By ENDYA TYSON –Over the last year, the IHS dress guidelines have brought much attention to what is considered appropriate to wear to school, and for whom the dress guidelines are enforced. Many feel that the guidelines are being unfairly applied to girls. 

The guidelines seem to be directed toward making girls cover up their bodies, drawing attention to them in ways that may lower their self-esteem. It is not exactly clear to many students how a young woman’s body or the way she dresses is considered a distraction to students’ learning.  

Sophomore Ciera White expressed her concerns, “I was once dress coded because apparently my leggings were too tight. Leggings are supposed to be tight-fitting… I feel that dress codes are only enforced on young women.” She also went on to say, “My shoulders are not a distraction! My stomach is not a distraction! It is young, immature boys who make it a distraction.”

Junior Alexa Gibbons expressed, “I feel that dress codes only discriminate against women with more curvy figures.”  

Schools all across the nation are updating their dress codes, so IHS can too. Here at IHS, we are very lucky because we are not required to wear school uniforms or dress in professional attire. We do have guidelines on how we are supposed to dress which can be found in the student handbook on pages eleven and twelve which read, “Students are expected to choose attire that does not disrupt the educational process or distract others from participating in the learning process.” These pages discuss what is acceptable and what is not. But, I feel as though those guidelines should be updated so young women won’t feel judged by others for the way they choose to dress. 

Junior Ryan Francis stated, “School dress codes are extremely sexist and unreasonable.  It forces girls not to wear shirts that expose their shoulders or midriff, as if seeing someone’s upper arm is going to be a distraction.  It’s a form of body-shaming in all reality. We really don’t care what someone’s wearing, we all just here to learn.”

The school dress code should not be focused on rules and guidelines that appear to be only focused and enforced on young women. We need to stop making young women feel insecure about their bodies by telling them they are a distraction. 

[Photo by Jorie Meil]

Photo Caption: Seniors Reese McFarlane, and Alyssa McLaine, and sophomore Addy Loyal make sure the dress code guidelines are being followed. “