As explicitly explained in each class meeting this year, the school dress code has significantly loosened up. Shorts and rips in jeans are no longer required to be fingertip length, tank top straps are only required to cover under garments and hats and hoods are allowed to be worn as they don’t cover the face. This is all worth celebrating, however I believe dress code hasn’t loosened up enough here on campus. This brings me to the only part of dress code that hasn’t changed, which is the fact that we are still not allowed to wear crop tops.

You would think that this blistering Texas heat would count as reason enough to allow crop tops, but beyond that this rule simply isn’t age appropriate. If you watch any relatable teen show or movie taking place in a hot area, you probably won’t even immediately notice the wardrobe of its characters. If you were to analyze it though, you would take notice of how commonly female teens are seen wearing crop tops. 

The reason what these characters are wearing requires more attention is because of how perfectly normal it is. In today’s society there isn’t anything off putting about a teenager wearing a shirt that shows a bit of their stomach. The bottom line is, everyone in high school is entering their late teens, where it is socially acceptable to wear crop tops anywhere else. So it begs the question, why are crop tops really disallowed in our school?

Much of the previous dress code has already been adjusted, and it’s obvious that students dressing in an unsuitable manner is no longer seen as a large risk. So what differentiates crop tops from shorter shorts or thinner tank top straps? Why are cropped shirts where the line is drawn? 

The line shouldn’t have been drawn at all. If the biggest risk is the student body wearing shorts that are too short, this should be addressed in the same manner short length is. Even with the fingertip length rule gone, of course there are still discretionary parameters for how short shorts can be. The same can be done for crop tops, allowing them as long as they aren’t too short or risque.

The new dress code has its warranted restrictions, but also its single fault. Crop tops should be allowed, because they are age appropriate and climate accommodating. If our shorts can be shorter, why can’t shirts be as well?