The New York Times contains a very interesting piece in the Op- Ed section today. It’s about the dress code in Berkeley, California that appears to be taking students back to the good old 1960’s and ‘70’s. Hem lengths are being measured, tank tops are required to have wide shoulders, covering more skin, inseams cannot be too short- and the well-endowed girls (even in junior high) are being singled out because of the distraction factor they have for boys. Apparently this is not only happening in California- in Illinois female students had their necklines digitally raised in yearbook pictures.
In the past males were singled out as well, often for long hair or pants that were being worn too low- but it seems the girls are getting more of the attention now as it is felt that if their dress is too seductive, they are inviting trouble from boys. It’s an old issue and one we thought had been settled, so it’s natural to wonder why it’s rising again and what it has to say about our culture and attitude towards women today.
The author of the NY Times piece even wonders about her own thinking in that she worries about how her daughter dresses because she “doesn’t want her to be a target.” No kidding- what mother or father doesn’t worry about this and is the problem their thinking, the culture we live in, or basic biology, especially that of young heterosexual males? It’s safe to say that it’s some combination of these and that each has some weight in the decision of schools to tighten up dress codes, parents to ask their girls to change into something less revealing- and our culture to wonder if the way a woman presents herself contributes to a man’s getting the wrong idea.
Regardless, there is no excuse for crude catcalls, rude comments or unwelcome come-ons. No is no and it can be communicated in many different ways- verbally and nonverbally. However, women can help protect themselves and not become a statistic by raising their awareness on many fronts- where they go, what they drink, who they talk to and how- and yes, what their clothes and overall presentation say about them and what they are looking for. It’s great and feels good to look sexy and every woman wants to be seen that way- just as long as it comes with an understanding that you can admire but not touch without permission or make assumptions based solely on what you see. Wouldn’t it be great if we had evolved to this point already?
Almost as important as safety is the issue of respect. Women have fought to be taken seriously in the classroom, boardroom and in their homes. They want men to appreciate and know the woman under the clothes and attractive façade. Therefore if they help to feed the culture that objectifies them- they will not get what they want and have worked so hard for.
