Cover your shoulders, cover your legs, cover your stomach, cover your chest, you don’t want to distract the boys. 

But are all of these restrictions really necessary or is it time for a change? 

Dress codes have always been a part of school, but often students question the purpose and fairness of such codes. Norwin High School has a dress code in place (pg. 69-70) that students are to follow or face disciplinary action.

Norwin High School 2023-24 dress code:

Shoes:

• Good health practices require all students to wear shoes.
• The following are not permitted: slippers, shoes with wheels, shoes that completely light up along the base/sole

Tops:

• All tops must not be ripped, cut or have holes and must not be low cut or expose the midriff or shoulder.
• All students must wear tops with sleeves.
• The following tops are not permitted: halters; spaghetti straps; mesh or see-through blouses or shirts; deviant shirts; tank tops; tube tops; undershirts; and T-shirts which advertise illegal products, illegal/deviant behavior or contain profanity.
• Hooded clothing may be worn but the hood must be down while in school.

Bottoms:

• Bottoms must be secured at the waist and cannot be worn “sag style.”
• Bottoms with rips or frays must not expose skin above the knee.
• Shorts and skirts should be at least mid-thigh length. The garment must be at least at or below your longest fingertip, when your arms are held at your side.
• The following bottoms are not permitted: cut-offs, spandex (biker), boxer-type, or very short skirts are not considered appropriate attire for class and are not permitted.

Accessories:

• Accessories should not be disruptive or pose a health or safety risk.
• The following accessories are not permitted: hats, sweatbands, bandannas, sunglasses, spiked jewelry, any jewelry or ornaments that may cause injury, wallets and/or key chains that are used to secure items to clothing.

Outerwear:

• Coats or jackets designed for outdoor wear shall not be worn while in school.

Entering the 2023-2024 school year, Norwin High School’s dress code remains almost exact as year 2012, the only changes in the dress code make it more strict than in the past and more added restrictions. 

Out of 82 responses to a dress code Intro to Journalism poll, not one student responded that they have had a positive experience with the dress code, and 96 percent believe that the dress code affects girls more. 

According to an article in Education week, they argue that “school dress codes disproportionately target girls, Black students, and LGBTQ students,” based on research they acquired.

“I got in trouble for having a tank top on (it wasn’t a spaghetti strap, just a regular tank top) and a boy in the same class had a tank top on and didn’t get in trouble at all,” a Norwin High School girl said as her negative experience with the dress code.

Some responded by saying that girls are more targeted because they wear clothes that break the rules more than boys.

“Girls have more restrictions on what we can and can’t wear due to biological features,” a Norwin student said. “Depending on your size you are held more accountable to the dress code.”

But what do the teachers’ think? Students questioned Lori Anselmino, a teacher well known for being passionate on the dress code topic.

“I like the dress code, I’m in favor of the dress code but I don’t think it’s being enforced,” says Anselmino when asked about her feelings towards the dress code. 

Although there were only a few, some students responded in the poll similarly saying that the “school needed some rules in place in order to create a positive learning environment.” 

Anselmino believes that the reason the dress code is not properly enforced is due to her fellow teachers fearing confrontation due to the “lack of respect” they receive from students.

Anselmino also brought to light another interesting rule in place at some other school districts: uniforms.

“I would be in favor of uniforms,” Anselmino said.

This contradicts many students claiming their freedom of expression through clothing is important to them. 

Not everyone is one way or the other on the dress code, many have had no direct experience and feel they can tolerate it, while others comment in all capital letters that they want change. 

The remaining question is however, is the dress code outdated. “I think some of the rules are a bit too far. I know in the handbook it says that shorts are fingertip length AND THEY DON’T EVEN SELL THOSE IN THE STORE!!!” said an anonymous student from a Norwin High School poll.

A final topic brought up quite a few times was the sexualization of women’s bodies. Here are a few sample responses from the poll: “My friend and I wore the same thing one day and she got dress coded and I didn’t due to her being bigger than me,”; “Women are discriminated against their bodies more than men,”; “girls are more targeted in anything they wear,”; “Girls are often told to “cover up” as they are seen as distracting and inappropriate,”; “depending on your size you are held more accountable to the dress code,”;  “body types women must cover up parts of their bodies that are deemed “distracting” to other students.”

The true question is, does the dress code need a change, or does the students’ attire?