Perry’s everyday dress code is arguably ambiguous, though occasionally well enforced. Students are aware that revealing clothes, profane words, or inappropriate graphics on clothing will get them dress coded, but Perry lacks a well-defined dance-specific dress code.  

It would be near impossible to censure the several thousand teens on a daily basis just at school, so how is the staff supposed to make sure that every student’s clothing is acceptable at a homecoming dance? Better yet, what defines “acceptable?” Students going into a dance unaware and in violation of a dance dress code will unfortunately be denied admission to the dance.

This causes issues on the social front: often, puma ladies go out, spend a couple hundred dollars on a dress of their choosing, plus the twenty-five dollar ticket fee, only to get denied entrance to the dance. And better yet, they are not refunded for the homecoming ticket, despite the fact that they do not get to go inside with their peers. Talk about infuriating.

There are no rules to break if there were no rules to follow. There are no set-in-stone dress code rules for dances. While high school is the time to learn how to grow up into a mature adult, it is still wrong to assume that students will be able to judge the appropriateness their own outfits.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when buying clothing for a dance:

• Could you wear your outfit to school and not worry about a teacher dress coding you?
• Would you wear it in front of your grandma?

• Would you wear it in front of someone else’s grandma?
• Do you have to constantly adjust your clothes in order to be considered “appropriate”?
• Is everything covered no matter how you move?

The label “semi-formal” indicates that the dance should be treated as a formal school event, but shorter dresses and suits instead of tuxedos are allowed. Ladies are not the only ones that need to follow a dress code, the men do also.

Arguably, the men’s dress code is more defined than the ladies’, but it is less complex: men who show up in jeans or a casual t-shirt will be denied entrance. Pretty black and white, right? Unfortunately, the rules for the ladies are more subjective. Their outfit must cater to their specific body type. A dress that is considered appropriate length for a girl of five-foot may not be the appropriate length for a girl of five-foot nine.

This causes issues. Where do we draw the line? Who really has the final say? It is near impossible to please everyone, especially with the differing views of adults and teens on what is “appropriate.”