Dress Code Violations for All or One?

Dress Code Violations for All or One?

Many students of Puyallup are starting to dress less for the sunny weather, yet some may feel more closely examined than others.

According to the student handbook, “Halters, bare midriffs/backs/sides, visible undergarments, and inappropriate showing of cleavage are prohibited.”

Sophomore Adrianna Dvedt feels that this is unfair to girls that wear tops that slightly reveal one shoulder, then after receive a dress code violation.

“I do not think it is fair that boys can wear tank-tops, yet girls cannot wear almost any shirt that shows even one shoulder. Girls seem to be accountable for boys wanting to stare at us as if it were our fault. We cannot control what boys do and it is completely their choice to be distracted by us girls,” Dvedt said.

To Dvedt, dress code violations are given to girls more often than boys. Guys can stare at girls all they want but that is always a choice they make, Dvedt states. Senior Sebastian Rodgers agrees that gender may play a role in dress code violations.

“I definitely think that boys do not have to worry about dress code violations as much as girls do, simply because of the nature of girls’ apparel compared to boys’ apparel. Clothing for girls is a lot more flashy and crazy rather than guys clothing in this day and age. Girls although should not be held responsible for guys staring at them, while also needing to be dress coded because of it,” Rodgers said.

To Rodgers, males are not looked at to violate dress code as much as most of the female students.

“I think that guys are not worried to be dress coded with the intention of impressing a girl; it is exactly opposite; usually girls will want to show more skin to guys to impress them,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers states, girls should not be held accountable for boys wanting to observe them yet should know the line of what to wear.

“Girls will not always intentionally want to have boys stare at them for how they look, yet most of the time girls will do exactly that for boys’ attention even if that requires less clothing,” Rodgers said.

Junior Chumnam Nam agrees that girls are observed more for dress code violations rather than boys are, while believing that boys are responsible for their own choices.

“Guys, no matter what, are going to stare at girls with more skin showing or not, although girls should not be blamed for it because boys are the ones being distracted, not the girls,” Nam said.

Nam believes that girls are looked at closer when showing more skin as a motive to distract others.

“You cannot always assume that the minute girls start to show a little more skin than usual that they are trying to be distracting to boys, people dress for the weather as a reason too,” Nam said.

Nam states there are many reasons for people to dress the way they dress, even if you assume it is because of complete attention purposes. That is not always the case with fluctuating weather in Washington.

“Yes people should take into account of how much skin they are showing at school but no one should blame another person for their choice to stare,” Nam said.

Assistant Principal Lorraine Hirakawa also shares her thoughts on the dress code rules of PHS.

“I think that in spirit the guide book on dress code is fair, yet looks very sexist on paper and to society. Boys unwilling to control themselves when looking at girls because of what they wear, should not be the girls’ fault. Although girls should be decently dressed for what seems to be their job here along with every other student,” Hirakawa said.

Hirakawa states that girls in society are starting to show more of themselves in terms of what clothes are available to them that show off specific parts of their body.

“Of course boys should also watch what they wear with muscle shirts and their over excitement for toga day, girls should do the same yet should not be held responsible completely all aspects of distracting others with how they look,” Hirakawa said.