Dress Code

Dress code has been reinforced in South Salem more and more with every passing day. Recently however, more and more of those rules are being ignored and pushed aside because they are, “unfair and unreasonable”. So the real question would be; what is fair and what is not? Is the dress code biased based on genders? Most importantly, how can we make it equal?
Over the years, schools have been strict on rules like dress code which covered most of the problems found in high schools. This explains the frustration students have on keeping their outfits to fit these expectations. Most of the time, kids get dress coded, is when an item is either too short, too exposing or has vulgar slang. “In some aspects, dress code is important because they want us to be modest but at they also need to understand that too much can be, well just too much!” Explained Veronica Flores ‘21 who was in fact dress coded for showing just a little bit “too much shoulder”.
Bryan Christianson, a reporter for The Bite, states, “Many students, including me, feel frustrated because we take the time that we should be sleeping, to get clothes that fit the dress code.” When asked about how dress code affects the mornings of every student, Carlos Ruiz ‘20 stated, “It usually takes me fifteen minutes to get ready because I feel cautious about my outfit. I always ask myself if what I wear will be offensive to other people.”
Pressuring students to make careful decisions based on what other people think is “right” is biased on all levels. Stuff like vulgar slang or exposing too much skin explains by itself why it should not be allowed in a high school. When it comes to being creative and expressing oneself in the way they dress, that should not be discouraged by superiors. Making the right choice should be their choice and their decision to the extent of there being limits. Limits based on dress code can limit “distractions” but it will not and can not limit their Freedom of Speech.