The school dress code is often arbitrary, suppressive and poorly communicated with the student body. It also seems to be enforced for all of the wrong reasons.

The first problem with the dress code is its arbitrariness. In some cases the dress code seems to be blatantly ignored and in others it is strictly enforced. For example, male Beachwood students tend to go shirtless and paint their chests to support the team. This breaks the rule that no midriff should be shown, yet a bare chest shows far more skin.

Similarly, in the past girls would often wear sports bras and paint their stomachs, all in good fun and school spirit. Recently, however, wearing a sports bra without a shirt over it has been prohibited, causing controversy throughout the school.

Another problem with dress codes is that there is a severe lack of communication. Sometimes teachers and administrators fail to point out why they have made the dress code so strict. Administrators should at least give decent reasoning as to their decision of dress codes. I can understand if someone would prefer students to dress in appropriate attire for school, as it is considered a business environment, however never before has this been mentioned as an explanation.

Girls mainly dress the way they do because, as shocking as this may seem, they feel it is a way to express themselves. Or perhaps they just like fashion. Either way, a dress code is seen to some as “suppression of individuality and style.”

School administrators suggest that the dress code is enforced to stop from creating a distraction for other students. This argument angers me most because it implies that what other people’s opinions are more important than my freedom of expression.

Young women are taught from a young age that our bodies should be hidden behind layers upon layers of clothes. Refusing to comply with these standards is considered unbecoming. It is unfair to us that we are held to a higher standard than our male peers.

I refuse to accept that I have to go a change into a sweater during the sweltering heat because I may distract a portion of the student population.

While dress codes are meant to help the student body, they can end up making things worse when they are enforced unfairly and for the wrong reasons.