Many schools in America and around the world enforce dress codes. Dress codes have been around for decades and were first introduced to prevent students from wearing inappropriate clothing.

However, dress codes are biased against females. The majority of rules that are seen in dress codes only apply to girls, and there seems to be more rules that girls have to follow when it comes to how they dress.

Dress codes constantly tell girls that we need to cover up. We can’t have our shoulders showing, our shorts can’t be too short, we can’t wear leggings, and so many other things we get told from a young age. We get told that we need to cover up so we don’t “distract” boys in school. This isn’t fair to girls. We should be able to wear what makes us feel comfortable and confident, without having to worry about “distracting” someone else.

Being dress-coded can also affect our education. Girls are taken out of class to go change, or even get detention for wearing something out of dress code. This is teaching girls that what we wear is more important than our education. I’ve never seen a boy get called down to the office because of his outfit before.

Dress codes specifically target clothes typically worn by females. Boys never get told that their shoulders are showing, or that their shorts are too short. Boys usually wear longer shorts because that’s the style. Girls should be able to wear shorter shorts if that’s what we like. If it’s hot out why shouldn’t we be allowed to wear a tank top? If our shoulders are distracting to someone else then that’s their problem.

I understand that people might think that dress codes will help promote a more professional school environment and help students focus more, but that’s not the case. Students will be able to work better and enjoy school more if they are allowed to wear what makes them comfortable. Girls around the world have to go to school wondering if they are going to get pulled out of class or sent home because of their outfits.

A solution is to stop blaming girls for distracting others with our clothing choices, and instead educate others to stop looking at girls like objects. A girl’s shoulders showing should not be sexualized in any way by anyone.

Dress codes are very biased towards females and I believe that isn’t something that should be okay. Students should wear what they like regardless of gender.