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The female dress code is judged more critically because of how women are sexualized in the eye of society, especially on media. Gender, the social construction of how people should behave, also sets the direction of one’s appearance in private as well as public life. Thus, women have to constantly self monitor out of fear of being inappropriate.
All women should have the ability to decide what to wear and when to wear it, free of judgement and condescension of others. If a woman feels confident, anyone that discourages her clothing should be ashamed. No person has the right to make others unhappy. Women are frequently forced to confine themselves to the standards that society sets for their choices, while men can get away with wearing just about everything. Just because a woman is wearing something that shows off her figure, does not mean that it should be defaulted as inappropriate.
Primarily, many dress codes are aimed at females. Rather than teaching others to not sexualize girls by the outfit choices, people—more often men—are being taught that it is okay to objectify women. This stems into larger issues later in life. If no one is telling men to stop dehumanizing women at a younger age, then when they mature and find themselves fitting into the workplace, they will be more likely to think that looking at females in a sexual way is okay. Additionally, many dress codes lack male clothing restrictions, so dress codes have been made into a way for administration to single mostly females out.
Dress codes are often necessary and helpful to ensure everyone is on the same page about what to wear, but they can be written from a place of love, understanding and respect, rather than from a place of fear. They can be written in such a way that doesn’t unnecessarily deconstruct girls into collections of body parts to be covered. They can reinforce personal accountability for everyone’s appropriate dress, guided by uniform instructions. The understanding that our bodies are sacred and our sexual appeal does not determine our worth. If you’re willing to be clear and thorough enough to inventory all possible dress code violations for girls, why not just be up front and clear about the fact that you’re concerned about attendees choosing attire that highlights their sex appeal too much for the setting.
The whole “not worrying about your dress or your body thing” is absolutely crucial. That process of monitoring your body, thinking about what you look like to others all the time, is called self-objectification. Most girls and women live in a state of self-objectification because of our culture that objectifies women’s bodies.