“That top is not leaving much room for the imagination.”
It’s quips like these that actually point to something much deeper than a dress code violation. From schools to Hollywood sets, women’s breasts have been deemed a distraction for men — a way to excuse a man’s desire.
A boy could show up to school wearing a muscle tee and no one would bat an eye. A girl showing up in a tank top with her bra straps peeking through, though, that’s a different story. According to the Government Accountability Office girls face 83% of all dress code violations. In other words, dress codes have been stricter for girls than for boys because a girl’s body, especially her breasts, supposedly creates a distraction in the learning environment. Dress code violations span from tops that show cleavage and bra straps to sheer material and tight tops, inherently objectifying a natural part of a girl’s body.
Another overwhelmingly common example of the oversexualization of breasts is seen through public perception of breast feeding. This is one of the ways mothers feed their children, yet it is stigmatized because breasts are associated with sex appeal. Mothers are forced to distance themselves from public view during this process. Sometimes there are separate rooms mothers are told to go into just so they can feed their baby, but other times they are told to go to bathrooms or anywhere “out of sight.”
As if breast feeding isn’t tiring enough, mothers need to excuse themselves and walk away for a task that takes them up to an average of 35 hours per week.
Adding to the stigma, in many Hollywood blockbusters, there is always that one girl that nobody finds attractive. It isn’t till a character tells her to ditch the baggy clothes and wear tighter ones that accentuates her curves and breasts that everyone in school falls in love with her, like in the movie “She’s All That.” This stereotype sends the message to girls that showing their breasts is the only way to make somebody fall in love with them.
Dress codes encourage girls to cover up, yet, Hollywood emphasizes breast size with everything from the actress’s wardrobe to the camera angle zooming in on her chest. At the same time that Hollywood accentuates larger breasts, much of society portrays them as inappropriate, or a distraction. This is just one of the double standards that exist when it comes to a woman’s chest. “One size fits all” is another one. In reality, those clothing lines prefer smaller chests but advertise for all types of bodies. However, smaller breasts are linked to less sexual appeal in society because of the idea that breasts must be linked to a woman’s sexual worth in the eyes of men. The double standards society places on breasts put women in a difficult situation.