March 20, 2025
By Zahara Chowdhury
Editor-in-Chief
This article is part of a six-part in-depth reporting project about women’s issues.
From government regulations to professional dress codes, women’s clothing has been debated and scrutinized worldwide.
Sophomore Mariam Selim, who has family in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, said the country’s dress codes are impacted by Islam, which is the nation’s official and majority religion, with more than 56% of the population being Muslim.
Selim said that although the government in Dubai does not enforce Islamic dress codes, which include avoiding tight clothing and covering from their shoulders to knees, people should respect the religion by dressing modestly.
“It’s also for [women’s] protection, to keep that kind of gaze away from you,” Selim said. “I’d actually love to live in Dubai. It’s one of the safest [cities] in the world.”
She said in the United States, women have more liberty in their fashion choices.
“In America, clothing is whatever you choose it to be, so [if] you want to go out in the shortest shorts and shortest t-shirt on the planet, you can because our laws aren’t really affected by [modesty] or any religious beliefs,” Selim said.
She said gendered expectations about clothing are especially problematic in business settings.
“There are a lot of women who are not dressed comfortabl[y], but that’s considered business attire,” Selim said. “Why are heels and dressing in a dress or skirt and button-up considered business attire for women? Why are we doing something that’s harming our feet… to fit that societal standard?”
Sophomore Constantina Moreno said societal expectations pressure women to dress according to beauty standards and cultural norms.
“In some societies, modesty is emphasized, while in others, fashion trends dictate what is considered appropriate. Women may face judgment or discrimination for dressing too conservatively or too revealingly,” Moreno said.
“These acts of resistance highlight the ongoing struggle for women’s autonomy and self-expression.”
Women have protested these restrictions for years, trying to reverse oppressive legislation. Since 2014, Iranian women have posted themselves without hijabs–head coverings worn by Muslim women–on a Facebook page named My Stealthy Freedom to oppose compulsory hijab laws in the country. Along with this movement, in 2017, founder Masih Alinejad launched the White Wednesdays campaign, which encouraged women to remove their headscarves or wear white in support of these demonstrations.
Furthermore, in 2010, the French Parliament passed a ban on wearing face coverings in public, including burqas and niqabs, which are Islamic garments worn by women that cover all or most of the face and body. Although this law was to maintain the country’s secularism, French people have protested the legislation, which they say impedes on Muslim women’s right to follow their religion.
More recently, at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the French government prohibited Muslim women on its team from wearing hijabs. The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a statement in October 2024, urging France to reverse its position.
“These acts of resistance highlight the ongoing struggle for women’s autonomy and self-expression,” Moreno said. “Governments should prioritize personal freedom while respecting cultural traditions.”
History teacher Ms. Schiraldi also said government regulations on women’s clothing are problematic.
“There should never be anyone–man, woman or anyone else–telling someone what they should or should not wear,” Schiraldi said. “It’s a form of control over women that some men think they need to do.”
Schiraldi said she strives to teach her students about the history of female oppression.
“[Women] should not take [their rights] for granted ever because women fought for many, many, many generations to get out of that oppression, and we should never go back,” Schiraldi said.
She said she advises women to persist through the injustices they encounter.
“Women are going to be continually discriminated [against], and that’s why they just have to keep pushing forward and breaking glass ceilings,” Schiraldi said. “You just gotta keep pushing your limits… in free speech and [how] you want to dress.”
