Dress codes around the world are very strict on young women and girls, but not on young men and boys. Before I looked at empathy, I absolutely opposed dress codes and hated them. I didn’t understand the reasons for having a dress code. I recently have gone in arguments with multiple people about the need to have a dress code. I was on the side of not having any dress codes, while multiple people want dress codes. I believe that dress codes around the world are too strict, unnecessary and they don’t let students express who they are.

I am a freshman at a high school in Oklahoma. At our school, the dress codes are very specific and I believe that they are outrageous and unnecessary. For instance, we are not allowed to wear jeans with holes above the knee. Also tops that are off the should or that aren’t three fingers width. How should the width of our tops or if we wear shorts that are not longer than our middle finger, effect the way we learn and others around us? Everyday I have seen multiple students get stopped in the hall and asked whether their clothes are dress code appropriate. I have seen multiple students each day that are held from class because their clothes aren’t dress code appropriate, and they either miss most of the school day because their parents have jobs, or they just leave. Most of the students that are dress coded are girls because of their shirt or shorts. Basically, by doing all of these things schools are saying that girls are a distraction to public education.

I believe that our dress code and other dress codes internationally specifically target girls with their rules. For example, there was a school in the U.S.A where a young girl was dress coded for the length of her dress when she bent over. Also, when a school forced a girl to go home because she was dressed in jeans that had holes, but they didn’t send any boys home that had holes in their jeans. When school first started there were multiple incidents where girls got dress coded because their shorts weren’t exactly as long as their middle finger and that their tank tops weren’t three fingers width. You never really saw a guy getting dress coded because of how wide his tank top sleeve was or if his holes in his jeans were above the knee. I believe that teachers/principals look more at the girls and what they wear versus what the guys wear. In the event that when my best friend got dress coded while walking to class, because of how long her shorts were. She had to stay out of class for 3 full hours until her mom got off for lunch to bring her clothes. My friends and I have had many conversations about what happened that day and other times. “I can’t believe I got dress coded because my finger was just a little past the end of my shorts. It was unbelievable.” She said to me once she got back into class that day. “I know, when the teachers or the principal dress codes you for something little like that, and especially when they hold you out of going to class, they are basically saying that the way we dress is more important than our education. Or when I was told to change or go home when I wore jeans that had holes in them, why should that matter with anything in our education, because we are here to learn, not be judged on what we wear.” I responded to her. “I just want the teachers and principals to understand that not everyone can buy clothes that are comfortable with the weather that are dress code appropriate.” She responded to me right as the bell rang. In conclusion, as I left the class that day, I was angry that my friend had to wait that long and that it was over something so little like that.
On the other hand, principals and teachers might feel a need to have a dress code because they have to enforce a standard guideline to everyone’s attire. When students walk into the hallways to get to class every morning, there are multiple teachers looking and checking the kids as they walk through to see if they all follow dress code. Even though some of the teachers/principals may disagree with the dress code or the way people dress, they still have to abide by the guidelines. By having these guidelines, they are able to govern by a set of rules so that they don’t bring in their own personal likes/dislikes. They also might feel a need to have a dress code because they want the students to focus on their studies rather than what themselves and everyone else is dressed like. Some students may also argue that we need a dress code because they want everyone to not focus on each others bodies but to learn in school. 

While looking at the other side of this argument, I learned that there are many pros and cons of having a dress code; no matter if you like it or not. I understand that there is a need for dress codes, but I believe a person’s personal expressions via what they are wearing shouldn’t be restricted either. Looking back on when my friend got dress coded, I can understand why they wanted her to change but why make her stay out of class? Couldn’t they have let her go back to class and then call her down when her mom or dad brought her clothes? In the school environment teachers have to crack down on the dress code, because if they don’t, students will start to not follow it and then the whole thing just falls apart. I believe that students and teachers should have a better relationship in understanding where both sides are coming from. If we were to understand each other better, than we might start to obey some of the rules a lot better. Though on the other hand, if teachers and the principals knew how hard it was to find clothes to follow the dress code, then maybe they might change some of the rules. In the end, if students and teachers were to communicate more about the disagreements of dress code, then we could prevent some of this from happening.