Most of us are aware of the terms of the dress code enforced at AMHS or familiar with them at the least, whether we are those who vow to abide by it or those who deliberately disobey it in the name of fashion. We can all agree that it has remained a source of controversy for a while now since it is, seemingly, sexist in nature, targeting how girls are permitted to dress in particular. Outdated rules in place that proclaim “short shorts” (meaning those above knee level) and shirts that do not cover up the chest effectively objectify women. We have been called out or witnessed other girls reprimanded for their attire innumerable occasions by teacher and staff (many times in front of the class), which, often, leads to discomfort or complete embarrassment.

For reference, the following is the present dress code implemented at AMHS, with the terms directed primarily to females bolded:

Clothing is to be worn appropriately and in the manner for which it was designed.

Pants shall be worn at waist level.

Undergarments shall not be exposed at any time.

Clothing shall not reveal bare skin between upper chest and mid thigh.

Shorts, skirts, and dresses shall be of adequate length to assure modesty.

Hats shall not be worn in school (unless approved for health or religious reasons).

Shoes shall be worn at all times.

Prohibited attire:

• Clothing or other attire with words or images depicting or relating to tobacco, drugs, or alcohol
• Clothing or other attire displaying inflammatory, suggestive, racial, or other inappropriate writing, advertisement, or artwork
• Clothing or other attire displaying profanity, obscenity, violence, weapons, symbols of hate, or offensive content
• Clothing, jewelry, accessories, and/or manner of grooming which indicates or implies gang membership or affiliation
• Clothing or attire that is body contouring such as, but not limited to, leggings, jeggings, tights, or yoga pants worn without shirt or top that reaches fingertip length
• Loungewear, pajamas, and bedroom slippers
• Shirts, tops, or dresses that are backless, strapless, halter-style, cut-out, bare-shouldered, or spaghetti straps
• Extreme clothing or other attire that would interfere with the learning process, cause a disruption of the educational environment, or be a health or safety hazard 

However, instead of revising the CCSD dress code to be more lenient or realistic, district officials have altered it to be even more restrictive and are planning to possibly put it into effect beginning in August of this year. The new rules in place include enforcing the terms of the present dress code with the addition of the following:

Prohibited attire:

• Pants that are frayed or torn above the knee
• Exercise clothing
• Backless shoes (such as flip-flops, slides, slippers, etc.)
• Miniskirts, short shorts that are above knee level, midriff-showing shirts
• Any visible body piercings or tattoos that could be distracting to learning

These revisions barely passed in a 5-4 vote, with those who are against the changes claiming they could reduce student individuality and self-expression and arguing that they are simply too unrealistic to enforce. Here’s our take.

Our initial reaction is that many of the new rules seem to build off of pre-existing standards, just making them more specific and less subjective. From our perspective, it appears that many of the new rules seem to be targeted at the (stereotypical) female population. Even so, the new rules must be as strictly enforced for the males as they are for the females; one such rule is the shorts length rule, which if diligently enforced will eliminate chubbies (and pasty white thighs) from the hallways. However, this rule is not really feasible since shorts this long for girls are (a) not available in many stores and (b) would not be willingly worn by many even if they were. Regarding the rule about piercings and tattoos, a number of students already have body piercings–forcing them to take them out seems unfair, especially considering that if the skin healed it would be a waste of money for them. Furthermore, many have tattoos that are of particular importance to them, whether they represent family or something else dear to them. We can reaffirm that they are not distracting to the learning process (unless they’re disturbing), so we don’t see any reason why they should be covered. Because of rules like these, we feel that this new dress code would be met with significant resistance and would, likely, not last long if it gets implemented in the first place.

Lookbook: 

As seniors, we don’t have to worry about these new stricter rules, but we still sympathize with our younger peers. As a final parting gift, we’ve decided to leave you with a gender-neutral lookbook of outfits that abide by the new dress code. Have fun, y’all!

For spirited students on the go:

For the fashion forward student:

For more formal occasions: