$850. That’s how much Saks Fifth Avenue sells a pair of Saint Laurent “trashed” skinny jeans for. Barneys New York offers Dolce & Gabbana “distressed” jeans for $695.
Not that the students at Chamblee are buying these designer jeans. But in a world where ripped denim is being worn by everyone from Rihanna to the mom next door, there is bound to be some conflict between staff who want to ensure safety and students who want to be fashionable.
The Chamblee dress code was changed this year to completely ban all “torn, ripped, or frayed pants no matter where the rips/tears/holes are placed on the pants, and no matter if the rips/tears/holes are covered with an undergarment.”
This is a drastic change from last year, when students could have rips below the knee, and above the knee if no skin was showing. Many students wore jeans with only a few very small tears and “abrasions” on the knees or pockets, which are no longer allowed.
Cindy Mosley, the Assistant Principal of Positive Behavior Support, reflected on this change.
“What happened is because we allowed the little holes, [the students] went overboard,” she said. “The holes became bigger and bigger over time and it became a problem, it became inappropriate.”
Many teachers echo this sentiment.
“As a teacher, I have a problem [with ripped jeans] because we do a lot of labs in here,” said biology teacher Shaheen Begum. “People have rips, and then you have bare skin, so not wearing [ripped jeans] is always helpful.”
In addition, some teachers are worried about students being distracted during instructional time.
“Just making this [a] place where everybody can focus on the content and not necessarily on the clothes of other people, because it could be a distraction for other students” Begum said.
However, some students think that the “distraction factor” is being blown out of proportion, and ripped jeans should be allowed as just another kind of pants.
The Blue & Gold spoke with two anonymous students who wore ripped jeans to school in spite of the dress code. Both students were fully aware of the rules, and at the time of the interview, neither student had been disciplined by a teacher or administrator.
“It’s a form of self-expression. I don’t want to feel limited in my educational environment,” said one of the students.
Another student said that ripped jeans are actually considered nicer than normal ones, and should be allowed because there is nothing wrong with them.
Begum freely admits that she does not quite understand the appeal of torn denim.
“Back in India, nobody wears ripped jeans,” she said. “I have grown up not seeing ripped jeans, and if clothes rip, then we are expected to throw them away.”
