A lot of people start conversations about the Forest Hills Public Schools district-wide dress code with “it’s totally targeted toward girls.” Here’s an unpopular opinion: I don’t think the dress code only restricts girls.

I understand why people would think that—I’ve found myself thinking that sometimes—but if you actually read the FHPS dress code, it’s not talking about predominantly female clothing items.

The dress code states that “student clothing must include: shirt with fabric in the front, back, on the sides under the arms, and over the shoulder. Must NOT be see-through. Must cover the midriff when arms are at the student’s side. Pants/shorts/skirts/dresses must reach mid-thigh. Clothing with rips must have rips below mid-thigh. Footwear is to be worn at all times.”

If you actually read this, it never calls out females. There are some places where you could argue that only a female would wear something that would violate that part of the code.

Let’s talk about those.

“Shirt with fabric in the front, back, on the sides under the arms, and over the shoulder.”

Lots of girls wear tank tops, so this can be a tricky rule to follow. But, plenty of boys also wear tank tops. Plenty of boys wear shirts that don’t have fabric on the sides under the arms or over the shoulders. Yes, this rule is trickier for females to follow, but let’s not forget that males can wear tank tops, too.

“Must cover the midriff when arms are at the student’s side.”

Is this one geared more toward females? Yes. I think that out of all of the restrictions above, this is the one that people get the most upset about. I get the most upset about this one. I don’t understand why showing some of my stomach is a problem. So, yes, I would argue that this rule is geared toward females. I can’t think of a single time that I have seen a male dress in clothes that don’t cover the midriff in a serious situation such as going to school. So, since this rule is focused on females, I can understand why females are upset, but one restriction doesn’t mean the whole dress code targets girls.

“Pants/shorts/skirts/dresses must reach mid-thigh. Clothing with rips must have rips below mid-thigh.”

This one gets people, too. They see skirts and dresses, and immediately think that females are being singled out. But, don’t skip over the part that says shorts. Males wear shorts. Do they often wear shorts that don’t go to mid-thigh? Not that I’ve seen. However, it is something that happens. It is very likely that at least one, probably more, male in our school would wear shorts that don’t go to mid-thigh. But, people tend to focus on the fact that females wear shorter clothes than males. This is perfectly understandable, but we can’t just ignore the fact that men are being talked about in the dress code.

I’m not trying to say that I condone all of the dress code restrictions because I do not at all. Despite this, I also don’t agree with the opinion that the dress code is only targeting girls. I do believe that it was made based on what women wear, but I also know that it is possible for males to violate the dress code.

I don’t want to sound anti-woman with my opinions, but I think it’s necessary to understand that males can violate the dress code as much as females can. That doesn’t mean that females shouldn’t feel upset about the dress code, because they should. I do.