Hey, Panthers! Welcome back! I hope your summer was fun, exciting and freedom-filled, because this new school year brings new rules, including a strict new dress code policy.
Many changes were made, but out of all of them, ripped jeans being removed from the acceptable clothing list was the most alarming. I understand that school should not be a place for provocative clothing; however, a few rips below fingertips should not be considered inappropriate, especially when we’ve had it like that in the past. What was wrong with the old setup? In my opinion, it was perfectly fine to an extent.
There’s a famous saying that I’m sure everyone knows: “Don’t fix what isn’t broken.” So why was our old dressing standard, so-called, “fixed”? Because of this sudden change, many students, including myself, are forced to neglect our ripped jean-filled wardrobes and buy new clothes to fit the administration’s view of acceptable clothing. It seems easy, but it is a really difficult task for teens now that ripped jeans are everywhere in clothing stores these days.
Not only do we have to neglect our previous wardrobes and struggle to find “cute” jeans without rips, we also have to push our personalities to the side. It may sound weird, but the clothes we wear allow us to express ourselves and show what type of person we are. By limiting our clothing options, the school is also limiting our sense of self and the amount of personality we show. They’re getting us closer and closer to all doing and wearing the same thing.
We should be able to wear what we want. Isn’t it better for teachers to get a feel of what a student is like by how they dress so that they can better work with their students?
The change in dress code has mostly been negative feedback from students, so it should be changed back so everyone can be happy.