The all schools across the country have a dress code. AKA the worst guideline any high school student has to try and live by. In today’s society, the dress code, makes it seem as if the human body is something taboo, that it should be hidden instead of teaching young men and women how to stop sexualizing and objectifying the fellow human they see walking down the street.
At Colonia High School, the dress code for shirts is it must cover the stomach and must cover the shoulders (three fingers width). The rule for skirts or shorts is that the clothing must be mid- thigh or longer. With five of the 15 dress code regulations being completely and only pointed at girls, Woodbridge Township teaches they’re young and eager students to either revolt against the dress code and wear what they want with the risk of detention and suspension or students must submit to the laws of the land.
As much as it is the current fashion, school officials and teachers feel that boundaries must be established or else ciaos break out. We can’t have students wearing bathing suits at school, obviously. Teachers and Administrators believe that students should dress for success. What you wear says a lot about you even when you aren’t speaking. If you wear pajamas to school, you may not take that test or assignment too seriously. Most work places have approved uniforms or dress codes and school officials feel it is best to prepare students for the real work world.
The dress code is a regulation hard for most students to live by, stores don’t sell shorts below the mid thigh, and shoppers are hard pressed to find a shirt three fingers long on the shoulders at any forever 21 or Garage. It’s not the fashion industry’s job to create clothes based off what the school district deems fit for their students, but the school district can be more malleable about changes the dress code to that of the weather and the times. If a parent approves of an outfit when a student is leaving for the bus, then shouldn’t it be allowed in school?
High School English department head Cynthia Dichiara has a sixth sense for when students are breaking the dress code, almost like a K-9 sniffing out a criminal. She does her job and reminds students constantly that the dress code must be abided, regardless of her opinion on it. When informed about this article piece she stated “I agree that it is hard for students to buy clothes following the dress code.”
With an outdated system such as this, students are giving wrong regulations to live by. Yes students should have a dress code, but one easier to abide by.
