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Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Old Dress Code Debate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Did you hear the one about the Atlanta city councilman who wants to ban all exposed undergarments in public?
It’s no joke.
According to today’s article by my colleague David Pendered, Councilman C.T. Martin — a college recruitment consultant — is pushing an amendment to the city’s indecency laws that would make any glimpse of, say, a bra strap or the top of boxer shorts illegal.
Martin says the popular style of boys who wear oversize, baggy pants well below their waists, exposing their underwear, is an “epidemic” that has to stop.
“I don’t want young people thinking that half-dressing is the way to go,” he told David. “I want them to think about their future.”
I know educators feel his pain. Many principals have gotten around this kind of dress by requiring young men to tuck in their shirts and barring young ladies from wearing spaghetti-strap T-shirts.
Some educators say it’s a discipline issue — particularly for the students wearing those big, saggy jeans. That’s a lot of material to hide drugs or weapons.
But do campus prohibitions against trendy teen styles make kids more respectful or do they just give them a reason to be rebellious?
