When I was growing up I mainly went to private school. We had a strict uniform dress code. We had to wear a red, white or blue polo shirt with khaki pants or shorts(they were high-waisted and down to our knees) with belt. Our shirts had to be tucked in neatly and our belts had to show. Needless to say, there was nothing cute or sexy about it. I guess \u00a0it’s good to have uniforms so everyone is not competing and it makes it easier to dress for school, but there is no personalized or individual taste. We all looked the same. Some girls rolled up their shorts and sleeves to look cuter, but really there was no escaping it. If you did not have your belt or shirt tucked in you were called to detention. One year I was called into detention 5 times. I’m sorry, but those shorts were not going anywhere. There was no need for a belt. My butt was not hanging out of them either. I understand for the boys because their underwear might show, but for a girl? It was a bit ridiculous. We all looked like Junior senior citizens. I also remember we had to wear our school ID(clip on or necklace). It had to be somewhere visible. One day I wore a clip on and pinned it to the bottom of the shirt and I got detention. They explained to me that it had to be at eye level. Umm.. yea, I guess if you are blind, but the bottom of the shirt is clearly still visible. Whatever.<\/p>\n
I envied my friends who went to public schools because they got to wear whatever they wanted. Boy, was I wrong.\u00a0My friend went to public school most of her life and she was more developed than her friends and she said they could get away with spaghetti straps, but she got caught. They punished girls who are were\u00a0developed while skinny girls\u00a0got away with wearing the exact same clothing. That is not fair.\u00a0She had to go to detention. She was taller than the other girls (5’9) and had to wear 2 inch spaghetti straps and jeans because all her shorts and skirts were too short on her. She told me she wore a skirt to school one day and all the guys were hitting on her and she got a warning. The hall moderator said that her skirt was distracting. She was really upset that she did not feel free to be herself.\u00a0The dress code standards for girls seem to suggest that unless a girl is properly covered, she is a distraction.There is also a double standard in the dress code systems enforced in public schools. The majority of the dress codes rules are targeted at females. Look at the list of things that can’t be worn: short skirts, revealing shorts, tube tops, halter tops.\u00a0This double standard that targets girls is ridiculous. By forcing girls conform to the needs of boys, the school is not only asserting that a male’s education is more important but also that young girl’s body is merely a sexual distraction.It is not a girl’s fault if boys find her outfit distracting. It is the boy’s fault.\u00a0Why should my friend at 16 be forced to dress differently than the other girls her age? She had double the trouble to find something suitable to wear for school to avoid any more detentions. \u00a0If schools want to teach respect, they need to give the message that it is unacceptable to sexualize girls at such a young age. Do not blame girls for being too distracting to learn. Teach your boys to be educated, respectful men and not to look at girls as sex objects. Why are we teaching girls to hide their bodies? Do not blame the girls because your son can’t control himself.<\/p>\n