We all know that dressing up and making ourselves look good can make us feel proud and confident in ourselves. I can even say that some days I want to dress like I am a queen. But there’s something stopping all of us from doing this. That problem is the school dress code. Yes, the dress code has its pros and lots of cons. That’s why we need to get rid of the school dress code or update it for this generation to feel happy, confident, and proud of themselves. I will be giving you 3 main reasons why we need to update it or get rid of the dress code.

Like I said before, this generation loves to express themselves with clothes. That also means that a dress code is going to lower students’ self-confidence and try to stop people from showing too much “skin” because it can be a “distraction”. Many people would disagree with me when I say that it stops self-confidence but according to the article called Self-Expression Through Fashion by Brighterkind, “Clothing is not only a great way to express yourself, but researchers suggest the types of clothing we wear can affect our behaviors as well as our confidence. By wearing clothes we love, we feel confident in ourselves”. This means that if teachers say some clothes are too “revealing” or just the basic words “cover up”. Words can hurt and lots of teachers know this but don’t think about the dress code. In middle school we students are at the point in our life to try new things and explore who we are but it can also become a problem when we are still fragile to words that seem simple but can stab deep into the skin.

There is also a very terrible problem with how the dress code treats different people. That is how the dress code is sexist towards girls. People may say, “ no dress code is for everyone, not just girls”. That’s not what I am saying, I am saying that even if boys and girls have to listen to the dress code more girls are dress coded than boys are. According to the article called Sexism Behind Dress-Code by The Grizzly Growlers, “The length of skirts, shorts, and dresses is a major part of dress codes and most of the time boys shorts are against the dress code too but they never get dress-coded. Girls are 5.5 times more likely to get suspended from school due to dress code than boys.” This proves that teachers seem to pay more attention to what girls are wearing than boys because if small shorts are a big part of the dress code then boys should have been dress-coded for it and not just girls with their short skirts and small dresses.

The dress code can also be a problem not just for sexism or lowering self-confidence but can also cause issues to the mind. You may be wondering how that makes sense at all. Though it’s true that the dress code can cause mental health problems because of small things teachers say. According to THIS IS GENDERED and their article Dress Code, “In sum, dress codes have discriminatory workings, can contribute to mental health issues, and limit self- expression and freedom – especially important to students wanting to express or explore their gender identity.” This is literally talking about how this blocks some self-expression and unlocks mental problems. This shows that the dress code is blocking creativity and making everyone feel bad about themselves and school is supposed to be a place to feel happy and good about yourself.

In all these reasons I gave, like how it does not give confidence or how it can be sexist and then even be a mental health problem, then you still say it’s good to have the dress code. I am confused how you don’t think it’s bad because it’s terrible for kids in middle school. The dress code is not just in middle school but in high school too. These are all people who can be really affected by it even if it doesn’t seem like it. We should get rid of the dress code, not just update it, but completely tear it from the planner that we get because that part is no longer even needed anymore. We as students should be able to have freedom and explore what we like. So, if you want to help get rid of the dress code, you can try and contact anyone on the school board or a student console so they can share our reasons to get rid of the dress code.