It’s BAD!

The new dress code policy, allowing leggings and long skirts and dresses, was initially promising, but unfortunately, it has ended up being disappointing. Girls are continuously getting stopped in the hallway for shirts that are barely above their jeans and wearing leggings without a long enough sweatshirt. Picking out our own clothes to develop our own style is a part of high school. Students find ways to express themselves through the outfits they wear, and a school dress code limits this.

Students have been told the school’s main reason for the dress code is to look clean and modest. While from an outsider’s perspective wearing clean and modest clothing looks impressive, for the students, it is not worth it. With everything going on in high school and in students’ lives, maintaining a dress code is not a priority. Students should not have to change their image or alter their style to impress a couple of visitors. Students should be free to wear what they feel comfortable in during a difficult time of discovering their identity and who they want to be.

The dress code is much easier for boys to follow. Most boys will not be wearing dresses or leggings. The only rule they have to follow is wearing long enough shorts, which is pretty easy. Girls, on the other hand, are not allowed to wear crop tops, off the shoulder shirts, leggings, short dresses, short skirts, or shorts all of which fill the majority of clothing stores. This makes it extremely difficult to find clothes in stores for a reasonable price that fit the dress code and look cute. Due to the dress code, I often find myself spending more time and money finding jeans that I like and are free of any rips. Boys, on the other hand, can wear practically anything from the men’s section in stores. In fact, it is difficult to find clothing that would break the dress code in men’s sections. On the rare occasion that a boy does find and choose to wear shorts that do not reach their mid-thigh, it seems to go unnoticed. Girls often get dress coded for dresses that are the equivalent length of boys shorts.

It’s GOOD!

Though I have been burned by the dress code before, I believe that the rules set in place for our appearance are fair. As a private Catholic school, students should be glad that we aren’t forced to wear a uniform, we have a lot more freedom than our private school counterparts. BSM students have been getting even luckier, with the new leniency on leggings, dress lengths, and shorts. Instead of complaining about the midriff rule, girls should be thanking the administration for allowing them to express themselves without the weight of a uniform.

As a private Catholic school, we have an image to uphold. We can’t have boys walking around in tank tops or girls walking around in booty shorts––that’s just not how Catholic students should be presenting themselves. Or really any students.

School is supposed to be a place where we are getting ready for the real world. In the real world, it is not acceptable to bare your stomach at a business meeting. Since many places of work have dress codes as well, this system is setting us up for our professional futures.

The main point of a dress code is to keep the school looking professional and prestigious, something that just can’t be done if everyone is dressed improperly.