The right to self-expression
The dress code has always been a hot commodity at any school. The motive behind the fairness of dress codes remains a question. Clothes are a way to express the soul and how people feel. By implementing a dress code, some feel that the right to expression has become restricted and it is biased toward a certain group.
“I feel like the dress code is outdated and does not fit in with how kids are in this generation. I feel like we should be able to express ourselves through the clothing of our choice, and the dress code restrains us from doing so,” said DBHS sophomore Maia Shelton.
However, there’s been observations of this protocol subtly touching the subject of the sexism female students face every day just by picking an outfit in the morning.
Adults say that the female body is distracting and that it is to be covered up for this is a place of learning. But opposers argue that the school board should be teaching students about self-restraint and showing people that just because a girl wears an outfit that exposes some skin, it never means she is asking to be called out or seen as an object of distraction.
“To be honest, I have never been dressed coded, even when I wore a tank top. Meanwhile, girls get dress-coded over the smallest things,” said DBHS Football player Trevon Chisholm.
The same disciplinary rules such as exposed shoulders or stomach area don’t seem to apply to the boys who walk around with sheer undershirts and low pants.
“I’ve been with so many of my girlfriends who have gotten dress code right in front of me for the most insignificant reasons, for example, shoulders showing, one inch of stomach showing, shorts right above their fingertips, etc. While none of my guy friends ever got dress-coded,” said DBHS senior KC Valdez.
School is supposed to be a place dedicated to preparing young adults for the real world. But if people in power cannot even teach students the common decency of everyone having the right to expression with their body and clothing choices, then this further raises the question of the ability to face the real world.
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