Your Body, Your Fault

When school dress codes go too far 

By Emma Smisek

School dress codes are not inherently unreasonable, but there is a difference between telling kids to dress nicely and implying that they should be ashamed of their bodies. In their middle school years, many young teenagers are already painfully self-conscious, insecure, and terrified of being judged for how they look. Highly restrictive dress codes only worsen this, making students feel as though adult employees are scrutinizing their bodies, looking closely for anything that might be too arousing. School dress codes also tend to disproportionately target girls, who are held responsible for ensuring their outfits aren’t “distracting” male classmates and teachers. In other words, others’ reactions to their bodies are their own fault.

Middle schoolers experience great vulnerability, and it can be difficult for them to recognize that they’re not the problem. As a middle schooler, I didn’t understand the concept of victim-blaming. It wasn’t until recently that I fully grasped the problem with this attitude, when my (female) supervisors at work scolded me for wearing a blouse they deemed too low-cut. It looked fine when I was standing up but not when they walked past me while I was leaning over a desk. They said shirts needed to cover “inappropriate parts” from all angles and essentially blamed me for the fact that they were looking down my shirt.

This attitude is a form of victim-blaming, and it exists in school dress codes that go too far. For example, a male teacher ogling a girl and insisting it’s her own fault for distracting him comes dangerously close to the “she was asking for it” defense.

Considering these issues, I propose a new, universal school dress code. One which will put all minds and hormones at ease: any teacher or other employee who complains that the way female students dress is too distracting must come to work wearing a blindfold.