School dress codes have always been a very controversial issue among students, but even more so with teenage girls. Most criticism directed toward the school dress code is that it is sexist to determine that a girl’s attire should be regulated, because it may distract male students from their school work. Others say that the dress code is not a sexist policy against the freedom of girls to wear what they want, but it is to help young women maintain their dignity by respecting themselves by not wearing revealing clothing. Conversely, students wearing attire that has offensive wording on it. To justify wearing profanely decorated clothing most students would say “ Well it’s freedom of speech which is possibly one of the most frequently ill used sayings, because it is usually used as an excuse to say something offensive”. So given all of this, many students must have mixed emotions about this particular school policy.

The irony about a dress code is when students are asked about it, many peers rhetorically question, “What dress code?” This reality begs the question,¨Does the dress code really matter?¨ Most girls can get away with wearing the occasional crop top and short shorts, and if worn with a slightly concealing jacket, one can get with wearing a T-shirt that sports a curse word or two. Given that a student doesn’t come to school half-naked, he/she can wear what they want. For instance, a girl wearing short shorts may get the occasionally unwanted suggestive glance from a classmate, or someone wearing a politically incorrect shirt may spark a heated debate and some hurt feelings, but students can still usually wear what they want. However, having a leniently enforced dress code helps administrators avoid unwanted confrontations with particularly defiant students who just don’t care what they wear.

Fashion has always been a popular form of expression dating back to the famous Tinker vs. Des Moines Supreme court case. Whether these issues regard appropriate amounts of clothing, or freedom of speech, students should be able to express themselves in any way they want, as long as others are not put at risk.