Do Dress Codes For Girls Protect Or Sexualize Them - Essay Example

Do Dress Codes For Girls Protect Or Sexualize Them? Parents, educators and school principals often find themselves in a never-ending struggle over clothing at the beginning of each school year. Since the last decade, the media has alarmingly hyper-sexualized girls and girl’s fashion. This trend of hyper-sexualization has exacerbated these concerns and fuelled public anxiety on what is desirable for girls to wear and what is not. The Several States in the United States and school boards have introduced dress codes and to some extent school uniforms to deal with girls dressing in provocative clothing at high school. The various strategies and measures to introduce dress codes that seek to provide containment are often explicitly or implicitly targeting only girls, despite the presence of baggy clothes for young boys that do not fit social norms (Rosenberg, 2014). This controversy has been in the public limelight since 2000 to date and has amassed an enormous debate on the matter. The increased debate has led to the emergence of specific vocabulary given to girls that wear revealing clothes such as “Les nombrils” or “navel rings.”The terms just get worse and crude as many people, encompassing adolescent boys and other girls refer to them as “sluts.” The writer apologizes for the term. That is, the popular imagery developed due to the social discourse of girls’ dress and hyper-sexualization has become part of our collective representations (Willett, 2008). Stigmatization has increased immensely has the debate on girls’ clothes and sexuality seem not to be diminishing. The debate holds two sides with the one hand holding the notion that dress codes are critical in ensuring the moral being of the society whereas opponents arguing that these dress codes seem to sexualize the girl child. Thus, this paper presents perspectives from both sides of the debate and their reasons. Notably, the document does not in any way represent the personal opinions of the writer or try to recommend a better solution for the problem. The paper analyzes the major points on the problem at hand to elucidate on the issue of girls’ dress code and sexuality (Willett, 2008). An in-depth look on how this debate is framed from year to year in the media reveals two major aspects: girls are either positioned as manipulated victims or social disturbance. Many people have come out to express how they feel that these girls dress in a suggestive, inappropriate and offensive way in high school and some situations in primary schools. Nevertheless, principals and male teachers have come out thepublic to express their concerns on how discomforting the girls’ sexy clothes are such as belly-shirts, skimpy tank-tops, and visible G-strings (Castleberry & Merrier, 2008, p. 56). Some of the past common punishments employed by school boards in facing the problem were compelling the offenders to put on ugly, oversized sweaters. Another measure involved ensuring the skirts length covered the girl's body appropriately. However, all these attempts did not bear any fruits as the girls continued dressing the way school boards considered inappropriate (Jihan, 2014). Nowadays several feminists’ scholars have weighed their voice on the matter challenging the male-centered viewpoint of this popular discourse that sees girls as a provocation. They argue that the major issue is not the revealing clothes worn by girls disturb the male teachers and students at theschool. Their contention is that the negative social pressure these girls face from fashion, advertising, and popular culture is much worrying. The dominant culture nowadays which is sex-obsessed cultivates the notion to these girls that they need to conform to an unreachable ideal of beauty and to get the approval from boys it is through heterosexual seduction and early sexual activity. These feminist scholars are of the opinion that the in theunavailability of a counter-discourse may cause adolescents girls to shift to a state of emotional dependence that can lead them to risks of sexual abuse and violence. They have also criticized the way school measures have been structured in a manner that targets the girl child only while ignoring the boy child. Furthermore, they recommend decision makers, educators, and parents to restructure the sex education programs to shift focus to educating the young generation on egalitarian male-female relationships. Thus, the feminists hold that girls are merely victims of the modern patriarchal culture of the fashion industries and mainstream media that exposes them to potential abuse. Therefore, they need to be protected instead of being controlled. Schools introduction of dress codes and dissemination of suitable punishments, support their measures by arguing that these girls are distracting boys, and these strategies are meant to prepare best them for the working world. There is a majority consensus among people that certain items of clothing are inappropriate for learning institutions. However, few acknowledge that these girls are unfairly punished for wearing clothes they feel good in or comfortable in. Girls are introducedtothe world whereby they have to cautious of what they are supposed to wear by the dress code of schools so as to avoid suspension or expulsion. On the other hand, the possibility of finding boys banned from wearing certain clothing at school is almost zero. It raises the concept that boys are free to wear what they feel fit, despite the possibility of their wear distracting girls from their school work. However, these problems extend further outside the school environment. Girls sometimes feel uneasy walking in certain places because of the fear of sexual harassment or assault. For instance, in big towns and cities a girl that wears a short dress coming from a party at night heading home, she is sometimes cat-called or possibly potentially in danger. People in the discourse that these girls are unfairly treated and are just a section of manipulated victims argue that: it is totally unfair that girls are prevented or scared from wearing what they feel comfortable in because boys may objectify and sexually harass them. They argue that this generation is not focusing on the root of the problem but only seeks to set out what girls should and shouldn’t wear. Thus, if boys desist from sexualizing girls whenever they see them wearing, shorts, low cut skirts or most anything then these girls would not have to worry what their outfits impact on the males and their possibly breaking the dress code. However, some individuals have chosen to remain neutral in the debate. They have sought to elucidate the reason behind the girls’ outfits that seem inappropriate of provocative. They assert that girls do not mean to wear in the unpro vocative manner seen by other people. People see these girls are dressed in a sexually suggesting manner because of the existing societal norms and standards.The mere perception here is that because men treat women as sexual objects then for women to receive attention from men they have to dress in a manner that appeases the men. The societal perspective has largely accelerated this problem of sexualizing girls that women are sexual objects. Thus, joining up in hands and fighting the social standard that girls dress to impress boys will help people change they are perceptive to a friendly manner that girls dress to feel good about themselves (Jihan, 2014). The formulation of dress codes is eliciting many debates. However, few people argue that having certain dress codes is not a bad thing. Their problem is the framing context of introducing the dress codes that is wrong. It is because these dress codes tend to portray girls as sluts and boys as unable to control themselves. It gives the impression that women and girls have the obligation to control men and boys and their alleged aggressiveness. Moreover, it presumes that all boys are heterosexual and aggressive and in an indirect way seems to be allowing them to be aggressive. The increased over-sexualization and objectification of girls and women can lead to loss of self-confidence about one’s body and other negative emotional effects like self-disgust, anxiety and shame. It can also result in negative moods, low self-esteem, diminished sexual health and depressive symptoms (Halkidis, 2014). The majority of individuals supporting dress codes argue that dress codes ensure the students compete favorably in the job market and social domain. They hold the belief that the presence of dress codes helps erase the visible cultural and socioeconomic differences that often lead to unfair treatment from teachers and their peers. They assert that the absence of dress codes will shift the focus of students to caring much about their appearance than other important education activities. The dress code will help to ensure that every student feels equal in the learning environment. The proponents for having dress codes argue that having such dress codes help girls escape the pressures of sexualization. It is because girls tend to conform to what they see in the mainstream media which is sometimes provocative. The majority of their role models such as celebrities and pop stars dress in that manner. Hence, their understanding of sexy and attractive is through embracing what these celebrities do and wear. Also, the presence of a dress code will ensure that disciplinary problems arising due to distractions of clothing are reduced and minimized. Moreover, the presence of dress codes makes the work of teachers easier by creating a respectful atmosphere for teaching and learning (Jihan, 2014). Interestingly some few argue that telling girls to wear modestly is not meant to punish them but is for their good and protection. The modern world is filled with secularization and young men unavoidably are involved in sexualizing girls. Hence, the efficient solution to feminists who fight against the malediscourse of treating women as “sexual objects” women need to ensure they cover most of their body parts. They argue that men will not view a decently dressed woman as a sex object. The man is likely inclined to see the girl or woman for who she is. Furthermore, it is not the intention of every man to lust, but when an immodestly dressed girls pass in front of him, sexual thoughts begin to kick in (Bahadur, 2015). References Bahadur, N. (2015, October 30). HS Principal Says Dress Codes are Necessary to Preserve Girls' Virginity. Retrieved from HUFFPOST: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/56339cdee4b0c66bae5c3129 Castleberry, S.B., & Merrier, P.A. (2008). How Young is too Young: Marketing to the Tween Generation. Journal of Business Case Studies, 4(1), 55-60. Halkidis, A. (2014, December 1). Students Say Dress codes more for Girls than Boys. Retrieved from WeNews: http://www.womensenews.org/story/education/141130/students-say-dress-codes-more-girls-boys Jihan, F. (2014, May 29). Are School Dress Codes Sexualizing the Teenage Girls They Aim to Protect? Retrieved from The Fashion Spot: http://www.thefashionspot.com/buzz-news/latest-news/411661-are-schools-dress-codes-sexualizing-the-teenage-girls-they-aim-to-protect/ Rosenberg, T. (2014, December 16). Dressed to Impress. The Focus, pp. 1-2. Willett, R. (2008). ‘WHAT YOU WEAR TELLS A LOT ABOUT YOU’: GIRLS DRESS UP ONLINE. Gender and Education, 20(5), 421-434. Read More