Want to end sexism? Start with hard look at school dress codes

Leggings. Straps thinner than three finger widths. Bare midriffs.

What do those things have in common? You're more likely to see them on girls, and they're listed as prohibited on the websites of an alarming number of Quebec elementary and high schools.

Here are some more: No rolled-up pants, skirts shorter than knee length, cleavage or “outlandish hair,” whatever that means.

When children are told they must not show too much shoulder or have any belly showing, we are teaching them their bodies are a distraction and should be hidden. It sets a tone that they are being or could be sexualized and that the onus is on them to prevent it.

A girl shouldn't be told not to have a bra strap showing in case a boy snaps it. Boys should be told to keep their hands off.

Shoulders and belly buttons are not private parts — how can that be a controversial statement?

These regulations effectively target girls and gender-fluid children and are incredibly subjective. While one school employee might stop to measure a child's clothing, another might not notice, making the entire system unfair.

There is a grand imbalance between protecting some students from the “distraction” of a child in spaghetti straps and protecting one student from the disruption of being singled out for wearing a halter top in the summertime. Put the ruler away and don't take it out till math class.

Why are we wasting our time telling girls they can be anything they want if we're simultaneously telling them they can't do it while wearing leggings?

In 2019, Québec solidaire MNA Catherine Dorion flooded news feeds not because of her political positions, but because of what she was wearing. She was barred by National Assembly members from entering the Blue Room because she was wearing a hoodie, and she was targeted for wearing Doc Martens and T-shirts and for posing in a short skirt in the National Assembly on Halloween. If she dressed that way back when she was in a classroom, it at least didn't distract her: She has two degrees, is an author, is active in the arts and has held several positions with Québec solidaire.

Dress codes aren't about teaching kids about workplace expectations. School already teaches them work happens during the day and that it's normal to bring work home with them. But workplaces are changing, and how we present ourselves in a professional setting is something they are likely to see modelled at home.

Here are the reasons forms of dress should be restricted:

For reasons of safety.

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Where brand promotion,

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vulgarity or gang colours are prohibited.

Where a uniform is mandated.

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The subtleties of a dress code might not be immediately apparent. Even in schools with uniforms, the clothing list might be broken down into what is acceptable for boys and girls. This further marginalizes gender-fluid and transgender children, and telegraphs to the student body that gender conformity can be regulated.

Parents should approach their school administration for an accounting of expectations and demand change.

Ending sexism and the sexualization of children starts with us.