Longtime readers know I am not a fan of school dress codes, which almost always focus on what girls wear and lead to girls missing class because they expose too much shoulder or thigh. Here is a guest column from a Woodward Academy student about her concerns over her school’s policy on what students can wear on days when uniforms are not required.
Beverly Benfield is a high school senior and a regular contributor to VOX ATL, a teen journalism network that offers online stories, podcasts, videos, opinion pieces and poetry.
By Beverly Benfield
On one of the few out-of-uniform days students get per year, a steady stream of students came through the doors of Woodward Academy donning mainly tank tops, shorts and T-shirts. It was early in the school year and the temperature was 86 degrees. For some, business went on as usual — classes started and ended, lunch was served, and the bell rang for dismissal all without a hitch.
But for numerous female students called into the dean’s office that morning, the day was punctuated by a humiliating dress code violation complaint.
Just a few days prior regarding the upcoming free dress day, students were advised to reveal no more than what would be shown in the traditional uniform. The rule, not having previously been enforced, was ignored by nearly all students. In the first hour alone, at least three girls, myself included, were reprimanded for clothing not meeting the dress code standards.
Unsurprisingly, violators were by and large sent to the primarily male deans, who displayed little sympathy for the plight of the students. Male students were allowed to gallivant around campus in sleeveless T-shirts and muscle tees unperturbed, whereas girls walked around in fear of being taken aside and chastised for supposedly provocative attire.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
In the last semester of school at Woodward Academy, students have been disciplined for dress code violations with a newfound vigor from faculty. School staff members are frequently posted by entrances, exits and popular areas to ensure uniforms are worn properly. This is jolting, primarily due to Woodward’s previously somewhat progressive dress code policies.
In 2020, a dress code committee was formed with the intention of providing fair and equal treatment to students accused of dress code violations. The predominantly female committee is only called upon when requested, but most students know nothing about how to make a request. Many students aren’t aware that such a committee even exists, despite its express purpose of being there to aid students.
A year after the committee was formed, a student met with Woodward Academy President Stuart Gulley with regards to a rule in the school handbook banning locs and braids on male students. The student was lauded for his bravery in Woodward’s quarterly magazine and commended for ensuring an equitable environment for Woodward students, and the rule was promptly struck from the handbook.
Following this change, students expected the dress code to follow suit, becoming more progressive as public opinion began to turn against gendered policies, especially in academic settings. Unfortunately for female students, the dress code stayed relatively constant. The only significant change was in skirt length. Administrators lengthened the uniform “skort” to make it look “more professional,” as explained in a statement to the school’s paper in 2021.
Male faculty members at Woodward have been well known to spark controversy regarding student attire. A few years ago over the intercom, a dean advised students to cover up the “three B’s,” referring to butts, breasts and bellies. Notably, no such advisory was mentioned for male chests, nor was the gender-neutral term used at all. While not frequently equitable across genders, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, public school dress code “requirements may not differ based on students’ gender, race, religion, or other protected characteristics.” Nothing of the sort exists for private schools, leaving administrations free to do essentially whatever they please.
In a school with gender-neutral bathrooms on every floor, designated pride celebrations and nearly all religious holidays off (not just the Christian ones), the dress code is a blemish on a generally inclusive and welcoming institution. I love my school and the faculty and students that Woodward embodies. However, I find it increasingly difficult to accept a dress code that is selectively enforced to target women. It’s humiliating and quite frankly dehumanizing in this day and age to walk around campus scared that you could be sent home and miss a day’s worth of classes, just because your shoulders are visible.
Through continued inaction towards dress code reform, we’ve let an outdated practice run amok — promoting and re-instilling sexist ideals in an otherwise progressive institution. I want to believe in the integrity of my school and my community, and I believe that we’re capable of treating our female students with the same respect and standards as their male counterparts. High schools have been allowed in far too many places and ways to subordinate the educational experience of women. In the real world, women aren’t held to dress codes in most colleges or workspaces.
If men can’t focus on their education while a shoulder blade, thigh, or hint of cleavage is visible, how will they be expected to concentrate on anything professional or academic after high school? In a true college preparatory environment, as Woodward claims to foster, men need no such coddled protection from the scandalous shoulder.
About the Author
