Dress code defines little

It’s often said, “Your first appearance is everything.” People judge one another based on the way they look. Every woman wants to feel and/or look sexy. But there comes a point where if a woman looks too sexy she’s negatively judged. The media has created a fine line between sexy and causing a woman to be called out of her name.

If someone was dressed in a suit on television, it’s assumed that this person is a professional. On the other hand, if a woman is dressed provocatively, she is deemed as being very promiscuous. For women, it’s not common to see a governor, doctor or an executive of a major company dressed very sexy. But is this stereotype of a commonly portrayed “character” implying that all women who dress this way are overly sexual? And women who don’t aren’t?

If a woman is seen wearing an outfit that’s too revealing, she’ll be classified as a “hoochie,” or considered un-lady like. In music videos where the women is wearing close to nothing on and the artists are doing things like throwing money at them even if it’s not their profession. Last year during FAMU’s homecoming, three women who were walking along the strip were harassed and disrespected by a group of men. It was shocking to see officers who were present turn their heads. Another guy who walked by said the women “asked” for the negative attention because of what they were wearing.

So is it safe to say that men who wear baggy clothes deserve to be harassed by the police?

In one incident, police searched a black male standing outside a club with his friends because he looked suspicious. The officer randomly pointed him out and pulled him to the side. The officers placed him in handcuffs while they searched him. Men and women who walked by screamed out “that’s not right” to the officers. After being humiliated the officer released him.

Why were so many people willing to stand up for the guy who was wrongfully judged but no one said anything in the women’s defense?

No one deserves to be disrespected or harassed. Until gatekeepers, who control what goes into mainstream media, change certain personas, dress for success. That’s if you want respect.