Let’s be honest; school dress codes can be a little unrealistic, especially for girls. Many argue that school dress codes teach girls that they are a distraction to learning. I agree with this statement to an extent. Guys should be taught to not look at girls inappropriately, but girls should not be exposing everything so that guys don’t have a choice.

However, girls do have to follow a lot more restrictions, and some are unrealistic. A major rule is the shorts to fingertip length. In reality, stores rarely sell shorts that length. If schools are going to be so restricting, why don’t they just say no shorts. Period. Or use a reasonable inseam length. Some girls have longer arms, and long legs, so they can’t wear any pairs of shorts.

Another common rule is the “no bra straps showing.” What’s so bad about seeing a bra strap? Everyone knows that girls wear them, and they don’t show anything inappropriate. It’s not like guys are going to stop and say, “Dang, that’s one fine bra strap!” And if they do, then it’s the guy’s own fault for being distracted.

A good example of the annoyance of school dress codes, is the Lexington dress code incident. On the last day of school, a senior wore a dress ½ of an inch too short. That’s right, ½ an inch. It was the last day of school, and she wanted to feel pretty. Since she had worn the same dress before, and hadn’t gotten in trouble for it, she thought it was no big deal. She was sent home to change.

Just let this incident sit in your head for a while. Most dress code policies are based on the teacher’s opinion. Believe it or not, our school does this. In the handbook, it states, “Administrators may impose restrictions when…[students wear] immodest [clothing] in any respect.” My definition of immodest will be different than the administrators. Or anyone for that matter. Because the dress code is unclear, something that seems normal to you may not seem normal to a teacher. For example, I was talking to someone about how she almost got written up due to a clothing opinion. She wore a white shirt, but you could see her bra straps under it. Her teacher called her out, and said that it wasn’t dress code. Her bra straps were showing under a “transparent” shirt. Luckily, she didn’t get written up. Yet the fact that the teacher used their opinion on immodesty, just shows that the dress code isn’t consistent. I think we can all agree that seeing a bra strap under a shirt is not pink slip worthy.

The handbook also states, “When in doubt, cover up.” How far do we have to go just to make sure we don’t get written up? Students are supposed to feel comfortable at school, but dress codes restrict this. That being said, I do think we should look appropriate and well kept, but how far do we have to go? Especially if our dress code is based on opinion from administrators.

Everyone is different. Clothing styles will be different. The one thing that remains the same is how frustrating school dress codes can be. So what do you think? Are dress codes a hassle, or easy to follow?

Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2014-2015 Periscope staff, CHS Administration or the CHS student body.