As summer nears, the temperature rises. For most people who try to compensate for the change in weather, warmer days mean lighter, skimpier clothing. However, the administration, perhaps in an effort to remind us that we are still in school, has enforced a dress code that limits what students can wear. The policy doesn’t create a more “appropriate” school environment, and it also curtails student liberties.

Traversing Stuyvesant, with its 10 floors and frequently broken escalators, is quite a workout. In many of our classrooms, we’re already experiencing uncomfortable heat. And, believe me, it’s only going to get worse. If the administration really cared about an environment conducive to learning, it wouldn’t prevent us from being comfortable in classrooms (or it would fix the school’s facilities, but that’s for another article).

If you find your classmate’s dress making you uncomfortable, that’s your problem. We are, or are becoming, mature individuals capable of handling things like bare skin. To “protect” us from it would be to say we’re too weak to cope with something we encounter every day outside of school.

Teenage sexuality is a powerful force. The administration worries we might be distracted by each other. Here’s a newsflash: it’s a little late to prevent that. Those who are distracted will be distracted regardless of what their classmates wear.

The principle remains: you are responsible for your actions. Focus on your work, or be glad you have something to stare at. Teachers, who may notice students as well, are more mature and should be able to control themselves.

The reasoning behind the policy is faulty, and the policy was poorly implemented and is poorly enforced. It was announced suddenly during second period, instead of during homeroom. It’s also sexist. Girls are pulled aside and asked to change to more “suitable” clothes much more often than boys are. Perhaps the administration thinks the female body is shameful and should be covered. Perhaps the administration thinks we are incapable of focusing whilst uncovered women are in the room.

Whether the dress code is an effort to appease angry parties or prevent adolescent minds from drifting to sex, it neither accomplishes its goal nor leaves us happy. As mature individuals who can handle bare skin, we should be allowed to wear what we want to.