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Dress codes focus on girls.
Schools clamp down on skimpy clothing.
By Evan
Henerson and
Valerie
Kuklenski
Staff Writers
WOODLAND
HILLS --
Midway through
praising the
grooming
habits of Taft
High School's
student
population,
Assistant Principal Sharon Thomas spotted someone in
need of an adjustment.
"Sara, don't forget to pull that shirt down," Thomas said to a
thin blonde, who tugged down her skin-tight white shirt so it
covered the waistband of her olive-color pants. Her midriff
no longer exposed, the honor student was back in
compliance with the school dress code.
As hundreds of thousands of students return to class this
week, so, too, do principals and teachers to their seasonal
roles as campus fashion police. But instead of sniffing out
teenagers in baggy pants or gang-inspired clothes and
hats, as they've had to do in years past, school officials
have a new target: girls in skimpy shorts, plunging tops
and micro-miniskirts.
"I guess the fad is to have the lower-cut pants and the
higher tops," Thomas said. "That may be fine for the beach
or for going out with their friends, but for school, it's not
appropriate.
"Students are here for instructional purposes, and any time
you have that extra skin showing, it's a distraction."
While the wholesome look of teen idol Hilary Duff is still
popular, it's the tantalizing, you-know-you-want-it look of
pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera that the
kids want _ and that their teachers discourage.
"It's what the stores are selling," said Sandra Lee Collins,
principal at Christopher Columbus Middle School in
Canoga Park. "The stores are selling whoever the kids
watch or see on TV or in the movies. That could be good or
bad, depending upon how you look at it."
During the summer's final back-to-school shopping
weekend, some retailers at Westfield Shoppingtown
Topanga enticed customers with photo displays and
mannequins that showed off their latest hip-huggers,
lingerie-style camisoles and pleated micro-mini plaid
skirts. Abercrombie & Fitch had a sales counter display of
its quarterly magazine-catalog, with the wrapper touting it
as "the Sex Ed Issue."
"People decide who they are based on what they're
wearing," said Tal Gozani, curator to Lauren Greenfield's
"Girl Culture" photo exhibition that opened this week at the
Skirball Cultural Center. "The kids are so preoccupied and
it comes up in every interview I read.
"By manipulating what they wear, they can manipulate how
people view them. Some girls like that kind of power, and
some don't."
And it's not just high schoolers who are faced with this
situation. Middle school preteens who, upon receiving their
end-of-summer dress code reminder, sometimes have
been driven back to the mall in search of code-worthy
clothing.
Browsing the racks of American Eagle Outfitters with her
mother, 13-year-old Stephanie Walsh said she likes her
school's dress code, which forbids low-slung pants, short
shorts and spaghetti-strap tops.
"It makes our school nicer and neater and clean-looking,"
said the eighth-grader at Millikan Performing Arts Magnet
School in Sherman Oaks. "The girls can get out of hand _
the boys, too."
Principal Norman Isaacs uses myriad tactics to make sure
students abide by the school's dress code. He calls
parents of violators to demand a change of outfit or
assigns clothing scofflaws after-school chores.
He also photographs inappropriately dressed students
and sends the images to parents with the caption, "Do you
know this child?"
Carol Vaughn, whose daughter, Jessica, has run afoul of
the dress code at Granada Hills High School, said such
policies are too restrictive and are crafted without regard to
Southern California's warm weather.
"It's difficult in the Valley for kids to know how to dress,
particularly when they're imposed with a very strict dress
code," Carol Vaughn said. "With the heat factor and with
what is available in stores for them to buy, it's especially
difficult for the girls."
"Cool," however, was not the intent of 12-year-old Marita
Lawson, who turned up for the first day of school at
Columbus Middle School dressed to test dress code
boundaries.
While Marita wasn't showing skin, she figured the holes in
her shoes and the chain in her pocket were probably worth
a citation or two. Her friend Adriana Calderon, also 12,
sported boots, a plaid hat, spiked collar and a leather
trench coat over a Pink Floyd T-shirt.
"My mom said I look cute and I seriously take that offensive
because that's not cool right there," said Marita.
"We're not trying to look cute."
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The pics that went with this story were really funny....
Carol Vaughn's daughter was dressed like a street walker...the girl had on a pair of short shorts and a bandana/halter on...
parents want the schools to teach the kids-
how can they if the parents don't teach the kids to follow simple rules???
the stupid kids defy the rules, get in trouble and the parents go ballisitic, lolololol, had they taught their kids to repsect the rules do you think they would have that problem?
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Looking back, as someone who was in High School in the early 70's, I think uniforms would have been a great idea. You aren't in school for "self expression" - you are in school to get an education. I think students would moan and complain for a couple of weeks and then they'd get over it.
My only hesitation is that the people on the selection committee would select something really goofy. Perhaps at the high-school level, they could have the students vote on the design.
Cataholic - I know what you mean sometimes - my life was much simpler when I worked at a grocery store - white shirt, dark pants - I shopped at Goodwill and was able to spend my money putting myself through college.:D
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If I had had a daughter she would have gone to an all girls school with uniforms.
If you need to express your creativity -- take an art class.
Although I was quite the fashion plate in high school we were not even allowed to wear slacks.
Uniforms take away distractions such as gang colors, economic status, and indecent exposure.
Girls do as well or better than boys in math and science until puberty -- when those hormones kick in and becomes "uncool" for females to be smart. (Every time I see a commercial where glasses and slicked back or short hair stands for smart I want to scream. Think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding!") When girls attend single sex schools they answer questions in class more, participate better, take more leadership roles and are called on more by teachers.
(My niece has always ben grateful she didn't come to live with me until she was in college!)
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Uniforms aren't necessarily a bad thing. I went to an all girls catholic high school. Ugly brown uniforms. Some girls would try to push the limit by having their skirts shorter than was allowed. Could never figure out why. Even with a shorter skirt it was still ugly. Besides at least once a year we had skirt checks for length. We had to kneel. If your skirt did not touch the floor while kneeling you got a demerit. Even though the uniforms were ugly, it was a blessing to never have to figure out what to wear everyday. I could be dressed and ready in 15 minutes. Besides it was an all girls school...not like there was anyone to impress.
It was a shock when I hit college. After years of wearing uniforms, suddenly I had to pick out something to wear every morning. Jeans, a tank top and flip flops came to be my uniform. Never could figure out why most of the sorority girls came to class in itty bitty skirts and spike heels. I love dressing up and wearing skirts and heels, but not for school. Walking across campus in a little skirt and heels is not my idea of fun.
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My daughter will attend intermediate school next year, and this will be the first time she has to wear a uniform, it does not bother her, and frankly I can't wait, no more having to buy fashionable but practical clothes for school, no decisions, is that going to be warm or cool enough for the weather today. etc etc.
I love buying her clothes, so now I can just get real cute stuff for going out , so that will be good, also as girl's can be very competitive, there is none of that with the uniform in place, so I am all for it.
Most intermediate and high schools in NZ also have uniforms, and I am thankful for that.
Now whether it will be easier on my pocket, I have yet to find out, But somehow I doubt it.
A lot of parent's buy second hand uniforms in good order, especially for the two years at intermediate, and of course this is when the kids are growing so fast.
One thing though, I do think they could modernise the uniforms a little to go with trends, I know of one high school who has bootleg pants, so just some little changes, would be nice to see, like something different from when I was at high school
