School dress codes have been around since 1969, established by the United States Supreme Court. Back in 1969, the dress code may have made more sense than it does now in 2015. Obviously the dress code has changed since the late 60s, but the dress code is still surprisingly strict and unnecessary in some school districts.

In AISD, we can’t wear anything shorter than three inches above the knee, even though we live in Texas and, therefore, should be allowed to wear athletic shorts or short shorts because of our weather conditions. We should also be allowed to wear shirts with spaghetti straps because sometimes it’s just too hot to wear a long sleeve or even short sleeve shirt.

The AISD dress code is also very sexist. It targets girls and blames them for “distracting guys” with their scandalous shoulders and wearing leggings that mean they’re “asking for that kind of attention from guys.” Students in AISD cannot wear anything showing the midriff, anything more than three inches above the knee, anything that shows your undergarments at the slightest, leggings/jeggings (even if you have a big t-shirt on), or anything with spaghetti straps/showing a bra strap. There are more restrictions than just that, but you get the idea. Those are all typically articles of clothing that girls wear. Guys wear only a few of the items listed on the dress code, such as athletic shorts or baggy shirts. Schools should be teaching guys that girls aren’t sexual objects, not blaming girls for the guys’ hormonal behaviors.

Girls are getting pulled out of their classes and are told they are distracting boys because of the way they dress, which disrupts the boys’ learning. One of my friends was pulled out of class because she was wearing leggings, which embarrassed her in front of all her peers and made her a possible target. She had to sit in ISS (in school suspension) while the office called her parents and she got multiple lectures from teachers, telling her that “she didn’t want that kind of attention from guys.” She missed two of her classes because she was disrupting other kids’ learning. The dress code interfered with her learning, and everyone was fine with her leggings until her teacher called her out and sent her to the office.

Students are still finding themselves at this age and should be allowed to freely express themselves through clothing choices and unnatural hair colors, which are also not permitted by AISD dress code.

The dress code system is a messy system that is sexist towards women and needs to be fixed. Everyday girls are getting dress coded for their leggings and shorts, while guys are getting away with everything. Stop the sexism and victim blaming that dress codes enforce and let young kids freely show who they are through clothing and hair.

Change the dress code.