Policing the Female Body

Surveillance tools have long been used to police vulnerable communities. When we think about surveillance, we often only think about the use of sophisticated technology by agents of the government. Yet, there are many other surveillance tools that are often weaponized by those in power to exert their control over those with considerably less power and privilege.

One such tool is the omnipresent dress code. From khakis and a polo to business professional, many of us have been subject to a dress code at one point or another in our lives. In this presentation, I connect the presence of dress codes in schools as one method to indoctrinate young people to surveillance. ‍

‍Developed for the Bold Girls Society of Girls Inc., Chicago, the presentation focuses specifically on the use of dress codes to police the appearance and behavior of women. With the help of Ms. Ivanta Chwoice, we discussed the development of dress codes, their widespread presence in our society (even once out of school), and their connection to surveillance technology.

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