Throughout my years as a student, I have found that school dress codes and most dress codes in general have a habit of objectifying women. They force us to cover-up our natural bodies, as if the shoulder of a female is any different from that of a male, and they turn our bodies into staring contests simply because of our gender. Dress codes teach men that it’s okay to sexualize women by making us take responsibility for their staring and catcalls. They’re taught that our clothing choices somehow create an open-invitation to make us feel uncomfortable. The truth of the matter is that I like to wear dresses that frame the curves of my body, because it makes me feel confident. I don’t decide what to wear each morning based on what I think will draw the most attention. I wrote this slam poem in the hopes to educate the men who objectify women based on their clothes and help any woman who has ever felt sexualized by a dress code.
Hello dress code,
I am here to say
If you’re distracted by my shoulders
Then please look away
Hello dress code,
I am going to plea
For you to realize
That these breasts don’t define me
Hello dress code,
I am here to ask
Why am I blamed for pigs
Who can’t look past my ass
I was born with these shoulders,
These breasts and this butt
I was born as a person
Who is not willing to put up
With sexist rules
That try to define me
By the dip of my shirt
And the skin on my knee
I don’t dress to be sexy
I’m not a prize that can be gaped at
Stop objectifying me
I’m more than my shape
It seems to me that
No matter how hard we women try
Men having trouble seeing
Beyond what hits their eyes
They say we are equal
Yet we don’t have the same pay
I’m still waiting
For women’s true equality day
Hello dress code,
It’s true, I do think about romance
And men say there’s nothing wrong with this
As long as I don’t claim my hormonal stance
I have emotions and feelings
That cannot be stopped
But no one would believe me
If I said I didn’t want my pants dropped
That I don’t want to be taken advantage of
That I deserve a choice
Hello dress code,
I’m taking back my voice
I’m sick of the men in power
That try to justify this oppression
Whose wandering eyes
seem to have x-ray vision
So today I proclaim
That I will fight
These sexist rules
That try to control my life
I will free my nipples
I will wear a thong
Hello dress code,
I don’t care what you think is right or wrong
Because no matter what
I will be me
Hello dress code,
I will be heard, I will be powerful, I will be free
