Can a Boy Wear a Skirt to School?

Sasha Mora
Social Control
#10
Can a Boy Wear a Skirt to School?
This article is a great example of the increase of social control in school systems. Most importantly it represents how those being controlled fight back and challenge being controlled. The school systems place rules concerning what the students are allowed to wear. For example, girls cannot show their stomachs, their skirts can not be too short and they are not allowed to wear heels of a certain height. Boys are not allowed to rear muscle shorts or clothing that is too baggy. However, none of these rules state that boys are not allowed to wear skirts, or that girls are not allowed to wear tuxedos. As long as the skirt worn by the boy is of appropriate length, then they are not technically violating any rules. School administers are reacting differently to these challenges students are increasingly projecting. Some feel as though it is simply expression and that if they tell them that they cannot wear these things or express their sexuality, they are judging and putting more stress on these students. On the other some are saying that it is a distraction to other students and can even cause safety issues. A middle school student who occasionally wore heels and make up was shot to death at school because he was different and other students did not agree with it. The question is then are school uniforms a form of control that hurts students, or does it help them. Although those who are dressing different risk being ridiculed by their classmates, they are willing to take that risk to be portrayed as they believe they should be. This like most social control article is difficult to assess because it has positive and negative aspects. On one hand individuality is a good thing and freedom is something we fight for, but when it could hurt someone, should it be stopped?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/fashion/08cross.html?pagewanted=2