A very controversial topic that currently affects many schools are mandatory dress codes that are put in place. In most cases, students don’t agree with this while teachers think it is for the best. Whether teachers acknowledge it or not, the truth is that here at Birmingham Community Charter High School the dress code is unfair. This unfair dress code only makes students rebel, and makes it impossible for students to fully express themselves through their clothing. Why was this dress code put in place?

The dress code is said to set rules for everyone–especially for the real people that it is meant for:  girls.

Guys walk around with muscle shirts and pants that sag all the time. I have even seen guys walk around campus with their shirts off at the beginning of school and not a single faculty member seems to have any difficulty with it. In contrast, let a girl be seen with a shirt that has spaghetti strings, or something that shows her shoulders, or belly button, and they get talked to and must change right away. I don’t understand how wearing a shirt with spaghetti straps is completely inappropriate put wearing a shirt with a one inch straps is not. The line between the two is so small to the point that one being okay but the other not being okay is just ridiculous. Girls notice this and after constantly being told by faculty that their shirt is inappropriate because her shoulders are showing it really starts to frustrate us and does not make us feel any better about having to come to school.

Girls that are bothered about the dress code are not likely to act better in school. It makes them not like the teachers and security at Birmingham which does not help anyone and it in no way makes them respect staff. If students do not feel like the staff has a reasonable opinion then that will make students believe that the faculty’s perspective is never a good one. It is important for students not to think that the adults on campus have invalid opinions because they are supposed to be the people that keep the peace and that teach us important things and if students do not respect their opinion then their presence won’t have much of an effect on students. When faculty comments on what someone is wearing not only does that make students feel like your opinion is not valuable but it also restricts self expression.

Students often look for ways to show the kind of person they are. They want to express themselves and one way that they often do it is through their clothing. Denying students the decision of truly choosing what to wear makes students feel like their individuality is being repressed. For most students their teenage years are when they are really trying to figure out who they are and really get used to being them. It is important to allow students to do that and help them get to a place where they feel truly confident in themselves. Being able to wear the clothes that you feel comfortable with is a way of making a campus feel more accepting of people and all of their differences, which is something crucial for a campus. Many students also struggle with self image and i think its important for student to be able to see other students embrace the people that they are.

For the reasons of  the dress code here at BCCHS being unfair, Only makes students rebel, and Makes it impossible to fully express themselves through their clothing. Having the type of dress code that prohibits things like showing a shoulder and a belly button just seems ridiculous. A dress code that does not allow 1/4 of an inch wide strap but a one inch strap just makes everything seem ridiculous. It is far more beneficial in my opinion to just let students express themselves. They already have to be in school with a set schedule and i believe that giving people the freedom to truly choose what style they would like to come to school with would make it more enjoyable for people.