"Dress Coded"

[scrapquitler]

The finger tip length rule is stupid, because not everyone's finger tips reach the same part of their legs. My daughters finger tip length is about 3 inches above her knees. Finger tip length for me is about 1 inch below my crotch. The shorts or skirt that would be 'legal' for each of us would look very different.

If they had an "X inches above the knees" rule it would make more sense and be more consistent.

 

[PlainJane]

I don’t have an issue with dress codes. I went to co-ops and had a lot of friends in private schools. The boys would actually frequently get in trouble because of facial hair and hair length rules at one particular private school, more than I ever heard of the girls getting dress coded.

I’ve also found in the places I’ve worked the women have way laxer standards of dress than the men, but I know that must vary by industry.

I got dress coded one time. I was super annoyed because it was a note left in my folder, no one spoke to me and if they had I could have told them the strap they saw was from a camisole and not a bra. I was wearing the camisole to prevent showing anything with a v-neck top, so not fair. There wasn’t really any repercussion though, so I just let it go.

The lining girls up every class sounds like someone has a weird power trip. If you notice someone breaking the dress code fine, but it’s weird to go looking for it.

 

[sam_gordon]

You are missing the point. It’s not about being uncomfortable in long pants. Or physically uncomfortable at all. It’s about being made to feel uncomfortable by the measuring of the shorts. Of feeling like your clothing and/or body is being scrutinized. And at that age it’s a big deal. Maybe not to an adult but to a middle school girl it is.

An earlier post was saying kids in Florida shouldn't be forced to wear long pants because it's uncomfortable and will stifle the learning process.

If a school is going to have a dress code (which I'm find with), it should treat males and females equally, AND be enforced equally. If it is true that a teacher only checks girls for dress code violations, it should be reported to the office.

 

[nkereina]

Dress codes are a part of life - its very rare for a workplace to have no dress code at all, be it a uniform or some kind of business casual expectation. Its good for middle schoolers to start getting used to that because they'll be dealing with it forever. And if not at work, then at restaurants, weddings, or other events they will likely attend.

That said, if someone is dressed out of line at work, chances are that a manager will pull them aside and let them know in private. Teachers should do the same. In the OP's case, I'm not sure if its worth going to administration over, but I do think the teacher could enforce the dress code in a different way that's more comfortable for everyone.

As far as dress codes being sexist, that's not how I view it personally. Men and women dress differently and therefore expectations have to be different. For instance, at my workplace, women are permitted to wear capri pants and sleeveless shirts, while men can only wear pants and no sleeveless shirts. Men's capris aren't a thing (except maybe at Zara ) and men's sleeveless shirts are usually tank tops or cut-off muscle tees. So it makes sense these things aren't permitted for men.

 

[lifesavacation]

As far as dress codes being sexist, that's not how I view it personally. Men and women dress differently and therefore expectations have to be different. For instance, at my workplace, women are permitted to wear capri pants and sleeveless shirts, while men can only wear pants and no sleeveless shirts. Men's capris aren't a thing (except maybe at Zara ) and men's sleeveless shirts are usually tank tops or cut-off muscle tees. So it makes sense these things aren't permitted for men.

You should come visit Portland. Men here wear cropped pants I don’t think they look bad at all.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

You should come visit Portland. Men here wear cropped pants I don’t think they look bad at all.

We have some Middle Eastern clients, they ROCK the man capris.

 

[nkereina]

You should come visit Portland. Men here wear cropped pants I don’t think they look bad at all.

They are not common here, so they are not spelled out in any written dress codes I have seen locally. Written dress codes are meant to address typical attire that either gender would wear. I'd imagine in areas where this is common, written dress codes would specify whether "cropped pants" for men are permissible or not.

 

[amberpi]

You should come visit Portland. Men here wear cropped pants I don’t think they look bad at all.

Ot: I don’t think they look bad either the men that tend to wear them, wear them well!

I’m still on romphims.