It’s no secret that school dress codes often lean towards being disproportionately harsh on girls. A glance at any dress code will typically reveal extensive guidelines for young girls, while boys receive mere footnotes. But does it really make sense to demand that a five-year-old cover her shoulders because she wore a spaghetti strap dress to school?
When Tom Henderson picked up his daughter from school last week, he was taken aback to see her wearing a t-shirt over her sundress. To add to the surprise, she also had on jeans beneath. Tom had prepared an extra outfit in case it got chilly, but his daughter was excited about her new sundress and he decided to let her wear it.
The school district’s dress code explicitly prohibits spaghetti strap dresses: “Students must not wear tight, loose, sagging, baggy, revealing, spaghetti-strap, backless, low-cut, or short clothing.” Tom didn’t anticipate this rule would be enforced for a child so young. In a blog post for the Houston Review, he expressed, “Let’s be clear; every school dress code that isn’t a strict uniform is primarily about policing girls.”
Some might argue that Tom simply didn’t adhere to the rules, leading to his daughter’s forced cover-up. However, his critique of the dress code is warranted. The guidelines are so vague they can easily be wielded to shame girls, depending on the interpretation of the school administrators.
Highlights from the Dress Code
- Shorts and Skirts: Must fit at the waist or upper hip, not reveal undergarments, and be mid-thigh or longer.
- Tops, Shirts, and Blouses: Shouldn’t reveal undergarments, midsection, torso, back, chest, breasts, or cleavage.
- Dresses: Must not show undergarments, midsection, torso, back, chest, breasts, or cleavage and be mid-thigh in length or longer.
While these requests may seem reasonable at first glance, they leave very few options for girls. Especially with the stipulation that clothing must not reveal any part of the body, what choices are left? Turtlenecks or high-necked t-shirts?
As someone who developed earlier than her peers, I can personally attest that the same outfit can appear completely different on various body types. My childhood friend, tall and slender, could wear the same dress I did and look more “modest,” simply because she didn’t have a developing figure. Why should we teach young girls that showing even a hint of their bodies is shameful? Covering the shoulders of a five-year-old seems excessive.
Tom points out, “The obsession with policing a girl’s appearance and the notion that showing skin invites comments about her purity or even worse, violence, is a pervasive issue that won’t vanish anytime soon.” He’s right—numerous stories have emerged recently highlighting this problem.
In one instance, nearly 200 girls received detention at a New Jersey high school (which lacks air conditioning) when the dress code was modified to ban tank tops. A Utah student was turned away from her high school dance for wearing a dress that showed her shoulders. Last May, 30 girls were sent home from a Canadian high school for revealing glimpses of their bra straps.
Tom’s concerns about a dress code that reprimands young girls for their bodies are valid. We should all reflect on why we feel the need to scrutinize our daughters’ appearances so stringently.
For additional insights on body image and self-acceptance, consider exploring our other blog posts, like this one.
Summary
Tom Henderson’s experience with his daughter’s school dress code raises valid concerns about the disproportionate focus on policing girls’ attire, especially at such a young age. The vague and extensive guidelines leave little room for personal expression while perpetuating a culture of shame around female bodies. Parents and educators alike should reconsider the implications of enforcing such dress codes.