The Problem of Pants

I know this whole dress code thing is old news but I’m going to talk about it anyways.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/03/25/3418482/middle-school-dress-code-protest/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=middle-school-girls-protest-sexist-dress-code-%25e2%2580%2598are-my-pants-lowering-your-test-scores%25e2%2580%2599

http://www.jrn.com/ktnv/news/Students-at-Illinois-school-start-petition-after-new-dress-code-rule-251489871.html

Parents of students at Haven Middle School in Illinois were contacted by administrators earlier this month. Female students are no longer allowed to wear shorts, leggings, or yoga pants. (The second article says that skinny jeans are also on the new list of forbidden clothing.) This style of dress on females, administrators say, is too distracting for male students.

It will come as no surprise that these actions have sparked a line of protests against the new dress code. They claim that the dress code is sexist because it targets only female students. Parents argue that it is not girls’ responsibility to accommodate the boys in their classes, and that this approach to controlling student dress is furthering unhealthy attitudes about sexuality. Parents say that this type of dress code sends the message that girls are at fault for the sexual assault by men and that boys’ behavior is are understandable and excusable because of what girls are wearing.

Other schools across the country are constantly fighting the dress code battle. Rules banning tight pants and regulate girls’ hemlines and necklines are common, while boys’ clothing is not as commonly restricted. As these turn to adults, the consequences worsen: women are punished for outward displays of sexuality, scrutinized as they try to balance being objects that men desire without being criticized for being promiscuous. Women have even lost jobs over such struggles.

There are so many problems with this; I don’t even know where to start.

We live in a man’s world. If Robin Thicke didn’t make that obvious this summer, I don’t know what will. (Listen to the lyrics of Blurred Lines and you’ll see what I mean. Every “good girl” wants sex and Robin was merely doing them one of them a favor by “liberating” her, right?) The expectations of women are outrageous. Get good grades, be able to cook, clean, and sew, carry and raise children decently, contribute to the family, the list goes on and on. And at the end of the day the woman’s fault that she was raped by some lusty creep when walking home from the supermarket.  Don’t get me wrong, boys have it hard. They’re expected to turn into men at some magical instant in their lives without any notification, but women have it hard too, and many of them choose to take all those built up feelings and emotions and pour it out into their wardrobe. The HMS dress code is taking away some of the outlets, the freedoms that these young girls need so desperately.

So what do we do about unfair administration? We use the right to assemble and petition. These middle schoolers have over five hundred signatures on a petition against the new dress code, and I applaud them for it.

However, I can see why the administration might want to put a limit on what students are allowed to wear. School is a learning experience, and in order for students to become functional members of society they need to dress as such. That being said, this was not the right way to do it. Trying to institute new rules in the middle of the year is sure to start some backlash, especially rules that only apply to half of the population. It’s true—girls generally need to cover themselves more than boys, but it’s hard to enforce these rules without objectifying bodies. Male teachers and administrators are given the awkward task of telling girls that their skirts are too short and calling parents about it. Thighs are not valid parts of the body anymore. After spending two years with a “knees and sleeves” dress code it takes me a while to be comfortable in my own body during the summer because I’m not used to wearing gym shorts around anyone but my family. Strict dress codes can also make kids want to go crazy at school events where there is no dress code. (Spirit week last year, anyone?)

Another part of me wants to scream at the girls who think that it’s okay for leggings to be worn as pants. Leggings ARE NOT pants. Have some decency and keep your body to your future partner. I think Brett Shoemaker said it best:

“Babe, keep your goodies in your basket.  I get it.  I really do.  When you have a nice car you want to show it off.  If you have a nice body, likewise, you want to show it off.  But, what makes a Lamborghini stand out from a Honda Civic?  I see Civics all the time.  Everywhere I go there is one of those bad boys sitting in the parking lot.  I can count on one hand every Lamborghini I’ve ever seen.  It is always exciting to see one of those.  The Honda, not so much.  Don’t get me wrong, your goodies are always going to be good.  I’ll say that again, your goodies are always going to be good.  But, if everyone and my mom has a look at everything you’re showing off, I’m not feeling like as much of a lucky ducky.  So please, for me, keep your goodies packaged away.” (http://brettshoemaker.me/2014/02/04/to-my-future-wife/)

Dress code is not a problem until students and teachers make it a problem. After that, the problem never ends. The problem in this case is that nobody want to judge how short is too short, how tight is too tight, and how much freedom pushes the limit past the brink of having order. I guess this is another one of those times that I’m glad I’m not president, or even school superintendent, and it’s not my job to judge.

“Are My Pants Lowering Your Test Scores?”