Recently in a Utah school, a female student was discriminated against for her dress at a school dance, according to an article by the Huffington Post. The dress was well below the knee and her cleavage was covered. So what was the issue, you may ask? Well, astoundingly enough, it was her shoulders. Her dress straps were two inches per the schools requirement, yet it was still considered inappropriate by the chaperones.

Situations such as this are prominent in today’s schools, sparking a nationwide debate on what is and isn’t too revealing for the schools. Modern trends prove problematic in the issue, with tight-fitting athletic wear becoming more prominent in the hallways than jeans.

“In the winter, my guess is that more than half of the girls, especially in high school, are wearing yoga pants.” Principal Tim Hodges explained.  The criticism is not for bad cause though – sheer leggings do not have a place in what today’s culture categorizes as “school appropriate”. Other schools in the area have been taking action against the look, banning it from the school altogether. Upon being asked about yoga pants in the dress code at the school he worked at before, Mr. Olson, a new history instructor, told us,  “One of the things that was not okay that is here is the yoga pants or tights. If you were wearing that, your upper garment was supposed to be longer.” In Cannon Falls High School, this ban could mean nearly half of the female student body being coded every day.

“With the vast majority of girls, parents see them before they leave home. They know what they’re wearing, and if parents are okay with it, then to a degree, I’m okay with it too.” Hodges explained, weighing in on the issue.

It’s important to remember that although females and males are built differently, feeling comfortable in your clothes is important. Asking teens to cover up everything isn’t realistic or practical, because clothing can change the way students look at the school day. At Cannon Falls High School, some students don’t even know there is a dress code, but some are all too aware. Female students can be coded for several things such as short skirts, cleavage, and even shoulders.

“I was wearing an off the shoulder sweater and they told me that showed too much skin.” Madi Schuler, a sophomore at CFHS, has been coded over 5 times for things as minor as showing her shoulders. In the halls, this can be seen all the time in school. Students don’t see a problem because it’s not showing anything out of the ordinary, but the staff see something different. Mrs. Illa a teacher in the physical education department told us,

“As you know, males and females are built differently, and females have some parts that just aren’t allowed to be shown at school. Males have a hard time focusing anyway, and so if females are showing bra straps, low cut tank tops, or if their shirt is low cut so that it’s showing cleavage or breasts, it’s hard for males.” This suggests that as long as the boys get “distracted” because of what a girl wears, it’s considered to be inappropriate.

Taking the approach that others will get distracted by the clothing people wear is not a new one. When asked about this issue of distraction, Mr. Hodges replied with “There are probably some boys that get more distracted by that, and I’ve always kind of taken this approach to talk about things like that: whether it’s boys or girls, If it’s considered underwear, then it should be under something else.”