Latter-day Saint Life

One Important Aspect About Body Image We Sometimes Forget When It Comes to Dress Codes

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"Dress codes are often necessary and helpful to ensure everyone is on the same page about what to wear, but they can be written from a place of love, understanding and respect, rather than from a place of fear."

Our hearts broke when we saw a flyer for a church prom with these instructions this week. 

► You'll also like: "5 Ways to Help Youth See Modesty Differently"

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Image from beautyredefined.org

We understand the desire to clearly and strictly enforce a dress code for young women who are slammed with messages telling them their value lies in their sexual appeal above all else. But dress codes like this one don’t help that cause, and might inadvertently do more harm than good. Here’s why: They inadvertently sexualize young women as a collection of inappropriate body parts, positioning them as threats to be mitigated at any cost.

Lead image from Getty Images
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