A 17 year old senior at Edmonson County High School in Kentucky, got in trouble last week for wearing a dress that did not meet the stringent requirement of the Kentucky high school she attends. The dress, was considered to sit too high above her knees. According to the high school’s dress code, dresses worn by young ladies at the high school must not be more than 6 inches higher than the knee.
You’ll notice in the picture below that the student in question was also wearing black tights beneath her dress but still she had to prove that her dress was the appropriate length by kneeling before her principal (a man) so he could measure its distance from the floor and then by walking around with her arms in the air (again in front of her principal) to see if her dress rode up any higher than previously measured.
She failed her test…but only after walking around with her arms in the air. Otherwise she would have passed. Somewhere between 30 to 40 girls were sent home by the principal that day for similar violations.
Boys, in case you were wondering, have a dress code too but usually only get sent home if their clothing is ripped or torn in some way, as in ripped jeans etc. There was no mention as to how long boys had to wear their skirts when they wear them. This is 21st century America we’re living in isn’t it? So you know that boys get to wear skirts and make-up too… Don’t they?
But I digress because look at what girls in Kentucky high schools get to wear when they are not in the classroom… Here is the Kentucky high school championship Cheer-leading team…sans leggings…and you certainly wouldn’t want to use a ruler to measure their skirts distance from their knees. And are those skirts?
Here’s a typical Kentucky HS field hockey team? Don’t they make shorts for girls anymore?
Oh…here are the Kentucky shorts…part of the typical girl’s HS volleyball team in Kentucky. They don’t look that comfortable to me, especially for running around and jumping and bending over, but I’m a guy so what do I know about fashion…
Because here’s what the Kentucky boys wear when they play basketball. Their shorts seem to fall about 5 inches below the knee! Go figure!
What is appropriate for young women to wear in public high schools these days and why can’t they choose to wear what they like and are most comfortable wearing, like the boys do? As long as it’s not ripped or torn? Have we come a long way in our attitudes about men and women here in the United States or haven’t we?
I leave that question for the women to answer because I’m pretty sure that we men have absolutely no clue…oh we have a code…but I’m pretty sure it’s not for everyone.
ipledgeafallegiance 
This is excellent! Well said.
I just don’t understand. If the clothing is clean, whole, and fits, then the fashion police should find something useful to do. That applies to any article of clothing that allows undergarments to be easily visible. Yes, gents, I am referring to the trousers worn below the glutes maximus. And girls who believe that lingere is for show. But no one should have to prance around to demonstrate whether their apparel meets an arbitrary dress code.
There clearly is nothing inappropriate with what she was wearing and what is particularly galling is the “test” they perform to confirm compliance. Maybe some of the womenfolk can weigh in on this, but I’m pretty certain that where the hemline is on a dress will change dramatically between the two “poses” she was required to demonstrate. Just kind of ridiculous.
I thought that sort of thing stopped not long after I left school 55 years ago. And if they really want to do it properly, they should measure downwards from the elastic in the knickers, not upwards from the knees, which gives short girls an unfair advantage in the flash-your-underwear stakes.
I actually enjoy young girls and guys wearing attire that suits them and they feel comfortable in, but in regards to wearing clothes that show a little bit of ones nice figure should be just fine. Young women are coming into thier own and they should not be ashamed. If there is a Janet Jackson mishap- well/ now thats a different story. Haha
The reasoning is the same as it’s always been. A pretty girl in a short skirt will distract the boys from their studies. Blame the victim, as we’ve done since Eve. And as if anything could distract a teenage boy from thinking about sex. And as if every single one of them is only attracted to girls.
The world is changing, but not quickly. Change is led by the brightest and the best, not by the high school principal who has girls parade in front of him for inspection.
I am shocked at the sexist differences between the uniforms for boy and girls. As you said, aren’t we in the 21st century? Athletes should be wearing clothes appropriate for playing the actual sport and NOT for the aesthetic appeal to the opposite gender. I have always thought it was wrong to force female athletes to compete in skirts. Really? That is more inappropriate than wearing a dress that is too short. If young people were taught that clothing is an expression of their personality and not associated with sex, things would be better. Makes me nostalgic for the 1980/1990s…
The double standards that still exist are disturbing. The more things seem to change, the more we remain in the early 1900’s.
Well argued. Codes are, indeed, inconsistent. E.g. not recognizing girls’ leggings as pants. But should there be a complete lack of dress code? I believe there is a mitigating factor: male hormones. Men, especially the teenage version, are visually stimulated creatures, and the sight of a girl’s underwear (or lack thereof) is not going to stop being a sexual stimulant just because it is a girl’s right to show it. Should codes be modified for fairness? Yes. Should they be done away with altogether? Only when young males become something they have never been before: mature, respectful adults with little or no testosterone.
From a woman’s point of view , as I mentioned above, it is in every possible way ethically wrong to go down that path. Blaming the woman, and putting restrictions on her, in a dream world where boys and men won’t think about sex if we cover girls and women up, doesn’t work and destroys women’s lives. Down that path lies “she asked for it” and “she can’t be a boss, her dress is not professional.” Further along that path is sharia law and the ownership of women because men cannot be expected to control their urges. If some high school boy flunks a tast because he is looking at a girl’s legs, let him learn from the experience. Don’t punish the girl for the failings of the boy.