I hope that readers remember the piece I published last week about a teen age girl who got into trouble because the shirt she wore to school showed the outlines of her nipples. At that time I asked for readers’ opinions on the matter, and I received two of them which I will post today. I will also post my own opinion. If you are still not satisfied with those opinions please let me know why, and I will publish your point of view.
P.S. I just discovered that this response to a recent article was not published as I thought on May 2nd. I don’t know what mistake I made, but I will correct by making sure that It is published today.
Jane W’s Opinion
- Being sunburned certainly qualifies as a sickness. Stay home till better.
- Kids with shirts with vulgar sayings must change (or put shirt on inside out, if that solves the problem) or go home.
- Nobody has the right to disrupt the educational process.
Plthomasedd’s Opinion
The problem is dress codes, according to research, they are sexist. Here are some opinions to read.
“Shame” is a Documentary on School Dress Codes by a 17-year-old student, available on YouTube. This could be a text in this unit or a model for documentaries created by students.
“Why School Dress Codes Are Sexist,”by Li Zhou (The Atlantic). This is a well-written work of journalism that covers the topic of sexism in dress codes well and serves as a strong model for public writing that uses hyperlinks as citation.
“Sexualization, Sex Discrimination, and Public School Dress Codes,”by Meredith J. Harbach. Here, students can examine a scholarly approach to the issues of sexism and dress codes.
“The Unspoken Messages of Dress Codes; Uncovering Bias and Power,” by Rosalind Wiseman (Anti-Defamation League). A curriculum resource and excellent overview, this can serve as a guideline for students lobbying for changes to dress codes and/or writing alternative codes that avoid bias.
“Baby Woman,” by Ratajkowski is a contemporary celebrity, model and actress, who takes a strong public position as a feminist, despite her association with provocative and sexualized media (controversial music videos and TV commercials). Her personal narrative is a strong model of the genre, but it also complicates views of feminism and female sexuality as well as objectification.
(More books were listed, but I thought these were enough.)
Joanne Yatvin’s Opinion
Having seen some really bizarre outfits on young people in public places recently, I feel that we shouldn’t have them in school, too. They would almost certainly distract or offend students and teachers. For that reason I favor school uniforms, as long as girls can choose pants or a skirt to go with a top that fits well. Boys should have a choice of different types of pants, and all school uniforms should be washable.
The Treasure Hunter 
Leave a Reply