I don’t know about you, but I cringe every time I see yet another girl walking through the halls wearing shorts with a two-inch inseam or guys that look like they’ve just rolled out of bed.
Let me get this straight, it’s not that I’m old-fashioned or some crazy prude. I don’t expect girls to come to school with blouses buttoned up to their necks or expect guys to walk through the halls in pressed khaki pants.
I’m all for self-expression and exercising the rights that we are guaranteed to have by the First Amendment. I believe that people should be allowed to wear what they want.
However, many students don’t dress at all appropriately to come to school. Because of this, we should not be allowed to wear whatever we want.
Hear me out for just a minute. I have no problem with you strutting your stuff or letting it all hang loose at home, or even in public.
But what students wear to school should be appropriate. This is even stated in Staples Dress Policy. According to the Staples High School Student Handbook, “The Westport Schools encourage students to dress in a manner that demonstrates pride in them and in their school.”
I think students should dress for school almost like they would dress to go to church or temple. If you’re not religious, then I think you should be treating dressing for school as if you’re about to see your grandparents.
After all, you are seeing teachers and faculty throughout the day, and it’s entirely disrespectful to be a girl clad in a crop top or a guy who hasn’t bothered to brush his hair when seeing these authoritative figures.
At the same time, I understand that it’s uncomfortable to dress very nicely and then sit in different classrooms for seven hours.
There should be a balance—students should dress comfortably, but not carelessly to come to school. A dress code should come into place requiring students to be more aware of dressing appropriately.
Of course, I understand that the girls who dress in revealing clothing want to impress others. Also, I understand that the guys walking through school with their boxers hanging out and their pants practically around their ankles don’t care very much about impressing others. Nevertheless, when dressing to come to school, students should keep in mind that the purpose of them coming to school truly is to learn.
I’m not suggesting that Staples should implement a very strict dress code, or implying that we should have a uniform policy. However, in my humble opinion, Staples needs a real dress code that is enforced regularly.
