As each day, week, and ultimately year passes by young girls across the nation are shamed and demeaned for their bodies in the schools that are supposed to promote happiness in one’s self. Not self-hate and disgust for what they were born with; gifted with. Basically girls starting in elementary school, and leading up to high school are told it’s wrong to be whom they are and it’s nothing to be proud of; for what reason other than the well-being of men and supposedly male teachers. Unlike the men, the girl’s well-being are pushed to the sides just, because the school system cannot control roaming eyes and a rape culture, that they themselves are promoting. We are a people who claim to love the freedom of expression and who we are as a person, as an individual; that being said schools should not promote sexism, shame girls for their bodies, nor teach guys it alright to think of girls in less than savor-able ways.

By implementing a dress code schools are promoting a growing problem of sexism. Many a teacher or administrator may claim schools are equal in the sense of punishing both boys and girls in the sense of what they wear, but this is reality, a reality were boys’ are favored well above girls. Girls are mainly targeted, supposedly because the clothes that they wear are going to distract the boys from their schoolwork, rather than the other way around. In 2015 a teenage girl from a High School down south was apprehended for wearing a shirt that didn’t cover her collarbone, because quote, “it may distract their male class mates.” As is seen in this case all the school system really seems to care about is the boys education, not the girls. They would rather pull them away from their studies to cover a little collarbone, just to protect the boys from not being able to pay attention. Truly it is a twisted form of independence and freedom, is it not?

Dress codes not only favor the male sex, but they also show girls it is shameful to be comfortable with their bodies. An example can be seen in what seemingly is a simple V-neck shirt. On one girl it may be acceptable, but on another who may be more ‘curvier’ than that other girl it would warrant them a dress code. Teenage girls shouldn’t be shamed just, because they are more defined than another and it shows more than it might show on someone else in that shirt. The dress code is very double standard, girls are getting singled out, while others are left alone. Instead of giving teenagers the idea it’s wrong to not be certain body type and that it’s wrong to wear certain clothes, because they are not a certain type, schools should focus on making them love themselves and feel comfortable with themselves. As of now with the current dress code the school system has proved only to be a gateway to shame felt feelings inflected upon the students they were supposed to protect. This can live room to possible self-harm and isolationism.

Instead of pushing the girls needs to the side the schools should instead focus on teaching boys respect from early on, and that sexual harassment’s not right. By thinking it’s alright to punish a girl for a guy’s liability, they are promoting perverted behavior that can essentially turn to sexual harassment. It is not a girls fault a guy may look at her body, or make certain actions, because of such. It is the guys fault! A major focal point of early education can be dedicated to learning to respect each gender instead of showing the male portion in particular that it’s alright to ogle at someone’s body.

As stated beforehand many cases of dress code violations are, because the administration doesn’t want the male student body population to be distracted. Well, if they learned to respect the female body and not constantly think of it as some sexual object maybe then they wouldn’t be as distracted. Don’t punish girls for being something they cannot help, punish and teach the boys that sexual harassment is not alright. It’s just not “boys being boys”, its boys being taught to be disrespectful.

If we really are a nation who claims the right of freedom in and of the right of expression, than our school systems haven’t a right to promote unjust sexism. Yes, in some cases, wearing a bikini to school for example should warrant dress code, but innocent tank tops or a little shoulder should not cause so much scandal. Girls do not deserve to be shamed for their bodies, while their male counterparts get off scot-free ogling and sexually harassing them. Freedom of expression will become a truth shortly after we rid ourselves of the dress code.