At Travelers Rest High School, the dress code has become a huge, daily issue and conflict between the student body and administration. Being high school students, we are in the formative years of life, figuring out who we are, who we want to be and what we want to look like. Every morning, administration stands at the door, looking students up and down to ensure that we are dressed "properly" for school. This practice makes lots of students (male and female alike) uncomfortable. This happening also cuts into class time, some students having to leave class to put tape over the holes in their jeans or go home to get pants instead of shorts. These rules are based on old, outdated ideals of what the proper student should look like. 

The dress code poses major implications on this as it restricts things like holes in pants and the length of our shorts. The "Expectations for Student Dress and Appearance" states "Skirts and shorts must fall at least within 2 inches above the knee standing naturally. The administrator’s decision on the appropriate length of skirts and shorts is final. Holes in pants must not reveal skin 2 inches above the knee."  This shows how restricted what students can wear is. Being students, wearing jeans with holes or shorts is something we did every day over the summer, but now that we're not able to wear either of those articles of clothing, we are unable to truly be ourselves and wear what we want. 

The "Expectations for Student Dress and Appearance" also states "Sleeveless attire cannot reveal undergarments. Shirts cannot be tight, low-cut or show cleavage. Shirts should be loose-fitting and fully cover the upper body. Tank tops, halter tops, shirts with spaghetti straps and see-through shirts will not be allowed. Straps on shirts must have a minimum width of the Student ID." For high school students, it is very hard to find clothing that fits right into the dress code. Shirts being loose and fully covering the upper body is restrictive to students who feel uncomfortable wearing loose, long clothing whether it be due to feeling dysphoric or just plain uncomfortable. We have to be at school Monday through Friday and that means if we can't wear what we want 5 out of 7 days of the week, chances are we are uncomfortable and unhappy at school.

In conclusion, Travelers Rest High School's dress code does more harm than good. It takes away from our learning time, takes away some of our freedoms, makes students uncomfortable, and makes student's lives a little bit harder. It should be the student and their parent's choice on what we wear to school every morning, not men standing at the door. As humans, we all have a little bit of common sense and can make our own choices. It's time for a change.