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Another Case of Sexism in Public Schools

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Edmonson County High School in Kentucky provides yet another example of existing sexism regarding the unreasonable and irrational dress codes in public high schools.

Amanda Durbin, a senior at the school decided to protest the unfair dress code that targets high school girls. Following her exasperation of the continuous sexism she faced and viewed daily, and after many of the students who wore dresses and leggings were punished, she wore a skirt that the principal described as “too short,” even thought her parents stated that the outfit was appropriate to wear to church, (which doesn’t really matter, since students should be able to wear whatever they want since school takes up most of their day.)  

During her third class, the principal, Tommy Hodges, called her to his office insisting that he measure her skirt. She felt very uncomfortable and violated the whole time, especially when he then proceeded to tell her to kneel and raise up her arms, forcing the dress to appear shorter. While waiting for her parents to arrive, she lost hours of valuable class time. This in itself states that the school views the way a woman looks as more important than her education. Her small protest led her to be sexualized and objectified more than she’s ever been before in her life. Many principals state that the reason why they have those rules set in place is because a woman’s skin is a “distraction” to the male students AND teachers.

The school rules “protect” against all men, but does that say something when young teenage girls need to be protected from grown men in a school environment. But why is the time spent in class more important for boys than girls? If teenage males had tank tops with cutout sides, no one would bat an eye, but if a girl did it, the teachers would be calling for the cavalry! The reason for this obviously points towards the overflowing sexism in public schools and in society.

In my experience, I’ve never ever heard a guy my age say they were “distracted” or “tempted” by a girl’s shoulders. Maggie Sunseri, a junior at Woodford County High School in Kentucky firmly states, “It’s not about clothing, it’s about the message behind the dress codes. It’s not about just superficially what we’re wearing, it’s about what people are telling us that means about ourselves.” Women and girls aren’t fighting to wear revealing and sexual clothing; they just want to stop being sexualized by every male in the room. Principals stress the fact that teenage girls need to “cover up,” otherwise they are overly sensual and seductive, apparently. It’s not the girls’ fault, it’s the average men that are undermined in society. Society suggest that men “can’t handle themselves” around girls and that they “can’t control themselves”, but that isn’t the issue of the girls. It is not the responsibility of women to cover themselves up so that they don’t get sexually violated. It’s time to start teaching men to respect women instead of telling them they can take what they want, when they want. What does that truly say about what society teaches young girls and boys? We continuously tell girls that when a boy is mean, it’s because they “like you” in kindergarten. This sets the trend of disrespect on its path.

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