The Pros And Cons Of Dress Codes

When I first saw this charming little cartoon, I didn’t think much of it (obviously, it could only be another piece of “whiny feminist propaganda”). However, after a quick delve into teen Instagram, I noticed a trend in #dresscoded posts, especially following the election of our beloved tiny-handed-cheeto-faced-creep.

Although dress codes have been a controversial topic in America for a while, now that outfits deemed offensive and or inappropriate can be snapped and sent directly into the unforgiving abyss of social media, the absolutely idiotic nature of some of these codes can be exposed, and the significant media attention that these sexist rules have garnered over the recent months has made them even harder to ignore (ugh).

Young girls are expected to conform to a certain standard of dress, even in a place like school where they should be protected and distanced from this kind of sexualisation (is anything sacred?!). No bare shoulders, nothing above the knee, nothing too fitting, no cleavage, no denim, no bra straps showing, no hats, etc. I don’t know about you, but these rules cut out about 70% of my wardrobe.

Of course, these rules are nothing new. Dress codes have

The dress codes of certain schools do actually try to sufficiently prepare their students for what attire may be expected of them when they venture out into the world of work. After all, most of us adhere to a number of unwritten dress codes in our day to day life, even now that we’re out of school. However, these expectations often feel more like a mild inconvenience than a byproduct of our sexist and oppressive society, unlike the dress codes that are most often imposed on students. These rules are clearly reinforcing a message that teens are constantly fed outside of their school environment: sexism and the oversexualisation of women is alive and well, and our physical appearance outweighs our basic human right to an