SUSPENDING SELF-EXPRESSION Punishing Girls of Color in New York City Schools Through School Dress Code Enforcement
Girls for Gender Equity (GGE) examined the public-facing dress codes of 50 middle schools and 50 high schools across New York City, finding many prohibitions on gendered ways of dress ranging from bans on “lipstick” to bans on “platform shoes.” While the restrictiveness and severity of dress codes varied across the 100 schools, prohibitions on feminized dress were pervasive – often including sanctions that conflict with Department of Education (DOE) guidelines.
“Oversized earrings” “Hairstyles that are disruptive” “Excessive makeup” “Headscarves” “Provocative clothing”
ISSUE I: GENDER RESTRICTIVE RULES In 2016, GGE released our School Girls Deserve report where students called for the elimination of gender biased dress codes, challenging teachers and administrators to undo sexist and heteronormative ideas of gender. Now, in 2020, we are uplifting this demand as respect for gender expression remains largely absent from school dress codes.
POLICY
PRACTICE
According to the DOE’s Guidelines on Gender Inclusion:
Despite these guidelines, prohibitions on gendered dress show up across codes:
Dress codes must be written, enforced, and applied equally to all students regardless of gender
and
must
be
free
of
gender
stereotypes. For example, where a school seeks to prohibit revealing clothing, the school
should
use
gender-neutral
language such as ‘clothing that does not provide coverage of torso, undergarments and private parts, including see-through clothing’
as
opposed
to
prohibiting
‘distracting’ clothing or certain types of clothing
which
are
stereotypically
55 Codes Banned “Crop Tops” 38 Codes Banned “Halter Tops” 33 Codes Banned “Short Shorts” 28 Codes Banned “Tube Tops” 27 Codes Banned “Mini Skirts”