Fashion has changed a lot over the past few decades. You may look back at a picture of yourself from 20 years ago and wonder what in the heck you could have possibly been thinking.
On the other hand, you may look at younger generations today and wonder what they're thinking. That's the way it is when things change as often and drastically as clothing style does: no one will ever agree.
Regardless of whether or not we all agree on fashion, no one should ever be shamed for what they're wearing, especially young girls who are just excited to go to school and learn.
When Bella went into her new school in Lansing, KS after her military family made another move, she was so excited to make new friends and to learn new things. She picked out her outfit of choice and didn't think twice about it. She wasn't focused on how it might "distract" others.
Yet, she was pulled away from a learning environment to one of discipline, and she wasn't even allowed to call her mother.
This is the outfit that Bella was pulled into the office for. The nurse was instructed to measure the length of the tunic Bella was wearing, since she was wearing leggings instead of jeans.
Her pink tunic was fine on the sides, but the construction of it made it so it was slightly too short in the front and in the back.
The administration wouldn't let her go back to class until she swapped out her floral leggings for a pair of borrowed, baggy grey gym sweatpants. She wasn't permitted to call her mother and ask her to bring her a change of her own clothes, since the administration sees that as a waste of time.
When Bella's mother, Kimberly Jones, got a secret text from her daughter from her cellphone, she was shocked by what her daughter told her. (Hence why she shared the above photo on her Facebook page!)
Jones thinks it's absurd to pull an 11-year-old girl from a classroom for such a modest outfit at the risk of it being "distracting" to other students, namely, the boys.
No young girl should ever be made to think that her affect on a boy's learning experience is more important than her own education or more valuable than her own self worth and expression.
That's why Jones took to social media with this ridiculous dress code violation experience.
Some people think that school uniforms are the answer to instances like this, where there is little wiggle room for violation. While there are many arguments for school uniforms, there are just as many against them. One of these reasons against uniforms is that it takes away a very big form of self expression and creativity for a child.
The question is: should leggings be considered acceptable by school? Leggings are sold in just about every single clothing store you walk into these days.
Jones remarked that while she was waiting in the office after her daughters text against the rules, she saw a teacher walk by with pants so tight that she could see her underwear. Jones didn't have a problem with the teacher's fashion choice, just the discrepancy between the standards for students and teachers.
Many commenters on Jones' Facebook post were in support of this aggravated mom's cause.
The original post of Bella's modest outfit has been shared and liked thousands of times, and has sparked debate all over the Internet.
Other moms tend to agree that this whole thing is ridiculous, and that Bella's a good girl who just wanted to learn.
What do you think of the school's reaction to Bella's outfit? Should Bella have been able to call her mother and ask for a change of clothes? Should she have even been singled out in the first place?
Please SHARE with you family and friends on Facebook to see where they all land on this subject.
