Every school has their own dress code in which they “enforce” the rules of hemlines, coverage, and inappropriately printed slogans. Looking around the halls of an average public high school, it's clear the centimeters of fabric (that some stores have the audacity to sell as a shirt), drug and alcohol related t-shirts, and skirts that are shorter than some pairs of high heels; it is safe to say that the dress code is truly not enforced.
As warmer months approach, some schools try to make the dress code more prevalent, due to the fact that warmer weather equals less clothing. However, this is when schools get the most carried away, and focus on one tube top, and one pair of shorts. Students who normally wear appropriate clothing get sent home just to make a point, yet, as soon as this season passes, the rest of the students go back to wearing their unsuitable wardrobe. Appropriate clothing should be worn all throughout the school year, and not just when it's enforced.
Despite the common saying, “everything starts at home,” students spend a majority of their lives at school, and it is where life lessons, just like dress codes, should be taught. Naïve teenagers need to be taught the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate attire, as they are reaching the age of stepping out into the real world of college, job interviews, and more.
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The common discrepancy, when it comes to dress codes, is usually whether or not students should have to wear uniforms. Teenagers want, and should, be treated like adults- that is if they act like them; with that said, they should be able to accept, and maintain, the responsibility of wearing a school appropriate wardrobe.
However, students will never start this “new trend,” if teachers and administration do not act upon it first.