The rise of social media has drawn attention to something that some may be surprised is now seen as “controversial”–  dress codes at schools. More specifically, many have become concerned that student dress codes are going too far and becoming unreasonable. When I attended high school, the dress code was merely a way to enforce what most of us considered to be obvious standards for what is and is not appropriate. For example, when you think of what body parts are not OK to expose at a school, it is probably very clear to you what is and is not acceptable. Unfortunately, this assumptive mindset that many of us have had regarding dress codes is now being surpassed by what seems to be excessive enforcement.

Parents across the country have been posting stories of their children being sent home for “dress code violations” that do not seem valid. Reasons like exposed arms, exposed shoulders, or even exposed knees have now been called into question as these stories have caused an uproar online. Some fear that, while dress codes may be set into place to prevent distractions from education, the strictly enforced dress codes might actually be teaching young ladies an unpleasant lesson– that they are a target for unwanted male attention based on how they dress.

I tend to agree with many of the articles online which state that we should be teaching youngsters to be respectful of each other’s bodies and not to justify anything non-consensual based on what someone may be wearing. I think ultimately it is an extremely positive result that this strict dress code enforcement has opened a dialogue about how we, as a society, view women’s bodies. For more information on how dress code enforcement can be seen as sexism or “shaming” of young women, I find that this Huffington Post article is a good starting point: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/every-reason-your-schools_b_8147266.html

There is now a hashtag trending on social media platforms, created by young women, which illustrates their feelings on this issue: #iammorethanadistraction

Get involved in the discussion by doing some research of both sides of this issue and speaking out on social media! I am eager to hear what you have to say.