|
Student Union
Emily King |
Crude T-shirts and
microscopic minis
detract from learningIt is 8:20 Thursday morning as I wait outside my first-period class. I am in no rush to take my seat in the biology lab, so I wait for the bell outside the classroom in the cool morning breeze. Leaning against a wall, I silently observe the crowds that pass by.
Just as it is every day, I am in complete shock at what I see. The scene before me is so strange, so out of place, it just does not seem right. The four girls at the bottom of the stairs are prime examples of how the majority of female students dress. The shirts they are wearing hardly contain enough fabric combined to make one normal blouse. Combine this with the fact that their skirts are hardly more than six inches long or that their jeans appear to have been molded to their legs, and you have quite a disturbing picture.
I try to shake this sight away just as my attention switches to an approaching couple. The guy, whose crude graphic T-shirt clashes with his low, baggy jeans but matches his sideways trucker hat, has his arm around his girlfriend's waist -- which is completely bare. Her super low-rise jeans and extra small tube top provide a magnificently disgusting view of her shiny belly ring, pudgy stomach and cleavage. Between the two of them, I see only one schoolbook. Not even a pencil weighs them down. The girl, however, would hardly have a place to carry one. They slowly pass by; I quickly cringe.
FILE PHOTO
Low-rise jeans and cropped T-shirts are the "uniform" on many high school campuses.
Upon entering the classroom, I ponder that couple. In a place of learning, I don't see how such dress is justified. Maybe I'm overly sensitive because I just transferred from a school where an appropriate dress code is enforced, or maybe I'm an abnormal teenager, but whatever the cause, I do not understand why teenagers think these styles are suitable for school.
A high school is a professional place where learning should be the focus, but in the current state it appears that the guys have many other focuses. (For example, the girl walking by wearing the halter top, denim skirt and stiletto heels.) These revealing clothes not only distract the males on campus, they also create a bad reputation for high school students in general. We have an obligation to be good role models in the community and dressing properly conveys a sense of self-respect, a high maturity level and superior taste.
I am a big supporter of dressing up on the weekends and looking good for parties, but school is certainly not a party. Yes, being fashionable is important, however, there are plenty of styles to choose from that do not include being mostly naked. Clothing choice reflects personal values and defines individuals. Knowing that a simple outfit wields such great power to influence people, teenagers should take pride in their appearance. School is for learning and that needs to be the focus. After all, only five short days of self-control each week, and then it is time to party.
Emily King is a junior at Moanalua High School.
Join the Student Union
Student Union is a forum for Hawaii's teenagers to tell the community what's on their minds and in their hearts. It appears every Thursday, starting today. We welcome opinions of no more than 700 words on any topic. Please include your name, address and phone number. E-mail to letters@starbulletin.com, fax to 529-4750 or mail to Student Union, Editorial Page, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813. For more information, contact Jeff Finney at 529-4735 or jfinney@starbulletin.com.
