The latest teen magazines are telling us new fashions this fall are hot, hot, hot! Well, mini skirts may not be exactly the warmest apparel of Alaska, but they're being worn anyway. The issue is how short these skirts are getting. As the hem lines rise, high school dress codes are being written to match.
Students returned to school this year to find everything from a hat ban, to strictly enforced skirt length regulations. So what's all the hubbub about?
"It all comes back to education," said Patsy Chappel, Assistant Principle of Chugiak High School. "You're all here, all 2000 of you, to get an education, and to be better yous, and smarter yous and to go on to better things. With all 2000 of you there has to be a standard. There has to be something that you're all upheld to."
A quick trip through the local mall shows that teen fashions are leaning toward shredded low-rise jeans, short skirts and plunging necklines. And for the young men, baggy jeans are still in vogue, but with these jeans, you had better make sure your boxers match your tee shirt. When students were asked about their opinions on the dress code, they admitted that there may be a need for it, based on today's fashion trends.
"The cheerleading outfits, my friend Nicole, she had an outfit on her and you could see her spankies in the front, her spankies in the back and it slit all the way up to the top of the skirt. How can they wear that and another person can't wear a skirt?" asked one high school girl.
"The whole mini skirts are just an everyday thing, it's a common occurrence," Lorett Nabong said.
Gina Park said, "I think it's really gross and girls need to cover up. It's very distracting because when you're talking to one of you're guy friends they're always looking at the girl's butt."
"I can say from personal experience that yes, mini skirts can be quite distracting. Provocative clothing can be a detriment to learning to guys particularly," Daniel Gillespie said.
But controversial issues are arising from these stern dress codes. Palmer High School began the school year with some of the more strict dress codes in place. Rules like no hip huggers or halter tops lead some girls to wear a tee shirt lent to them by the school. In the Anchorage School District, things don't appear to have gotten this strict.
All schools have the opportunity to amend the ASD handbook to meet their own standards, so although similar, each school can have different rules.
One of the other issues brought up is whether students' rights to express themselves are being infringed upon. Several students from around the Anchorage School District shared their opinions.
"If I want to show my body because it's my body and I'm proud, I want to be able to do it," one high school girl said.
"You can express your style without wearing a miniskirt," said Parker.
Some kids are worried that uniforms are next but not all think that this is necessarily a bad thing.
"I wouldn't have to decide what I'm going to wear," one teen girl said.
"If we did come to school uniforms, that would definitely infringe on individual rights," Nabong said.
"I think we should be able to dress the way we want to, show our own style," said another teen girl.
Although Chappel does not make the decision to switch to uniforms, she admits that the idea has been kicked around.
"As assistant principal, I can't make those rules. The people who would make those rules are the school board. As a personal question, as a mom, it would be fantastic. You would have less distraction, you would still see the variants in the way the kids wear the uniform, but it would be a very interesting difference in the way education is implied."
Regardless of where the uniform issue stands, solid rules are being built against see-through shirts and shirts that depict anything other than what is universally considered wholesome. Teachers and faculty are expected to dress in a business-like manner, and Chappel believes that students shouldn't have it any different.
"The freedom is still there, but, if it's disruptive to the educational process, then we're not going to have it," Chappel said.
While fashion has always been a bit grey to some people, this year, high schools are making sure the rules are in black and white to keep school as educational as possible, even if it means committing major fashion faux passé.
Cracking down on the dress code
