My Skin Determines Nothing
A young girl in class drops her pen and is afraid of bending over to pick it up because the male teacher is right behind her. A fifth grader is told to change her outfit for the first time because her shoulders are showing. A young woman is afraid to walk alone downtown and attempts to cover herself up. A girl is shamed by several adults that too much of her legs are showing in her outfit, sometimes even by her parents. These events are experienced by many women, at many points in their lives, and unfortunately, these are considered a normal standard in today’s day and age.
In crowded towns, especially college campuses, students are more likely to be sexually assaulted. Walking alone around in Athens, women are more likely at risk of assaults. As a result, they are inclined to invest in self-defense weapons, or even are encouraged to run instead of walking all throughout campus. According to RAINN statistics, 26.4% of female undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, and/or incapacitation. As well, 9.7% of female professional and graduate students experience this. What’s even worse, women in their first and second year on campus are more likely to experience sexual assault than those in their later years. This is known as the “red zone”, where 25% of female participants in a study reported unwanted sexual experiences, and two of those women defined their assault as rape.
Since childhood, women are told by adults, both men and women, to abide by a “dress code” to prevent boys from getting distracted in classes. Instead of boys being taught a common decency to respect girls by not staring at their bodies, girls are taken out of their lectures and are shamed for their body and clothes. Then, these girls are forced to go home or call their parents to bring a change of clothing. At a young age, girls are forced to cover themselves up and are taught that their shoulders, stomachs, legs and overall body shape are a distraction to all males. This standard needs to change, as these girls are forced to accommodate a patriarchal society that is conditioned to stare and harass women.
Tops showing the stomach:
Or as it is commonly referred to, the midriff area. Schools create absurd standards where if a girl raises her arms, stretches, bends over, or anything in terms of moving their bodies, their stomachs must not be shown to others. In some cases, schools ban any kind of jewelry belonging to the midriff area, hence achieving more power over every girls’ decision in their daily attire.
Skirts above the knees:
Some school standards require girls to stand straight with their arms stretched down their body. If their fingertips pass the end of their skirt or shorts, they are immediately dress coded. What’s even more disrespectful, is when male staff decide there is a necessity to check every single female student on their length. In these circumstances, there is an even bigger problem at hand, rather than a measly pair of shorts.
Bare Shoulders:
Sleeves are expected to be at least three fingers wide on the shoulder, otherwise a girl will be dress coded. Whereas if the boys in school wear a muscle tank, showing off their arms, ribs, and chest, they are not in the wrong because “boys will be boys”.
Tight-fitted outfits:
Last but not least, tight-fitted outfits are forbidden because… why would young girls allow the male imagination to be led astray?
The male gaze is a common concept today. This is defined as men seeing women only for their male desires, rather than respecting women the way all humans should be respected. This costs women their self-perception and their self-esteem. With this pressure, women are encouraged to conform to the patriarchal influence. As well, women feel incapable of everyday tasks, feel uncomfortable in their own bodies and feel a lack of placement in the world.
Instead of teaching young girls to dress “appropriately” to prevent the boys from being distracted, boys need to be taught the right and respectful manner towards girls. Boys are not taught this enough, especially at a young age. As well, male and female adults must stop encouraging the patriarchal influence. All adults in school environments should be able to respect a girl’s clothing rather than interrupting her studies or saying unkind comments such as “not leaving much for the imagination”. Outfit choices are an expression of a girl’s personality, passions and interests. Whether the clothes are tight-fitting, cropped short or even exposing knees and/or shoulders, they do not give others an excuse to make young girls feel uncomfortable based on what they are wearing. With this reinforcement, girls are taught to believe their bodies are the problem. In reality, sexism and misogyny are the true problems in today’s society.
Sources:
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3200/JACH.57.3.331-338?needAccess=true
Copy edit by Lily Baldwin
Graphics by Mary Renfroe