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Do my shoulders intimidate you? #equaldresscode

 




Women come in all shapes and sizes. The issue is, why are black women and other girls of color being singled out? There have been many incidents with dress codes being an issue. Most black women have called out these codes because of their body types and how clothes fit them. Certain workplace and school dress codes are targeted toward girls/women. "No tight skirts" or "no spaghetti straps". How are shoulders causing an issue? There are two articles where both black women speak up about this injustice. One occurred at a middle school over a pair of ripped jeans. Prism states, "The targeting of Black girls in schools is so severe that several pieces of legislation have been designed to specifically address the harm dress codes and grooming policies create. The Ending Punitive, Unfair, School-based Harm that is Overt and Unresponsive to Trauma Act (better known as the Ending PUSHOUT Act) was first introduced in Congress by Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley in 2019 in order to address the fact that Black and brown girls are disproportionately suspended from school across the country." (Paragraph 13) The girl was scared that she would get in trouble over holes in her jeans. There have been many acts that have been passed in order to protect black people, such as the Crown Act that I previously discussed. Black women are still fighting today to fix these injustice codes and rules. If you are going to have a dress code? Make sure it is equal to ALL.

Citation:

Gandhi, Lakshmi. “Black Girls Are Fighting Back against Discriminatory School Dress Codes.” Prism, 26 Oct. 2021, https://prismreports.org/2021/09/14/bipoc-girls-are-fighting-back-against-discriminatory-school-dress-codes/.

Comments

  1. Carson GrahamFebruary 9, 2023 at 10:24 AM

    I think the sexualization of young women of color also plays a huge role in this. Growing up in a predominantly white area, it wasn't difficult to see double standards be applied. For example, my high school had a rule that leggings were permissible if the top/shirt/blouse was long enough to reach mid-thigh. First and foremost, it was a ludicrous dress code, but the application of it for different students was noticeable. I consistently saw white girls get away with breaking the rule, while girls of color (particularly black students) were dress coded far more often. When the girls would push back against being dress coded, there would often be a comment about their body is naturally more "promiscuous", despite often having the same body type as the white girls who got away with it. It is definitely a problem in grade schools (and even the professional world) to discriminate against people of color, particularly women of color, when it comes to the way that they dress.

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  2. Political EmpowHERmentFebruary 12, 2023 at 8:48 PM

    I never understood how shoulders could be seen as distracting or sexual. I remember one time I was talking about it with some people once and they were saying that it would distract the boys in the class. My immediate thought was there is no way that shoulder should cause male students to not be able to pay attention to their work. When it came to the shorts and stuff in middle school I tried to follow the rules. By high school I realized that white girls were able to get away with it so I decided to wear what I wanted to wear, within reason. I always thought that if I was stopped and asked to change that I would be able to point out multiple white girls who were also breaking dress code. If they were not made to change then there was no way that I would have to either. I was honestly fine with the shorts dress code, but it needed to be enforced upon everyone not matter the color.

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  3. Sanai KaufmanFebruary 13, 2023 at 11:43 AM

    I’m glad you’ve brought this up because dress code plays a big role in our development. We will remember things that will carry on with us even into adulthood. Many times I was told to cover my shoulders and pit my jacket all the way on. But the white girls in my school get a light warning as they lazily drape something across their shoulders. Only to take it off when the teacher was out of sight. The moment I take my jacket off, I’m threatened with detention and multiple write-ups. It was completely unfair and made me feel singled out.

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