You’d be hard pressed to find a more hot button topic amongst students at Seneca Valley than the school’s dress code. Does the dress code discriminate against girls and limit their creativity and expression? Or is it just a minor issue blown out of proportion? Everyone has their own opinion on the matter, and we’ll try to provide some insight on ours…

Keersten: When it comes to clothing in general, when asked, anyone male or female could have a difficult time finding their own style that they are comfortable with. However, when it comes to dress code in school mostly girls have a harder time reaching those standards.

I realize that there are some trends/styles that guys cannot follow because of school dress code like some tank tops or chains to name a couple, but there are many more trends for young females that are frowned upon in high school that are a bit too ridiculous. To name a few over-the-top “No’s” for most school dress codes would be tank tops. shorts that aren’t finger-tip length (which are really hard to find) and even shoulderless shirts.

There is a fine line between expressing yourself with the clothes you wear to school and just dressing completely inappropriate and it is my belief that most people know the difference between the two, so in that case I feel as if schools should chill out with some of the rules in the dress code. Female students should dress the way they like and feel confident in their own skin instead of people judging them for showing just a bit too much shoulder.

Tommy: Now, I’m all for girls being able to express themselves through their fashion choices. I for one put a great emphasis on my style and how it reflects my personality, so I’d be a hypocrite to disagree with the opposite sex doing the same thing. However, I do think that the hot-button dress code issue is, at times, a bit exaggerated.

How many times do guys actually breech the dress code? Every once in awhile toward the end of the school year you’ll see a guy wearing a really baggy tank top, but other than that I don’t believe it is as common as believed. Not only that, but guys fashion in general just doesn’t breech the dress code by default. With girls it’s almost impossible to find shorts that are more than finger-tip length (if my Freshman sister’s complaining is any indication.) Plus, shoulder-less shirts are revealing and perhaps not appropriate for a school setting. With guys are fashion mostly consists of T-shirts or sweaters or button downs and jeans or shorts. Not really room for things considered inappropriate.

That being said, expression is extremely important, and should not be as limited as it is in terms of fashion at our school. However, I don’t think it’s as severe as one would believe.

And while most people do know the line between expressing yourself and dressing inappropriately, some don’t. It’s disgusting, it’s pitiful, but unfortunately it’s reality. The dress code helps to eliminate unwarranted attention girls might receive for expressing themselves through fashion choices.