In a protest against the school's new dress code, students at Stuyvesant High School in New York City took a stand against the administration. Yesterday, nearly 100 students participated in a student-organized "Slutty Wednesday" protest, according to the New York Post. The students -- both boys and girls -- took to the streets of lower Manhattan in revealing clothing, with flyers that read, "Redress the Dress Code."
The dress code in question bans the exposure of midriffs, visible underwear, shoulders and lower backs, and mandates that the hemlines of all shorts, skirts and dresses fall below the line of the fingertips. It also prohibits students from wearing articles of clothing with images or words deemed inappropriate.
Freshman Lucy Greider, who claims that she’s been sent to the office 10 times this year for dress code violations, told the Post: “We work our a**es off here and school is about learning. Clothing is not important."
Some students say that the dress code is unfair to more full-figured girls. One student told the New York Times that certain body shapes are more targeted, and that curvier girls are more frequently called out for dress code violations. Others insist that not being able to wear more skin-baring items of clothing is a comfort issue when the weather gets hot.
Another student told NY1: "They're, like, sexualizing our outfits by telling us what to wear. And like, I don't know, I guess it's just more important to learn in school rather than be like persecuted for your dress."
The administration has a different perspective on the matter. Principal Stanley Teitel told a student resporter from the Stuyvesant Spectator that the new dress code was put into place because students were wearing inappropriate clothing to school last fall.
“The bottom line is, some things are a distraction," said Teitel. "And we don’t need to distract students from what is supposed to be going on here, which is learning.”
What do you think -- is the dress code fair or overly restrictive? Are students right to rebel against it? Share your opinions in the comments below.