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Dear Next President,

I understand the importance of a school's dress code, but I feel as if it’s addressed on to the girls differently so guys don't act a certain way. They should just be taught to behave. With girls already having lower self esteem, letting them wear whatever they think looks best at school could help. I think our next president could make a change to this problem.

I feel as if girls at school are being body shamed and are definitely treated unfairly to what girls vs. guys can wear to school. An article called The Guardian also agrees. “There are far more rules about girls’ clothing than boys’. When teenagers are denied classroom time it privileges their sexualization over their right to learn” (Bates). “While the boys have been punished for some dress code violations too, it's clear that the majority of cases involve girls’ appearance being policed.”

These days, everyone is measured the same with clothes, by your fingertips. Jessie Williams wrote in an article called Fingertip Length. “ Fingertips. That's how ‘modesty was measured when I was in school. Sleeveless shirts had to be as wide as three fingers. Skirts, shorts, and dresses were required to meet the fingertip-length test. If you had long legs or arms you were out of luck. If your limbs did not limit your apparel, well, the administration still often used their judgement in determining you were not fit to receive an education amongst your peers in the attire of choice” (Williams). I have the problem of long arms so even though a dress I want to wear is fairly long my fingers would agree otherwise. These rules make it harder to shop for clothes because you can’t just find a cute outfit then buy it. You have to make sure it follows these unreasonable requirements.

I think clothes girls wear should not cause a problem for others. I would like to know someone who failed their math class because someone in their’s stomach war showing or their shorts were too short. We should not have to take the girls out of their learning time because of the clothes they wear. Having these dress codes makes girls feel like their bodies are ‘dangerous’ because other people are now not able to focus in class.

So, Future President, don’t you think it’s time to change the way people look at girls. They should be treated more than a distraction from the clothes they wear. I feel girls will feel more confident in themselves, allowing them to wear what makes them look best.

Sincerely,

Erica M.