Written by Maina Carey |

If you’ve ever been a girl in middle school, I’m sure you recall hearing a teacher say, “Go change your shorts.” Many students of Eliot hear this too often, and in years past, shorts have been the one liberty girls coveted. The stern, Amish-like dress standards for pants were over-the-top to many. Our generation perceives shorts as not much of a crisis. Thighs aren’t exactly provocative. I believe that as long as the shorts cover your private parts, they are just fine.
On the Clinton Patch site, there is an article published in August regarding the latest revision of the dress code at Morgan. Residents are permitted to comment on the articles, and a commenter said, “This culture of ours has convinced our young people that ‘sexy’ and ‘sloppy’ are ok.” Yes, he’s right, but every era and culture has its  ‘sexy’ outfits and its ‘sloppy’ trends. In the 1990’s, when girls wore baggy jeans, adults felt it was sloppy. Also, in the 1980’s, when tube tops were in style – adults declared they were too provocative! What I’m trying to convey is that adults will never be content with what the younger generation wears. It seems as if  they believe we should be dressing like businessmen and women, when we aren’t. We are teenagers. Is self expression lost on our elders? Don’t they remember wanting to try something new when they were our age?

All I’m asking of adults is to be lenient with the rules concerning shorts. They really aren’t that bad. They aren’t promoting drug use or underage alcohol. They’re just an article of clothing, like a t-shirt or a bracelet. Schools should focus on learning, and cease telling kids that they’re dressing inappropriately. I see it as a battle that will, in the end, win in favor of wearing what we want, because we all are trying to find ourselves. All adults are doing is prolonging that journey.  Why can’t we live while we’re young?