Inside an Enigma (Youth Years)

Middle school part 3

I HATED MIDDLE SCHOOL if you haven't already gotten that;)
So I played water polo since the 4th grade, so I had REALLY broad shoulders and I was very tall for my age. So when it came down to the STUPID DRESS CODE, I would ALWAYS get dress coded. Like, it was bad. I wasn't "testing my limits" but I would wear what every other girl would wear and MY GOD it made me furious.
So in AB (8th grade) we had these essays about a controversial topic, soooo my petty ass chose dress code. If you've been this person, major respect.

"She likes Short Shorts" March 9, 2017

"Nope... 8 inches above the knee, Call Your Mom." That is something teen girls frequently hear in the cluster/discipline office in my middle school. The Clovis Unified dress code needs to be updated to the 21st century's latest trends and styles. The dress code is unfair, doesn't make sense, and in some cases even causes elitism.

Unfair. The CUSD dress code is simply prejudiced to students of a certain body type. Research from Principals and other students seem to relate and agree to this argument too. With drastic and "unique" styles being created by the latest fashion designers, does Clovis Unified need a new clothing line? Looking forward to the hot, humid weather in Fresno/Clovis can get pretty out of hand. Shopping for new summer clothing and packaging winter clothes in boxes isn't what it seems to be anymore. Shopping nowadays has changed, since the last couple years. Shorts are shorter while shirts become tighter. CUSD dress code doesn't seem to be working with every body type. Fact-finding even shows Principal Ms. Smith at York high school doesn't seem to agree either. In her own words, "Not only do current styles create a problem, varying body types can pose challenges with consistency as well. Larger and taller girls at York face a more difficult challenge than others when it comes to appearing "adequately" covered. Two people could be wearing the same exact shorts-or skirt-and, even if they're each wearing the garment in their rightful size, the larger or taller person will seem to be revealing more skin than the other person. The larger or taller person is more susceptible to a violation of the dress code-for a garment that someone else may have gotten away with wearing. Administrators acknowledge this issue."
Nonsensical. Leggings verses Jeggings is something I have been pondering forever, it has no meaning whatsoever. But shorts for girls isn't the only issue now days, leggings and jeggings. Leggings, they come in all colors, from basic black and brown to colorful prints, and offer varying degrees of support, but CUSD schools do not agree so. Instead they discriminated that and chose jeggings. The stretchy, tight-fitting, like leggings, but are made either from a denim and spandex blend or synthetic fabrics made to look like denim. The only difference is the faux pockets and occasional 3 inch cheap zipper. Teachers and other administrators occasionally will even ask you to lift up your shirt to see the "realistic" pockets, if they don't come in eye contact with those then you are sent immediately to the Thunder Cluster. But is that all the dress code bittersweets? No.
Cliques. A clique nowadays in middle school is an exclusive group of friends who all have something in common. Mostly the $75 PINK shirts they wear or even the Miss-Me jeans shorts and jeans. A 6th grader Aryana McPike who attends school in Springfield has dealt with this issue herself. Mcpike has a closet full of designer clothes from Dolce & Gabbana, Juicy Couture, True Religion and Seven For All Mankind. But her wardrobe, carefully selected by a fashion-conscious mother, hasn't won her friends at school. Kids in her class recently instructed her that she was wearing the wrong brands. She should wear Apple Bottoms jeans by the rapper Nelly, they told her, and designer sneakers, such as Air Force 1 by Nike. She came home complaining to her mother that "all the girls want to know if I will ever come to school without being so dressed up." But what do brands have to do with the dress code? Back to the first topic, body sizes. The three main body types are ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Some are just born natural or even depends on what sports you play and what muscles that causes to grow. Cheerleaders' are more petite and tiny while the basketball girls have big broad shoulders and normally the tallness the of legs. But... how does this encourage cliques? Nowadays in middle school, mostly girls care about is the brands of clothing, shoes, headbands, and other things of that sort. The popular expensive Miss-me jean shorts do not fit everyone, the taller girls would most likely be a higher rate of being dresscoded.

Bittersweet. All of that may make since to a middle school girls who are against the dress code, yet what about the morality part? CUSD dress code's famous label of "dress for success" may have a true meaning behind it. A statement made but Clovis Unified itself states that "We believe that attention to appearance and a student's attitude toward self and school are related. Good taste, good grooming, and appropriateness of attire are a part of learning for both boys and girls. However, we recognize that students' mode of dress and grooming is a manifestation of their personal style and individual preference. We believe that students and parents can freely choose apparel that demonstrates individuality, as well as maintain the standards of appropriateness." CUSD may even be training students K-12 that jobs in the future will have professional dress coordination. Business work attire, uniforms, and other requirements of living will have standards and regulation to the right and appropriate dress garments.
Conclusion. By the same token, I will admit myself that I believe dressing well is a form of good manners... but if stated by CUSD itself "parents can freely choose apparel that demonstrates individuality" , why are there being rules set? Yes coming to school in a bathing suit or a halloween costume is unacceptable, but shouldn't we as students should have the right to dress and express ourselves? That is how we gain confidence, how we show the world and the people around us what we want to be known as. The slogan, "Don't care what other people think of you" doesn't matter at all- if someone likes a pair of 8 inch shorts above the knee, doesn't care what others say, and then get dress coded, doesn't make any sense at all. Again, the dress code is unfair, doesn't make sense, and causes elitism. I come to conclude the argument that the Clovis Unified's dress code needs to be enforced by the century's fashion today.