Dress Codes and the Social Construction of “Appropriate” and “Inappropriate” Appearance in Schools

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The image above is a picture of a dress code poster from School of Our Lady of Atocha, Inc. in Magsaysay, that they had posted on facebook. The poster is divided into two sections Proper Attire and Improper Attire. They list approved clothing items such as t-shirts or polo shirts, long-sleeved tops, jeans or pants, knee-length skirts or dresses, and closed shoes or sandals. On the other hand, items marked as unacceptable include crop tops, tank tops, sleeveless or tube tops, backless clothing, short skirts, shorts, and flip-flops. These clothing items are all crossed out with red X marks. The poster concludes with a bold warning: “No Proper Dress Code, No Entry”, followed by a thank-you message for cooperation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Dress code policies like this one are very common in schools across the United States and around the world. They are typically justified by school administrators as a way to try and maintain a focused, respectful learning environment and to help reduce distractions in the classroom. School staff often argue that dress codes promote a more equality by help limiting visible differences between students. However, these policies are also widely criticized for targeting certain groups, especially female students, by trying to policy their bodies and clothing more strictly. This poster is an example that shows how institutions attempt to regulate appearance in order to try and shape behavior, discipline students, and to maintain a specific image within the school environment.

In Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas she argues that the ideas of cleanliness and disorder are only socially created rather than something that's natural. She explains that “dirt is matter out of place,” she means something is only really seen as wrong or inappropriate when it appears in a context where it is not often most expected. For example, an outfit that is acceptable in one setting, like the beach, may be considered inappropriate in another, like said school. This helps show that what we label as “inappropriate” is not based on just the item itself, but more on the social "rules" about where it normally belongs. Additionally, Jeffrey Alexander’s concept of the civil sphere helps explains that societies are organized through symbolic boundaries that separate what is considered “civil” from what is “uncivil.” Things that are often labeled “civil” are associated with being more respectful, and self-controlled, while what is often labeled as “uncivil” is often seen as disruptive, excessive, or even threatening. These distinctions help shape how people are included or excluded in social life.

The dress code poster helps reflect both Douglas’s and Alexander’s arguments, by showing how clothing becomes a way to enforce social boundaries. Items like crop tops or ripped jeans are not inherently inappropriate, but within the context of school they are treated as so, which makes them seem wrong. This reflects Douglas’s idea that something becomes unacceptable based on where it appears, not what it is. Also at the same time, the dress code does more than label clothing, it also assigns a meaning to students’ appearances. Students who follow and obey the rules are often seen as more disciplined, respectful, and “civil,” while those who do not are often framed as distracting or inappropriate, and therefore are often labeled as “uncivil.” This reflects Alexander’s idea that social institutions actively create boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable people. Dress code shapes not only how students dress, but how they are judged, this pushes more for ideas about respectability, and who truly belongs within the school’s environment. This shows that dress codes are not just about clothing, but about who is seen as a ‘good’ student and who does not belong within the school environment.


Bibliography

Alexander, Jeffery C. 2006. The Civil Sphere, Capitalized. New York: Oxford University Press.

Douglas, M. (1966). Purity and Danger. Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo, 1(1). Retrieved from https://moodle.kenyon.edu/pluginfile.php/545384/mod_resource/content/0/Douglas%20-%20Purity%20and%20Danger%20A.pdf

Charter School.. “Reminder: Proper Dress Code for Campus Attire to All Students, Parents, Guardians.” Facebook. Retrieved April 3, 2026 (https://www.facebook.com/100057266267214/posts/975851784333688/

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