As a student who has dyed her hair pink, blue, and green over the past summer, I strongly feel as though BSM should allow their students to dye their hair any color they desire. According to our school’s handbook, we are unable to dye our hair a color which would “not be found naturally in humans.”

The handbook states students not dress in a manner that “creates distraction, draws undue attention, or detracts from the educational environment.” Specifically, hair that draws “undue attention” is not allowed. However, my question is: Has the administration asked the students if we find the color of our classmates’ hair distracting? Does hair that is colored an “unnatural color” really bringing undue attention to the student wearing it?

Over the summer, there was a resurgence of the trend of teenagers and young adults dying their hair with temporary dye. A few friends of mine and I bought blue-hair dye, and we dyed the tips of all of our hair. We loved the ability to change our hair in minutes and have it last for a week or two. Pretty soon, we were changing our hair color almost weekly, and after eight showers, we washed all of the color out. I truly wish I could just dye my hair pink if I wanted to anytime I felt the need to, but with the BSM dress code rules, this is only a pipe dream.

From my experience with colored hair, it was not a distraction to others or my co-workers. The majority of my coworkers didn’t even notice until a few days after I had colored it, and they simply complimented me when they noticed. If one of our peers were to color their hair green, for example, it may result in a half-second glance, but it would never become a distraction from our education.

Personally, I think everyone has their own style and variation of how they dress compared to the general population. For a lot of people, dyeing their hair can help accentuate their style and boost their confidence. It’s another avenue for us to express ourselves, which is no way harmful to the Catholic image BSM reflects in the dress code.

As stated in the handbook, “the purpose of the dress code is to provide all students with a comfortable and respectful learning environment.” This is why dresses and skirts must be a certain length, crop tops are closely monitored, and revealing clothing is not tolerated. But, dyeing one’s hair pink or purple is not connected to being creating a comfortable or respectful environment in any way, shape, or form. Therefore, there is no substantial reason for not allowing students to dye their hair any color they want.