Sunday, March 20, 2011

Dress Codes?

This sidebar item I read in today's Times- Standard brought back memories. Some indian school kid in Louisiana was suspended from school for having long hair. Not a lot of info in the story but I'm assuming the school in question must have a dress code? I thought those were a thing of the past in most public schools nowadays.

Anyone remember those? Not all schools had them when I was a kid back in the 60s and 70s, but the ones I went to did. Tustin Union, Mission Viejo and University Park High Schools all had dress codes, if I remember correctly. I forget all the requirements but it was something like guys couldn't have their hair touch their ears, or the top of the shirt collar. Girls had to wear dresses, except for on the one or two "pants days" we'd have a year. There might have been some other things they nitpicked on.

I hated the dress codes, being a punkish teenage yippie. Funny thing was, what was considered long hair back when I went to high school- and could get you sent home- wouldn't even be thought twice about today. The long hair thing started a small industry of companies making "short hair wigs". I ended up getting one. You'd put it over your head and could stuff your often shorter hair up under the wig. I'm surprised they didn't try to make those long hair wigs against the dress code.

I eventually weaseled my way out of conventional high school and into continuation school which didn't have a dress code. I was happy with that and graduated early. No more dress codes for me, until I joined the Army National Guard (and there was one guy in the Guard when I joined that wore a short hair wig on drill weekends).

Now I prefer my hair short, but I still resent anyone telling me how my hair or [long gone] mustache should be worn.

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4 Comments:

At 12:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Virtually every school has a dress code. Fundamentalist Christian regions have draconian dress codes. High crime schools have anti-gang dress codes.

 
At 3:30 PM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

Yes, I've heard some schools in gang ridden areas do it to avoid gang association with color of clothing. I can't blame them.

Some years ago I was working near Eureka High School. There were three or four high school girls standing around smoking and joking near me. For whatever reason, they did something that reminded me of dress codes back when I was in school.

I mentioned it to them, telling them about the dress codes and the fact that, unlike Eureka High, my schools were closed campuses. Once on campus you had to stay on campus until done with classes. They couldn't believe that.

 
At 12:03 AM, Anonymous wigs said...

Really each and every school have dress code ..

 
At 11:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My kids go to school in rural coastal Oregon. The administration (don't get me started!) is so afraid of gangs that they won't let kids wear hoods, even in winter.

 

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