Is Dress-Code Fair? (Guys vs. Girls)

These+straps+are+something+a+girl+would+get+dress-coded+for.

These straps are something a girl would get ‘dress-coded’ for.

Aaliyah C. and Angelina D.

“Your shorts are too short.”

“That shirt is not appropriate for school”

“That dress shows too much of your shoulders.”

All day long, several of Day Creek’s students hear this. So we asked a question. Is Day Creek’s dress code fair?

We asked 50 students. (25 girls, 25 boys) Most students said no, it’s not fair.The main reason girls disagreed with the dress code was because their shorts have to reach their fingertips.

“Why are girls not allowed to wear certain clothes because ‘guys will be guys’? Why can’t a girl wear shorts because it’s hot outside and not because she wants to attract a boy. They aren’t going to say ‘Wow! Look at her shoulders!’ but when a girl has to change out of her clothes, [then] she’ll get noticed,” said Suzie D.

Most of the boys, however, agreed that the dress code is fair. If a boy didn’t agree, it is because he isn’t allowed to wear clothes, such as hats or shirts, that have his favorite specific sports team.

“I’m against dress code because I have a shirt that has a bandanna on it and I can’t wear it because of dress code. It’s not fair. You also can’t wear stuff from the Oakland Raiders because they have to do with gangs,” said Daniel I.

In addition, if a student is dress-coded, learning time with teachers is disrupted because students have to leave class to walk to the P.E locker rooms to change out of their “inappropriate clothing.”

“I’ve been dress coded before. I had to go to the locker room and change into my P.E. clothes. It took a lot of time and disrupted my learning,” said Nicole O.

Other students think that the dress code is a much-needed rule.

“If you’re in class and there is someone in front of you wearing really flashy clothes, it’s hard to focus on the stuff on the board. It’s important, so you won’t go to school looking very inappropriate and distract others from trying to learn,” said Nadia M.

“[Dress code] helps make sure that people don’t walk around wearing inappropriate clothes. It’s too much skin, and it makes people feel awkward,” said Derek B.

For others, a dress code conversation is simply a waste of time.

“Dress code doesn’t apply to me because I’m a boy and I usually wear just a t-shirt and shorts everyday,” said Cody M.