There’s an intricate game of cat-and-mouse going on in the hall ways of Bingham High School. Students now sneak this way and that trying to go unnoticed by vigilant vice-principals. Students were informed of the reformed dress code for 2013-14 the second week of school in an assembly held by the vice principals. When a student is dress coded for wearing leggings, they will be asked if they have something else change into. If they don’t have anything else to wear, they must call home and wait in the attendance office for a change of clothes.
Leggings of all different colors and designs have become big in the fashion industry. Naturally, people are going to wear them to school hoping to be equipped with the latest and trendiest fashions.
“My mom got me a lot of leggings for school, and now I can’t wear them because of the new dress code,” said Alyssa Smith, a senior at Bingham.
Jeans can be tight and restricting throughout the day. They always have to be pulled up, tugged down, and adjusted this way and that way. Many girls like leggings because they are flexible, making it easier and more comfortable to sit through long class periods.
Students, specifically girls, feel targeted about the refined dress code. Not many boys are typically seen wearing leggings. Skinny jeans aren’t being dress coded yet they are tight on the legs and show the shape of the legs.
“There needs to be a seam, and you shouldn’t be able to see through them,” said Dr. Rich Price, a vice-principal at Bingham.
People shouldn’t be dress coded for wearing only leggings, unless they are see-through or revealing too much skin. That’s when it can be a disturbance to others.
Leggings haven’t been completely banned from Bingham. Students are still allowed to wear them under a dress or shirt as long as it reaches mid-thigh when sitting down.
According to Ms. Janilee Taylor, a vice-principal at Bingham High, the reasoning behind a stricter dress code is to prepare us for the transition into the work force. Perhaps it may help in the long run, but the administration is taking away each students’ individuality and acting a little too motherly.