Our ‘Dress’ Does Not Mean “Yes”:
Are Dress Codes Perpetuating Rape Culture?
By Gibran Caroline Boyce | The New York Times
NYT Writing for Change Contest, Top 56 out of 4,500 entrants:
“In selecting winners, we looked for pieces that met our rubric’s criteria of clarity of writing, strength of argument and skillful use of sources, but we especially prized those essays that also managed to showcase a unique and interesting voice in the allotted 450 words.
The winners resisted formula — or used it deftly to their advantage. In our favorite pieces, we felt like we were being taught something new and important rather than just reading a capable collection of quotes and statistics. You played with language, engaging readers in a scene, making clever analogies, acknowledging and dismissing counter-arguments, and employing humor and irony for effect. Unsurprisingly, the best entries were also the best edited, free of typos and grammatical errors and notable for paragraphs that flowed gracefully.” — The New York Times
With the flick of his finger or nod of his head, the principal directed girls as young as eleven from the school bus towards the office. Today, her dress code does not satisfy the required minimum width stipulated for straps or length of shorts. Humiliated, she will be sent home if her gym locker does not possess clothing that satisfies regulation requirements. Today, “you” will receive your first lesson on societal blame. Parents returned from jobs to deliver clothes. Some girls cried during their first lesson on blame for causing the potential distraction of boys.
“My concern is that rape culture is unwittingly being cultivated in education environments with adolescents. Each girl sent home is taught that her outfit was in some way ‘asking for it’ while the boys are taught that any response they have is appropriate because ‘boys will be boys.’”
— Gibran Caroline Boyce
The way I view it today, as a sixteen year-old female, dress codes are an imperative part of an adolescent’s life. School districts have the right to present dress-appropriateness guidelines. However, are we also teaching girls to accept blame while boys bear no responsibility for their actions? Do these pesky school rules transition into a potentially damaging rape culture? Many school districts’ seasonal reinforcement of female dress codes has sparked controversy. According to The New York Times, the noteworthy question is, “[Are school dress codes] intended to protect the girls against unwanted advances, or the boys against temptation?” Should concern for the wellbeing of young female students be accompanied by education of potential male assaulters?
My concern is that rape culture is unwittingly being cultivated in education environments with adolescents. Each girl sent home is taught that her outfit was in some way “asking for it” while the boys are taught that any response they have is appropriate because “boys will be boys”. Rape is about dominance — the need to feel empowered by seizing control of what is not theirs. By directly banning females’ ‘suggestive’ clothing, administrators support the myth that “women are raped because of what they wear and male students cannot be held responsible for their behavior if presented with such ‘distracting’ clothing”, one Morris Knolls High School student asserts in the aforementioned article.
Administrators have the power to break rape culture before it disseminates to college campuses, where one in five women are victims of sexual assault. Fifty percent of sexual assaulters falsely believe that their victim is “completely” responsible for the attack. Administrators ought to focus more on teaching male students how to manage their impulses and educate them on why rape will never be morally justified in a humane society. This includes placing stricter consequences on their actions. Girls should not have their voices muted, nor be blamed for the violent actions of others, no matter what they wear. It is imperative that we convey to all that our ‘dress’ does not mean “yes.”