What’s up Wildcats? Just so we can lighten things up a bit, what do you think about our school’s overall fashion sense? Let’s all be very grateful for our school dress code policies, which allow students to express themselves all the time as long as it’s done in an appropriate manner. I think it’s great and it helps students discover themselves, and I’m pretty sure most DV kids would say so as well. ” The school dress code should reflect what goes on in our school, ” says Liya Khan, Grade 11. From elementary school girls are required to wear shorts that meet a specific measurement. This policy is strictly enforced in middle schools and high schools throughout the nation. And in some schools, girls are also required to have at least a 2-inch length for all spaghetti straps. But I think the real question is should girls be allowed to dress how they like without being called out? Is our dress code too feminocentric?

Take this into consideration: boys everywhere are reprimanded for their consistency in wearing bagging jeans that kiss the ground wherever they walk. In fact, there exists a plethora of internet memes dedicated to mocking male individuals who take part in this urban ritual…but other than that, boys are generally left alone for their choice of apparel. More and more stores are starting to make clothing that adapt to such habits, which may or may not be a bad thing, depending on the consumer. This is also the case with stores that sell primarily female clothing; it’s seems that more skirts and shirts are decreasing in size length…it must be something up with the manufacturing agencies, of course!

Could it be that still the ancient and deeply imbedded misogynistic mores are instilled in the subconscious of the male counterpart of our society? In old times, women   weren’t even allowed to show their ankles and wore long concealing gowns which were deemed appropriate by the general voice of society (Men). It was said to serve the purpose of prohibiting women from pressurizing men into engaging in not-so-appropriate activities with them. Because it was the fault of the women, of course, and they obviously needed to be put in their place. Could it be that women are still viewed as evil, sinister creatures that deserve to be subdued by male rules? Maybe, maybe not.

Some people say that the only reason girls aren’t free to wear what they want is because boys can’t “keep their eyes to themselves”. 10th grader Veronica Liow says, “Instead of trying to change what girls wear, people should change their perspectives on how they associate shorts or other ‘revealing’ articles of clothing with being provocative.” There, lies one possible solution. Perhaps everyone needs to change their viewpoint on such matters and expand their horizons a bit. After all, the definition of fashion is not necessarily “a prevailing conservative custom or style of dress”. Do you think its possible for society to change its perspective of sparingly dressed women? Is it possible? We’ve gone so long associating the modeling of revealing clothing with a certain ‘S’ word. Could it be that it’s all in our heads?

Others believe that it’s the girls that intentionally put themselves out there that force school administrators to set strict dress code requirements. I personally agree with my good friend, Michael, who once said that sporting neutral apparel but putting on a genuine smile is all you really need to gain the attention of anybody.

However, a select few students say that we should just dump this whole dress code thing altogether and wear district-administered uniforms instead…or at least that’s what the testing administrators of the State Board of Education want us to think by giving out essay prompts that require us to scribble up a convincing essay of why or why not we should wear uniforms in school. We’ve all seen that prompt once or twice I’m sure, but actually think about it this time. When you answered the problem presented to you in that prompt, how did you respond? Yes or no? Although I can say that wearing navy colored blazers and blue and white plaid skirts everyday seems like a pretty trendy consideration, could it be seen as just an easy way out of telling kids that what they choose to wear is inappropriate?

Let’s try expanding our own horizons…right now. It’s time that we all take a day to step into the shoes of teachers and admin, and observe (from their perspective) the general trend of clothing which is manifested in us students. Imagine your 5th period teacher in high waist shorts and a crop top, or in a Pink Dolphin tee with Pink Dolphin pants and a Pink Dolphin beanie on top of Pink Dolphin socks. Think about what how you would be overwhelmed with so much awkwardness.