Dress code has always been a controversial topic. Almost everyone has an opinion on it, including many of our EHS students. However, there have been some recent changes at Elkins High School. The Randolph County Schools BOE revises school policies, including the dress code. Specifically, Elkins High School students are affected by the recent dress code modifications. We decided to ask Elkins High School students their opinions on the dress code.
“It isn’t fair that most of the dress code only applies to clothing items girls usually wear,” Molly Quint says.
A very popular clothing item, Nike Pro Shorts, has a 3’ inch inseam. They’re listed on the Nike website as a “Best seller.” Thirty-four percent of the 6,020 teenage respondents in Piper Sandler’s 47th semi-annual Taking Stock with Teens survey named Nike as their top clothing brand.
20-30% of women’s shorts have a 4’ inch inseam. Which have become more popular due to fashion trends favoring shorter cuts. The popularity of the 4’ inch inseam has increased with trends towards shorter shorts, making longer shorts—shorts that have a 5’ inch inseam or more—difficult to find. After looking at shorts from Adidas and Under Armour both best sellers, Marathon 20, and Women’s UA play-up 3.0 shorts were found to have a 3’ inch inseam.
“I think the dress code says a lot about the education system’s priorities. It shows how they believe the length of a skirt is more important than class time and actually educating students. When we spend too much time focusing in on what students are wearing instead of what they’re being taught, it creates insecure students that aren’t being educated to their fullest potential.” Eva Gainer says.
There are other arbitrary rules, but the length of shorts seems to be on the top of many peoples’ minds. Finding shorts with the BOE’s desired length has proven to be a challenging task for female students. Many argue that not only does the dress code limit student’s stylistic choices but also adds unnecessary stress. Often the required length is difficult to find in retail stores due to conflict between dress code and modern trends.
