A Positive Impact Can Make a Huge Difference by Olivia

A Positive Impact Can Make a Huge Difference by Olivia - September 2023 Scholarship Essay

If I had the authority to impact my school in a positive way, I wouldn’t hesitate to change the dress code. The dress code targets young women into believing that they are responsible for the boy's reaction. Women in general have been taught to cover up because society caters to men and instead of teaching men not to touch, people teach girls to be afraid using phrases such as, “boys will be boys”. People need to teach both/all genders the same thing instead of confusing everyone from a very young age. It’s very contradicting to teach one group of people a completely different thing than the other group.

Throughout history, women and men were taught two completely different things. Men can do one thing and get praised for it, while women that do the same thing get criticized and get called harsh names for doing the same things as a man simply because they are a woman. Yes, this is a new age and a different time period, but society still teaches young boys that they have the upper hand. Schools play a similar role in their dress codes, for example, according to USA Today, a San Francisco Bay Area school district lowered their dress code in 2018 a group of students that weren’t going to put up with the strict dress code because of the penalizing that interfered with their learning and education. School dress codes have gotten so bad to the point where the congress had to get involved.

While most schools lowered their dress codes, about 10% of schools still hold that conservative outlook on students' profile based on their clothing. Clothing lets students express themselves while maintaining that level of proficiency. In 1980, schools placed a uniform regulation so that students could all dress the same, but students wanted to dress differently from their peers or other issues regarding the school issued uniforms have gotten in trouble because their “disobedience to the school’s dress code” causing them to deprive them from their education just because they couldn’t wear the school’s uniform. Students with disabilities such as hypersensitivity relating to autism can't necessarily wear certain clothes whether it’s certain materials within the fabric of the clothing or it’s just their body’s responses to it, they physically can not wear clothing. These types of students were punished because of their physical condition they couldn't help it.

Some school dress codes have gotten so bad to the point where they would ban dreadlocks and braids primarily black hair styles because the school’s dress codes were meant to cater to white students. School dress codes target students of color, LGBTQ identifying students, disabled students, students with autism or other disabilities, and girls. That's the majority of the students that the dress codes are against. Enforcing some dress codes requires adults touching children to see the length of a skirt or how much a tank top strap is which can often lead to dangerous situations for children and can also teach others to demean and humiliate a kid based on what they wear which can often lead to bullying. According to EducationWeek, some schools ban items of clothing, hairstyles, and other items associated with a certain group of people. Some school dress codes like these can often lead to discrimination against a student.

School dress codes are set in place so that students don’t dress inappropriately (actually inappropriately) while in a building that is meant to be professional. At the end of the day, everyone is there for one reason and one reason only, to get an education that should be all. School should be a fun and safe place to learn. Both students and teachers should have a dress code, but the dress code should be minimal. It shouldn't be a reason to disrupt a student’s education or discriminate against a student.