Florida highschool puts a ban on "extreme hair/makeup."

[Sweetdeath]

All I have to say is "Seriously?"   I mean, what does learning have to do with hair color and make up? 
I entered highschool with purple hair, and usually wore radical fashions, way before these lady gaga wanna-bes.  It never derailed me from learning. Teachers who couldn't teach properly did though. :/

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/florida-schools-vote-to-ban-quot-extreme-quot-hair-and-makeup-2514436

[Whitney]

I don't think it is distracting unless the person's hair is so bright or so tall that it actually blocks the ability of a student to comfortably look at the chalkboard...and in those cases the student can simply ask to sit closer to the front of the class.

Now I am all for making it against the rules to wear short skirts/shorts or low cut tops....it's not fair to the teachers who don't like having to see half naked children.

[Sweetdeath]

I agree. I'm actually for school uniforms, since it controls issues like that.  But taking away a student's freedom to dye their hair, do make, ect is crazy!  Why doesn't Florida just shave em all bald?

Seriously though, I agree, unless you have a six foot mohawk, I don't see how hair is an issue.

[Medusa]

Our class valedictorian had a extremely long multi colored mohawk.



*pst. this comes out of Florida.
Just sayin..

[Munchkin Goddess]

Believe it or not, when I was in high school, the beginning years when I dressed "normal", my grades were horrible. In my third year, when I actually started to give a crap, I also started to care about my expressing myself as well. My grades improved, I was in the National Honor Society, I had pink hair and wore a dog collar. I didn't care about school or my looks. Funny enough, when I started to actually care about something, I started to care about other things as well. I think hindering people from expressing themselves will do more damage than any amount of "teasing" or "distractions". People will find a reason to tease other people, especially kids, if they want to. It's a fact of life. All they are doing is ensuring kids who look different will get picked on.

Personally, if the ban was imposed, I would form a protest and get a purple mohawk with a dog collar and have someone walk me around (even if I was alone, but then no one would walk me around XD )

[Sweetdeath]

I think expressing yourself openly makes you happier as a whole. I'm 25 and still have pink hair.

[Davin]

Seems like some people don't like people that are different despite that no one is the same as any other. Some say that the kids are just rebelling, going through a phase or doing it for attention... those sound like perfectly good reasons for a person to decide to do something and I don't think anyone should interfere with it. However, using the law to coerce people into not doing something that does not harm or unreasonabely affect anyone else against their will, is something I'm against.

tl;dr: The law is stupid and I hope it goes away.

[Sweetdeath]

I hope the state of florida goes away... >>

[Ihateyoumike]

I don't really have an opinion on the matter because I've always just done my own thing (which is stand out as little as possible- be boring with my style) so I'll simply play devil's advocate with the first thought that popped into my head reading this.

High school, I think most might agree, is there to prepare teenagers/young adults for the "real world" which fast approaches. In my current job, and every job I've ever had, there have been certain limitations to how you may dress and how well groomed you must be. I wonder, is it so bad then to set similar limitations for these young people in high school?

I wonder what percentage of employers out there would simply not consider you for a position should you have a 2 foot tall rainbow mohawk? Or tell you to go home if you suddenly decided to come into work like that one day until you "fix the problem".

Is it really good to allow for so much individuality in a teaching environment which includes learning how to work under someone else's command?

Just a thought.

[Medusa]

I hope the state of florida goes away... >>

Amen sista. Didn't I say weird stuff comes out of there? 

[Tank]

I hope the state of florida goes away... >>

Amen sista. Didn't I say weird stuff comes out of there? 

Global warming will sink Florida.

[Whitney]

I don't really have an opinion on the matter because I've always just done my own thing (which is stand out as little as possible- be boring with my style) so I'll simply play devil's advocate with the first thought that popped into my head reading this.

High school, I think most might agree, is there to prepare teenagers/young adults for the "real world" which fast approaches. In my current job, and every job I've ever had, there have been certain limitations to how you may dress and how well groomed you must be. I wonder, is it so bad then to set similar limitations for these young people in high school?

I wonder what percentage of employers out there would simply not consider you for a position should you have a 2 foot tall rainbow mohawk? Or tell you to go home if you suddenly decided to come into work like that one day until you "fix the problem".

Is it really good to allow for so much individuality in a teaching environment which includes learning how to work under someone else's command?

Just a thought.

I think we dress to fit the type of place we want to work...someone that is into mohawks is probably going to choose to work some place that would allow them to have their mohawk.  For instance, if I was really into having unique hair I'd either become a hair stylist, fashion designer, tattoo artists or some other field where my clientele and/or boss would appreciate my unique sense of fashion.

You devil's advocate point would be valid if we assumed all high school students were wanting to enter the traditional workforce.

[Munchkin Goddess]

High school, I think most might agree, is there to prepare teenagers/young adults for the "real world" which fast approaches. In my current job, and every job I've ever had, there have been certain limitations to how you may dress and how well groomed you must be. I wonder, is it so bad then to set similar limitations for these young people in high school?

Is it really good to allow for so much individuality in a teaching environment which includes learning how to work under someone else's command?

Actually, I think college is to prepare individuals for the "real world". I think that, when it comes how one looks, high school should be a time for one to "get it out of one's system". I wore a dog collar, dyed my hair pink, had an industrial bar, as well as other things. I have no regrets, and now the only thing I think about is having my hair purple one day. But it's no big deal, I was able to just express myself in high school. Now that I am working an "adult job", I can wear what they consider appropriate without caring.

Also, high school is a time to find oneself and build up who one is as a person. Self-expression helps an individual do that, even the crazy styles. Will kids get picked on? Yes, but how they handle it builds character and self-esteem.

[AnimatedDirt]

So as a parent myself asking you parents out in HAF land and non-parents alike...where does one draw the line of enough "individuality"?

[Munchkin Goddess]

So as a parent myself asking you parents out in HAF land and non-parents alike...where does one draw the line of enough "individuality"?

Hair shouldn't matter, clothing - only if it isn't too revealing, nothing that promotes hate (like the Nazi symbol), piercings should be up to the individual parent (while I'm not a parent, it would be ears; nose; eyebrows; maybe tongue/lip. My mom let me get 3 piercings on each ear and a nose piercing), tattoos should be up to the individual parent (my mom let me get mine at 16 and I still love it to this day. I have two more and planning on a forth); etc. That's just my opinion though.