Some Think a Dress Code Might Affect Learning and Cause Harassment

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Dress codes across the United States have been hotly debated for years about what students should be allowed to wear during school hours so other students will not be distracted.  

Administration, teachers, and parents are worried that children are easily distracted by provocative clothes during class, which can create problems like not focusing during class and being disruptive.

Students from various schools argue that dress codes are too strict and that the administration needs to reconsider their decisions.  Some children are even issued clothes that they have to wear during all school related activities. 

Kensli Powell, a student at Byrnes Freshman Academy (BFA), admitted, “The dress code at Byrnes is okay, but I would change the finger-tip rule.” 

The fingertip rule is when students cannot wear shorts or dresses that end above their fingertips when their arms are placed by their side. 

Tyler Kuykendoll, a student a Wade Hampton High School, stated, “If I could change something, it would most definitely be the length requirement for girl’s shorts and skirts and make them wear them down to their knees.” 

Some individuals asserted that the more provocative someone dresses, the more likely they are to get harassed. During an incident in a Shanghai, China Metro station, an operator took a picture of a woman wearing a see-through dress and posted the picture with a comment that drew attention from angry women throughout Shanghai, according to Global Times Newspaper.                         

 This outbreak caused one male to make a poster that said ironically, “I can be coquettish; but you cannot harass me,” which made many women in Shanghai very disturbed and irate.  The city’s operator told Global Times Newspaper that “we have a responsibility to warn women of the potential danger of sexual harassment on the subway.”  There was a higher number of harassment complaints after the incident took place.