Over the past few years, BSM’s staff and faculty have been working together to outline an updated dress code. Addressing students’ feedback from previous years, they came out with new rules for the 2019-2020 school year. 

There were two small changes that were put into the dress code to help students find more things to wear. The first new rule states that shorts must be worn below mid-thigh. The other new rule underlines that a shirt or top must extend to mid-thing when wearing leggings. “Since the style is changing it made more sense to adjust the dress code to help people find something to wear,” Assistant Principal Cami Dahlstrom said. 

The main goal in creating the new rules was to make students feel comfortable in the Benilde-St. Margaret’s community. “We want students to be comfortable, to be able to walk into an environment where you don’t have to worry about those things, you can just worry about the academics,” Dahlstrom said. 

After interviewing several students in the school, the students all said that the changes were for the better. “Bottom line, we are just trying to make sure that anything that students wear across the board is not going to be distracting to other students,” Dahlstrom said.

Although the dress code allows students to have an easier time finding clothes to wear at school, students say the dress code still limits the selection. “I think that the length is alright, but ideally it could be shortened. Also, we should be allowed to wear colorful leggings because they are not disturbing,” Freshman Claire Prindiville said. 

Considering that the trending styles for guys at the moment don’t include leggings, the major changes don’t have much effect on males. “In my opinion, the new dress code really hasn’t affected me,” sophomore Leo Warner said. 

Over the past few weeks, some students have been pushing the limits of the new dress code. Faculty are trying to crack down on the rules now before changes for the worse will have to be made. “When you get dressed in the morning, really don’t try to push it,” Dahlstrom said.