Every generation of young women has gone through some kind of trial. Something to oppose, something to fight, and something to fix going forward. There’s always something to push women back down. But this generation, there’s a new opposition at hand, and possibly one of the most unfair mandates put onto them: the dress code.

Dress codes, for the unfamiliar, are a list of rules and mandates which dictate what one can and cannot wear. And in many cases, this is needed. Not every day can be Casual Friday at the office, nor should you wear green as a meteorologist, and wearing loose and baggy pants around heavy machinery can cause some serious consequences. Those are created with some sense, and have saved people from trouble many times. But, school dress codes have been proving time and time again, seemingly their only purpose is to discriminate against women and young girls.

No ripped jeans. No “spaghetti strap” tank tops. No shirts with a midriff. God forbid if your shorts are too short. To some, these may sound familiar. And to a few, maybe they’ve had a run in with a teacher or a faculty member that had them sent down to the main office. But why? Is there really going to be a disturbance in education if you can see someone’s stomach or thighs?
No. There isn’t going to be, and to be honest, there never was.

The existence of the dress code is made to shame young women and girls for merely just wearing something they want.
And in most cases, it’s not like they are wearing something so scant that it is unavoidable to look at. Though even then, that still shouldn’t matter.