straight to the suburbs
The New York Times reports on laws against sagging — many of which carry stiff penalties including jail time and hefty fines. I for one think people look stupid with sagging pants, but I also believe it should be within your civil liberties to look any way you please, even a way that white, middle-class people find stupid or offensive. Various groups are fighting the regulations, which is a bit reassuring.
My high school had a fairly restrictive dress code. I was once sent to rinse some pink streaks out of my hair, but other than that, I mostly flew under the radar. That said, now that I’m an adult with a job, I’d actually never pass muster at good ol’ Burkburnett High, having gotten a facial piercing a year ago and having little to no intention of removing it. The problem with dress codes, aside from the obvious prohibition on personal expression, is that they’re based on outmoded, classist, racist, and highly regionalized ideas of appropriateness.