My Opinions on the Dress Code Motion

I care much less about whether people can show their belly buttons in this school than I do about the underlying patriarchal norms that the dress code motion brings to light. What does it say about us that we are establishing rules that regulate/police women's bodies in a very different way than they do men's? Because, let's be honest, wording which allows/disallows people from showing their belly buttons in this school will affect girls, not boys.

The patriarchal, heteronormative powers which have constructed the norms of our society have defined what a woman should look like and how a woman should dress. As a result, women's clothing is more revealing and tight, displaying women's bodies in a way that would look ridiculous if done to men. Women are praised and appreciated for wearing revealing clothing in certain contexts. In others (and as in the proposed dress code), however, they are punished for wearing the very clothing which our patriarchal society deems "attractive."

I understand that school is a work environment. I understand that wearing revealing clothing makes teachers uncomfortable. And I don't personally feel compelled to wear clothing which shows my belly button. But I think that any conversation about regulations for what women can/cannot wear needs to take into account why women wear what they do. It needs to acknowledge how the patriarchal powers which govern our society encourage women to wear revealing clothing but consequently punish those who do.