When you're a teenager, picking out the perfect outfit for a day at school is an essential daily task.
For plenty of people, their clothing represents their personality and who they are as a person, so they dress accordingly.
However, when students make the trek to school, they must abide by the facility's dress code.
While this typically this includes no short shorts, ripped jeans or tube tops, one school district in California is embracing a new dress code that'll lift the ban.
The Alameda Unified School District will be implementing a pilot program for the upcoming school year that'll allow its pupils to dress in almost whatever they want.
The popular, yet limiting dress code has often caught backlash from parents and students across the nation, as they allege the rules purposely target teenage girls instead of their male counterparts.
"Spaghetti straps will be OK, short shorts will be OK," Susan Davis, the spokesperson for the Alameda Unified School District told ABC News, adding that the new program is aiming to reduce the "body shaming" that accompanied the previous dress code.
"So when you're looking at things like how short are your shorts, are your shoulders showing, is your cleavage showing, that really means that girls are being punished more often and losing class time more often than a boy," Davis said.
Student Brian Belt applauds the new dress code, and said regardless of what his female classmates will be wearing, his main priority is his studies.
"I think it's a good thing because now they can show who they are really are and what they want to wear and stuff like that," Belt told the news outlet.
And the district agrees.
"We believe these changes will reduce inequitable and unnecessary discipline and help us maximize learning time," Steven Fong, AUSD's Chief Academic Officer, said in a release.
"Districts across the country are adopting similar revisions for similar reasons. We are excited to be moving forward with such a student-centered approach."
However, not everybody is thrilled about the new dress code, and believe it'll send the wrong message.
"No, that's not OK. I think they should dress appropriate," said Chandra Thompson, the mother of an Alameda High sophomore.
"Not a crop top, not a tank top. It should be covered up, especially girls," Thompson's daughter Nalani added. "Because boys might get the wrong message."
However, this doesn't mean students have a free-for-all when it comes to how they dress.
Although they'll be allowed to wear fitted pants, midriff-baring shirts, and pajamas, their clothes must also covers genitals, buttocks and areolae/nipples with opaque material.
No clothing with pornographic images, hate speech violent language or images, will be permitted either.
What do you think about the no-shame dress code? Let us know in the comments!
