The school’s dress code is a popular topic for many people.

The Feminist Club has had many discussions about the dress code. They have also hosted Principal Lisa Gleaton at one meeting so that the students of the club could understand the administration’s point of view, and so Gleaton could get input from students.

Some students agree that the way the current dress code is worded and enforced is degrading toward female students at this school.

Senior Kalila Kirk, vice president of the Feminist Club, said, “Although the dress code probably wasn’t designed to target girls, it does. Female bodied students are quickly told to cover up if they wear a tanktop, but male bodied students in equally revealing bro-tanks never get in trouble.”

Sophomore Giorgi Trembley said, “I think that the dress code is biased against girls because unlike boys who wear shorts down to their knees, girls standards of dressing nowadays has been changed so that the style for girls is to have shorter shorts and when it gets hot they should be allowed to wear clothes that make them comfortable at school.”

Some people say that schools need a dress code to make sure that people dress appropriately and don’t show too much skin. Others think the dress code is to make sure that the people at school are protected from sexual harassment.

Kirk said, “Using a dress code to promote safety from potential sexual harassment is based in misogyny and perpetuates rape culture.”

Some parents and school employees think if a girl wears short shorts then the boys won’t be able to get as good as grades if girls didn’t wear short shorts. Kirk said, “This reinforces the idea that men are uncontrollable sex maniacs who are so distracted by the sight of a woman’s body they’ll lose their mind. I would like to give men more credit than that. No one is failing school because of girls’ shorts.”

Girls shouldn’t be the ones to change their behavior to avoid sexual harassment. If someone is ever sexually harassed it is never their fault, that person is a victim and shouldn’t be blamed.

Kirk said, “This is echoed in rape culture, when women are told to not wear short skirts or walk alone at night or otherwise change their behavior, rather than tell others to not sexually harass women in the first place.”

Other than the reason that the dress code is degrading to women, sometimes it is just too hot to wear that much clothing.

Sophomore Erika Marshall said, “I think schools take the dress code too seriously. I honestly don’t think that it is fair to make girls wear such long shorts when the weather is so hot.”

The school dress code is something that needs to be reevaluated and modified to so that everyone feels as though the dress code is fair.