I chose "Targeting 'Slutty' Students" because the title sounded interesting, especially since teenagers these days have no shame in what they wear anymore. But as I was reading the article, the author had a completely different view than I thought. The article is written by Jessica Valenti from "The Nation". Valenti introduces the school, Stuyvesant High School, which had "Slutty Wednesday" where all the students took this day to break the dress code. According to the teachers of the school, many kids have been breaking the dress code on a daily basis such as wearing skirts and tank tops which is causing a distraction and how the female students are being seen as sexual images. Valenti seems to disagree with this and is arguing that these teenage girls should be allowed to wear what they want without being stopped by teachers and being lectured on what to wear. I completely disagree with this because if you look at what kids wear these days, it's disgusting. In the article, Valenti kept on applauding the students for taking action and continuing to wear whatever they want but seriously, we shouldn't be encouraging them more since how fast kids are getting into drugs and sex at such a young age.
Rhetorical Strategies:
Alliteration: "it’s is the shaming and shameful..." She used these word choices and created an alliteration to emphasize her opinion on this subject.
Sarcasm: "from wearing anything that bares their shoulders. (The horror!)" She used sarcasm to show how she feels towards the students wearing a certain of type clothing and put "the horror" in parenthesis indicating that it really isn't a big deal. This method she used quickly set up her point of view which is being against stopping students from wearing what they want.
Setting: "This week students at New York’s Stuyvesant High School (my alma mater) protested a discriminatory dress code by participating in “Slutty Wednesday”" Valenti introduced the article with the school and location which is in New York and in Stuyvesant High School. This is important because it shows where this issue is being taken place in.
Tone: Valenti's tone through out the article is defensive because of how the teachers and staff treat the students towards their outfits. She repeatedly brought up the fact of women being seen as a sex symbol because of their curves and believes that women should be allowed to wear what they want without being judged. She also brought up how if her daughter went to this school, she would make her daughter break the dress code everyday which seems pretty messed up to me.
Ethics: "In addition to the violation of female students’ rights, the thinking behind the code sends a dangerous message to young women – that they are responsible for the way in which society objectifies and sexualizes them." This quote shows Valenti's point of view on how society sees women and with the dress codes that schools set up, it really effects women on the long run.
5 comments:
To suggest these girls don't know the responses they're going to get from the clothes they wear is to suggest they are incapable of rational thought.
It's disgusting to read this author encourage girls to wear whatever they want. Obviously men these days, even women, judge a person by what they wear and if they're wearing a short skirt and see through shirts, she's considered a whore. Most of the time, it's true! I was pissed reading this. No shame.
I have to agree with Steve on this. From a strictly legal standpoint, there is an ongoing issue with the whole dress-code policy. Some claim that it is a student's first amendment right to wear whatever they want, because it is "freedom of expression."
I actually have a personal example of this (although it does not directly involve "sluttiness", it is related to the idea of freedom of expression through clothes as a constitutionally protected right). When I was in the 8th grade, a brother of one of my classmates was involved in a nationally recognized court case. I do not at ALL agree with the sentencing and the actions of the student with his choice of clothes, but nonetheless, it is a topic far out of the control of little high school girls in mini-skirts.
I will leave a link to the article about the boy I am talking about and the court's ruling.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/article_c4ef6a65-f74c-5334-8163-77bf8f46534b.html
The District Court ended up ruling that the shirt was NOT protected by First Amendment rights (assuredly because it was so offensive), but if we take the same principle and apply it to short skirts...is it really offensive? Or just...frowned upon? Food for thought.
Wow I totally disagree with Valenti. I wonder what the parents of these students have to say about "slutty Wednesday". It's not about letting the girls wear slutty clothes the point is who is the school to give these kids permission to wear certain clothing.
I see what you're trying to say and kids should have the right to be as stylish as they want. But sometimes, especially now, kids take it way too far with clothes. I recently went to my high school and these girls were wearing nothing. Your style can say alot about the kind of person you can be and for students to wear short skirts and see through tops is not their age. I was on both sides with this article though. I just kept thinking of how fast younger generations are being introduced to sex and drugs rather than clothing I guess. If that made any sense.
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