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Inequalities surrounding school uniforms
Compared to places of employment, schools have a far more equal dress code. Due to the government’s overall encouragement, many secondary schools in the United Kingdom have chosen a ‘blazer and tie’ uniform. These items of clothing are typically allocated to both boys and girls when in a co-educational school environment, to ensure each gender is treated fairly by the school uniform requirements. This is because when some schools initially only required boys to wear ties under the dress code, many found it unjust. Therefore, the accepted blazer and tie uniform that is generally mandatory for both sexes is leading to a more gender-neutral and more equitable school uniform. Simultaneously, this enhances the school’s sense of community by making the students appear more alike whilst creating greater equality between male and female students, thus this feature of the common school uniform can be viewed as feminist.
On the other hand, it could be argued that female students receive a higher number of options in their dress code in comparison to their male classmates. Specifically, girls are permitted to wear skirts and in many public schools in the UK, they also have the choice of wearing trousers (as seen by the vast availability of girls’ school trousers in stores). Meanwhile, the majority of schools demand boys to wear full-length trousers without providing them with some form of alternative. This can be problematic for the schoolboys during hot weather as they cannot down-dress their layers in the same way girls can when wearing a skirt. For some, this leads to unjust feelings and is a cause of these different rules between the sexes which does not fulfill the feminist goal of gender equality.
To combat this disparity some schools have taken a stricter approach of banning skirts altogether for girls and boys hence resulting in an identical dress code for each gender. This does cater to transgender students as they will be able to wear clothing that makes them feel comfortable and accepted which is a positive impact of the change. However, this can cause issues with female pupils who preferred wearing skirts as their form of self-expression. This is because instead of providing more choices to students to achieve uniform equality between the sexes and standardize each sex wearing the uniform style that they feel represents them best, it is cutting down on options that have previously been normalized in society and this may cause feelings of injustice. Other establishments of education have approached the topic more leniently by allowing both sexes to wear skirts and trousers which similarly results in an equal dress code. A survey conducted by YouGov found that 40% of adults and 41% of children supported the idea of both sexes being given the choice of wearing trousers and skirts which for both age groups was the most highly chosen option. These statistics indicate that the public’s preferred way of dealing with gender inequality in school uniforms is the more accepting approach. However, even with the people’s support and enthusiasm from some headteachers, many schools choose to maintain tradition and are yet to approach this topic of unfair dress codes which compromise the male student’s uniform options. As a consequence of this difference between female and male student dress codes in numerous schools, one can conclude that even though there are exceptions, school uniform as a whole is not entirely feminist.
During the heavily influential Enlightenment where individuals focused on reason and individualism schools started to be built for both genders and poorer social classes. A girl’s school uniform commonly consisted of a modest skirt and a blouse meanwhile a boy’s uniform was wearing cotton trousers and a shirt. Even though the boy’s school uniform has not changed much since the 18th century, the fact that girls can now typically wear skirts or trousers to school demonstrates slight progress in female empowerment through self-expression if the girl wants to wear trousers.
Compared to the modern-day bra, the stays have more practicality in terms of their design. The 18th century stays pushed the bust upwards using the waist as support which relieves the shoulders from straining in the way that the modern bra does not, this argument of design utility is in favor of the stays. However, in the early Georgian era, women were expected to wear the stays or any similar variation when leaving the house otherwise it would have negatively impacted their social image. This dress code opposes modern feminist views of giving women a choice in how they dress and express themselves. The contemporary bra selection allows women to feel supported in activities they choose to do. Moreover, owing to movements such as the ‘Free the nipple campaign’ women are in the process of normalizing going braless thus giving women control in the form of the empowering choice between wearing and not wearing a bra. In conclusion, the bra as a physical item of clothing cannot be described as feminist or not feminist due to the variety of personal opinions an individual may have about them. However, one can deduce that the presence of a choice between not wearing a bra and wearing one of the many variations of the bra is feminist. Considering that feminism is about gender equality and taking apart the patriarchy, a woman having her own choice in what she feels most comfortable wearing not wearing in the same way that a man does is feminist.
Modern fashion has significantly progressed from the strict social norms of the 18th century. Once when women were expected to wear extravagant and impractical gowns, now they have the additional choice between short skirts, trousers, and suits. Nonetheless, there is potential for improvement. The difference between men’s and women’s footwear in the workplace is unjust due to the physical impacts prolonged wearing of heels has on the well-being of the woman can be fixed to create a more just uniform. Furthermore, school dress codes have the potential to be modified further to achieve the goal of gender equality between students however only a few people in power are making changes. Although several people’s attitudes have not completely changed from the traditional mindset that believes girls must be feminine and boys must dress in a masculine way therefore change is unnecessary. The fashion industry has accepted the feminist goals targeted toward fashion. Modern fashion is empowering women by providing clothing in a multitude of styles and designs so all women can express themselves in a way that makes them feel strong and comfortable. Furthermore, helping to dismantle the patriarchy by supplying women with clothing that the patriarchy would attempt to control the display of. Lastly, modern fashion is closer to achieving gender equality in terms of clothing by endorsing men who want to wear feminine clothing and women who want to wear masculine clothing by offering convenient access to both. In conclusion, modern fashion truly reflects feminism due to the ample variety of clothing available to both men and women, allowing them to express themselves in any way that feels empowering to them.
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