Dress code is an extremely outdated and sexist idea. It starts as early as elementary school in most cases. It comes off as another excuse to put the blame on women’s bodies instead of the people deeming them inappropriate. If there is going to be a dress code it needs to be rules that apply to EVERYONE. No matter what your gender or body type is.

As my class was going over PBIS and school guidelines, the dress code is what rubbed most of us the wrong way. There are so many restrictions to what we can wear. The guy's dress code is so much more relaxed compared to the women’s. I see guys with their pants sagging all of the time but they never get dress coded.  Not to say they don't get dress coded. I have seen some get dress coded for shorts, but there is a lot less they can get dress coded for. This is unfair to those that dress more feminine. With the clothing being marketed to women today it makes it especially hard to find clothes I can wear to school. This makes school shopping a hassle.

It doesn’t help that it’s inconsistent with staff and teachers. Teachers are there to educate, NOT police what we wear. You should not be ashamed of having confidence and you shouldn't be punished for it either. When I am getting dressed I think about the weather. It's difficult to dress for Georgia heat when the dress code barely allows it. What I come to school wearing is nobody's business but my own.

I and many others have asked teachers why these rules are in place and the only answer we’ve gotten is “It’s distracting” and “nobody wants to see that”. The fact that they have that mindset is a problem in itself. Why are we being seen in such a way by ADULTS? Personally, I don't think that a valid reason. At this point, I'm starting to think there isn't one.

Sending students to the office over dress code isn't only inconvenient to them, but the teachers, other students, staff, and parents. If anything, sending them to the office makes MORE of a distraction. What's the point of calling that out in the middle of class? Then you have parents using their time to come and bring a change of clothes.

Maybe asking for no dress code isn't realistic, so here are some less restrictive rules we can put in place instead:

• Cropped tops are allowed, but cannot exceed bra length.
• Bottoms/dresses: Knuckle length.
• Bandanas: I'm not sure what counts as a bandana, but this nor this should not be dress code if it is.

And here are somethings that shouldn't be dress code at all:

• Off the shoulder tops: I see nothing "distracting" about someone's collarbones or shoulders.
• Clothing that expose your back: Again, I see nothing distracting about someone's back.
• Splits in dresses and rips in jeans. (unless they show under garments)
• Tank tops (unless they exceed bra length)
• Spaghetti straps/thin straps.

Instead of teaching women to be ashamed of their bodies and dress for others— lets teach everyone respect. School is a place of learning. My body isn’t inappropriate, the behavior in regards of it is. The fact that anyone is looking hard enough to see a "problem" is not okay. What I wear shouldn’t be sexualized.