Dress code, right? Every place has one. Go to the grocery store. No shoes, no shirt, no service. Your job. Wear the uniform provided to you or suffer the consequences. Society requires you to conform in certain ways. And while we do have a lot of freedom, when it comes to some places maintaining a certain look is a requirement. The same applies at school. Elementary school, middle school, high school.

The dress code at South has been a heated discussion among students. Some are starting to wonder if the dress code is doing more harm than good. While it is important that we have a dress code to prevent people from wearing things that are most definitely not school appropriate, there are a few things the administrative team could lighten up on. Such as allowing shoulders to show, spaghetti straps, crop tops, shorts, etc.

The biggest debate yet over the dress code started on Twitter just a little over a month ago talking about the infamous outfits the super fans wear: short shorts, crop tops, and other things that would never fly on a daily basis. To say the student populous was happy would be an understatement. “I think it’s just really unfair that they’re allowed to wear crop tops to school because they’re guys but when a girl does it and a little bit of belly shows we’re instantly in trouble and are being forced to change. I don’t like how us girls are sexualized. I think the same rules should apply to everyone. No matter the gender.” said Sophomore, Myriah Pratt who had been dress coded on the first day of school because of her crop top. “I feel as if it’s too strict. My whole closet is nothing but crop tops, and it’s very inconvenient to have to monitor what kind of shirt I put on.

A lot of people use the way they dress as a way to express themselves. I know I do. My fashion is how I finally became comfortable in my own skin. If the dance team and the cheer squad are allowed to wear uniforms that reveal a lot of skin while doing something they love, and the super fans are allowed to wear women’s clothing and not get reprimanded for it, then we should all be allowed to wear what we want as long as it doesn’t show anything that’s super private. Shoulders, and stomachs and thighs aren’t that big of a deal. Self expression is very important to me and for my little bit of freedom to be taken away from me upsets me greatly.”