entertaining to look at during a lecture. Now, please don’t interrupt me, because you’re in the way of my diploma.