Dress codes have been a thing for a long time; however, they really became enforced in the 1980s. Most school dress codes insist on no hats, crop tops, booty shorts, tank tops, and tube tops, with the main intent being no belly showing and no offensive texts. Some people wonder, “Why do we even have a dress code?” We have a dress code for these three reasons.
The first and biggest reason we have a dress code is to avoid distractions. Some clothing can be distracting to people, like crop tops, tank tops, booty shorts, and hats, but are these really a distraction? “Girls who are less blessed in the chest area can wear them, but if you are more blessed, then you shouldn’t because it’s distracting for the boys because they will look,” one male student said. I understand the rule on no crop tops and booty shorts, but restricting students from wearing tank tops is ludicrous, especially when sometimes the school can be extremely hot. Hats are also considered a problem at school because for security reasons, if you’re wearing a hat, the security cameras can’t see. you so if we had a threat and he was wearing a hat he wouldn’t see him, which I understand. People should be able to wear appropriate tank tops and hats on a hot and sunny day. I think that instead of implementing these restrictions on students, people should just learn not to look at people inappropriately, no matter what they are wearing.
The second reason is reducing bullying. A lot of kids express themselves in what they wear in the style they pick. Just because you dress “normal” doesn’t mean you won’t get bullied; there are a million things kids can bully someone for, and clothing is just one of them. By enforcing a dress code, you’re expecting everyone to look the same and taking away students’ self-expression.
The third final reason is equalizing opportunities. Some schools believe that the reason for a dress code is that some students won’t feel judged if everyone is dressed similarly. Because some students aren’t as fortunate as others, finding a common style for all students makes it so that no one is left out. This belief can also be twisted because it isn’t fair for the students who are more fortunate to not be able to express themselves the way they want.
If you ever want to have a cute outfit, but still want to abide by the dress code, there are many outfits you can still wear. You can still wear long skirts, long shorts, pants, t-shirts, hoodies, and sweaters. If you want to stay in style, jorts and baggy t-shirts are in style right now; pair those together and you will have a stylish outfit that is perfectly ok for school!
These were the three reasons schools have dress codes and how to avoid it. If you have any questions about Liberty’s dress code, you can always ask our principal or any teacher/staff member!
