Recently, ULM’s Activity Center implemented a dress code that only applies to women. This dress code states that women can no longer wear crop tops or sports bras because of an incident where a female was being filmed and photographed while working out, according to KNOE.

Instead of telling the instigator to stop taking photos, the building just made a dress code for all women, even though the woman was a victim in that situation. 

The dress code is not a proper action to protect women who want to work out comfortably.  SGA is currently trying to get the dress code active for men as well, consisting of no supercut tank tops, but it is still unclear at the Activity Center. 

Although SGA is taking a step in the right direction for a wrong decision, two wrongs do not add up to make a right. 

This dress code was a drastic decision to “fix” a problem when another solution could be applied. According to The Exponent, other schools like Baldwin Wallace University struggle with similar dress code issues, and the students have asked for the dress code to be lifted. The same should happen here. 

Instead of implementing a dress code that inhibits future women from wearing their choice of clothing, the Activity Center could have told the people taking pictures and videos to stop recording. 

They could have also told the harasser to delete said pictures and recordings off their devices or prohibited recording in the workout areas altogether. 

Instead of applying these alternate solutions, the Activity Center took the easy way out by laying a blanket statement dress code over the victims and potential victims. 

The instigators of the issue are not the ones receiving any new restrictions or rules, but rather it is the victims receiving restrictions on what they can and cannot wear to work out. 

The Activity Center’s new dress code does not help the women who want to peacefully and comfortably work out. The dress code only applying to women is an insensible and  unequal decision. 

After all, why should women have to cover their bellybuttons if men can expose their nipples? 

If the Activity Center is going to keep the dress code for women, they should make a dress code for men as well. Men instigated the problem in the first place, so if there is a dress code for one, then there is a dress code for all.