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Bum Rap

The latest and perhaps most disturbing evolution of clothing with suggestive phrases on the backside, and what schools are doing about it.

By Susanna Schrobsdorff | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Sep 5, 2008 | Updated: 9:51  a.m. ET Sep 5, 2008

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  • Posted By: mfenwick @ 11/30/2008 2:59:53 PM

    School dress codes are aimed at girls, not boys. That's because girls are very sexual at the junior high and high school levels. They post videos of themselves on YouTube and make private porn movies for their boyfriends. So it should not come as any surprise that girls use words on their clothing to draw attention to certain body parts that they are proud of and want guys to notice. Let them be sexual, because they are.

  • Posted By: screwthesystem @ 09/09/2008 10:21:57 PM

    ah, this is jsut dumb, and may i say that let the mainstream preps and hos wear wat they like, it just gives me and my friends reassurement that alternative lifestyling is the way to go. Sure we wear black, color our hair and pierce our lips, but we do not partake in this 'exhibition of ass'. We have our morals in the right place and we are quite happy with it. These preppy conformist clothing styles are so provocative, yet you adults chide US for our dress of choice, and want your kids to be slutty conformists instead. Just let them dress how they will; it is a great source of entertainment for non-conformists everywhere.

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/11/2008 12:01:23 PM

      Excuse me, but kids do not become ugly or stupid just because they don't follow the style! Not meaning to brag, but I received national recognition by Duke University for my score on the ACT--and I wouldn't wear shorts like these if you paid me millions of dollars. I mean it. All of you conformists need to grow up. You aren't the only people, your views aren't the only views, and your style isn't the only style. There are others, such as myself, who HATE these ugly rags and just want to act like civilized, mature human beings. GET USED TO IT!!

    • Posted By: Fictional @ 09/10/2008 12:12:32 AM

      I agree on the 'preppy' ideas of clothes. If you don't have children, take a trip into the clothes store and go straight for the 'Teen' section, you will find multitudes of low-cut, horribly short skirts, and provocative clothes all together. Go to another store, you'll find the same thing... and the next, and the next and the one after that. Not one store offers real solutions for girls (boys have an easier time of finding decent clothes) to be even remotely un-provocative without looking horrible. Look at all the clothes that are considered 'decent' today by most of the administration mentioned in this article and you'll find clothes that will only admit the adolescent/child wearing them into extreme mockery, and sometimes worse. It isn't a time when people can easily make their own clothes and still live.
      If you're trying to make your children wear these kinds of clothes, you're only asking for them to do worse on their exams; they won't do well if they aren't /happy/. They won't be happy if they are being made fun of for the way they dress.
      If you have a problem with how short/low something is, use an under-shirt; problem solved.
      The shorts, just don't buy provocative ones, buy just plain denim shorts, nothing on the front or back.

  • Posted By: emospride95 @ 09/09/2008 7:39:27 PM

    bull crap its not classey so what who really cares its them not you all these people are all like "a little soosy is going to be raped" bull crap these adults are caught up in this crap because of class its a fashion not a life style, unlike emo or prepy so ya and the baning of the fitch and crap i care and i dont cuz really my woredrobe has white black blue red ( u cant have red dumb) u no stuff like that
    this is stupid for an argument because r u the kid no so SHUT UP

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/11/2008 11:54:42 AM

      Yes, it's stupid that Detroit outlawed certain colors and hair lengths, but please control your language. (It would also be nice if you worked on your grammar and spelling, as you are making yourself appear very uneducated.)
      Look, I'm a kid too and I think you're being one heck of an idiot. These clothes are inappropriate! They show too much!
      I have so much trouble finding decent clothes because I don't want to wear the translucent, sleeveless junk with which most department stores stuff their shelves. I don't want to walk around looking like I'm wearing pajamas (and revealing, suggestive pajamas at that). Not only are these clothing companies encouraging inappropriate dress, they are also making it hard for extreme nonconformists such as myself to find anything to wear!
      It's time for two things to happen: The "preppy" kids who want to be "cool" need to be restrained, and the nonconformists need to be given a fair shot at shopping. We (by "we" I mean teens like me) might not like Hannah Montana, High School Musical, or other popular things, but that doesn't--or at least it shouldn't--keep us from getting something that WE like.

  • Posted By: CodyCatastrophic @ 09/09/2008 10:33:19 PM

    I don't understand *** like this.
    They tell us to do all this and the only so called gift we recieve is this 'education'
    To tell you the truth, I learn more from the internet itself than my school.

    The only thing I probably have learned from going to school is learning Math.
    Counting numbers? Big deal.

    We wake up for these guys really early.
    We do our homework, at least, most of us.
    We have to obey their goddamn rules?

    Why can't we have so little as much as keeping OUR hair like we want it?
    Why can't we wear what WE want to?
    It's not like it's going to stop us.
    Since we can still do it like everywhere else?
    There just wasting there time on petty ***.
    We should have at least SOME rights over ourselfs to do what we want with our clothing, hair, etc.

    We do so much for them?
    Why can't we get anything else but this 'education'?

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 5:37:10 PM

      CodyCatastrophic, I have a few things to say to you (not in an unfriendly way, mind; I would just like to say a few things).
      a) Please limit your language to words that do not require dashes. We all feel like cursing sometimes, I suppose, but being unable to hold it in is a sign of complete immaturity.
      b) Please consider the fact that some clothing is inappropriate for school (or, for that matter, anywhere else). I agree that trying to limit jewelry and hairstyles is overdoing things quite a bit, but do girls really need to walk around with such obscene things written on their backsides? I don't think so.
      b) Well, what would you do without education? If you didn't learn something or other to help you get a job later, what worthwhile profession would you be able to enter? Would you really be content flipping burger patties at McDonald's?

    • Posted By: screwthesystem @ 09/09/2008 10:40:49 PM

      I agree. this education that is supposed to be so important is actually promoting povocativity. not that i care what others wear per se, but i do worry aout my prep friends posing easy targets for idiot men with no respect.

      • Posted By: Fictional @ 09/10/2008 12:06:47 AM

        People learn better when they're happy, too. If the students are being opressed then they won't learn nearly as well because they'll want to rebel against 'Big Brother'.

  • Posted By: screwthesystem @ 09/09/2008 10:48:42 PM

    "The district also mandates that boys may not wear earrings or grow their hair below their earlobes" WTF DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING??????? is that harmful in any way, shape or form???? will someone plz explain to me exactly why so many adults overthink everything and are such control freaks????

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 5:28:48 PM

      You're overdoing the punctuation a bit, but I agree. If teens must express themselves through clothing, let them do it with accessories (as long as they are not obscene) and hairdos. Long hair and body piercings aren't really inappropriate, nor are they as distracting as shorts emblazoned with these...suggestive...phrases.

  • Posted By: Timberheart @ 09/10/2008 12:23:20 AM

    Stupid. Kids can wear anything they want, it is freedom. And what's with the hair thing? Guys look nice and comfortable in it. How does that effect anything? Personally, I think this is dumb. Seriously, banning things like this is going to make them more rebellious. But anyways, ONE time I saw a young fourth grader wearing a short that read: DANCE DEPOT.. That is a place isn't it? Yeah people staring, so what? -_-

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 5:24:53 PM

      Yes, Timberheart, it is a free country. But kids are not always able to make appropriate choices for themselves and others, which is (in my mind, anyway) why adults are in charge, NOT KIDS.

  • Posted By: turtleegg900 @ 09/10/2008 1:01:37 AM

    Wow. Perhaps if people in college spent a little more of their classtime paying attention to the classes themselves than to their classmates' clothing, they might actually know how to punctuate a sentence.

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 5:21:13 PM

      Yes, boys are too busy staring at the girl's shorts to pay attention to the teacher.

      It at least cheers me up that most of the people here seem to be well-educated.

  • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 09/12/2008 9:58:01 PM

    Mandatory school uniforms are the only way to go. It is being done more and more and with very positive results.

    And please spare me the predictable whining about "expressing individuality".

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 5:18:00 PM

      Hear, hear! Expressing individuality...humph. I don't wear this junk, and I have no problems whatsoever expressing my (very strong) sense of individuality. That's what art, music, and creative writing are for.

  • Posted By: jnklive @ 09/05/2008 2:14:57 PM

    Well, why not just have them were gray or black suits with swastikas on them. After all this is America, and if you can???t be like the rest of us we will persecute you...................................and yes I am a parent, but I taught my children to be RESPECTFUL INDIVIDUALS, which includes not imposing your will on other people.

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 2:03:38 PM

      You--you--
      Never mind; I'm above that.
      Being a respectful individual also means not wearing things that are obscene or skimpy.

    • Posted By: tylerrose @ 09/05/2008 2:35:10 PM

      You, in my opinion, are a horrible parent. For what reason would a girl need to walk around with Tim's Ass lettering on her posterior?

  • Posted By: kapauldo @ 09/05/2008 10:20:54 AM

    (linkback) Hero or Jerk? Wear inappropriate clothes to school, you get a prison jumpsuit [VOTE] - http://www.thriveorfail.com/1f097

    • Posted By: Timberheart @ 09/10/2008 12:20:01 AM

      What the heck? What is wrong with people? If you take stuff away from them, they'll become more rebellion, seriously. It's OUR choice. Freedom is freedom. What the heck happened to that, eh? And I have seen those on a 4th grader, and she looked like she was uncomfortable. Guess what? She never wore them again!

      • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 2:00:19 PM

        Um...you're ignoring the fact that parents can and should exercise control over their offspring.

  • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:55:45 PM

    Help. Help me.
    Help me, someone, please. I'm sick of seeing this junk on my friends. My only real friends are the ones who don't wear these stupid rags. But I don't give a care in the world whether the wearers are my friends or not. I don't want to see ANY of the infernal things. I would give so much to live in a (figuratively and literally) cleaner world.

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:57:14 PM

      Oops...I didn't know it had loaded. I'm sorry! It annoys me when I see the same thing posted three times...I'm really sorry....

      I mess this kind of thing up all the time; trust me! Ha....

  • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:55:39 PM

    Help. Help me.
    Help me, someone, please. I'm sick of seeing this junk on my friends. My only real friends are the ones who don't wear these stupid rags. But I don't give a care in the world whether the wearers are my friends or not. I don't want to see ANY of the infernal things. I would give so much to live in a (figuratively and literally) cleaner world.

  • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:55:35 PM

    Help. Help me.
    Help me, someone, please. I'm sick of seeing this junk on my friends. My only real friends are the ones who don't wear these stupid rags. But I don't give a care in the world whether the wearers are my friends or not. I don't want to see ANY of the infernal things. I would give so much to live in a (figuratively and literally) cleaner world.

  • Posted By: Grimwyll @ 09/11/2008 10:21:16 PM

    For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Young people already have it rough (I'd like to see one of the parents that posted last a day in high school), so just piling on more punishment isn't going to help. It'll just make people things even worse for us. In turn, we'll make things worse for the older generations. This police-state crap is really getting out of hand.

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:44:37 PM

      We don't have to have it rough, by the way. Though poor educational systems can contribute to the mayhem, most of the blame lies on the students. The kids who can't scrape an A make it hard for themselves. It's their own fault that they can't survive school; if they learned to behave they would have a much easier time.

    • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:37:21 PM

      I'm sorry, but I must disagree. My peers (I am a teenager, by the way, who HATES the kind of clothing in question) are becoming more and more corrupt each day. It is partially their parents' fault for not exercising control over them. But they do make their own choices about what to buy when they go out to the mall. (Of course, their parents probably give them money to go to the mall in the first place. It's a twofold connection. But that's not the issue I'm trying to express, so I'll let it go.) connection.If we are to defeat this problem, two things must be done:
      a) Parents will have to GET A GRIP! They brought these kids into the world, and they ought to take responsibility for them.
      b) Kids will have to be taught to obey and respect authority. Many are becoming insolent brats who bend to no will but their own. They think it's cool to show as much of their body as they can, to have cell phones virtually glued to their ears, to talk nonstop in fast, loud voices with as many curse words as they can possibly insert. They aren't the bosses yet, but they are the next generation and one day they will make up the voting/working body of the world. No matter how much punishment must be dished out, THIS MUST BE STOPPED NOW.
      Some of you may not trust my judgment because I am a teenager myself. But you see, it is because I am a teenager that I get a different perspective than adults on other teens. I talk to my friends; I talk to girls my age at church or summer camp; and though I disagree with their views strongly, I still get an understanding of what they think is "cool."
      I may not be a politician or a voter, but I know enough about my peers to tell that the idea of these kids determining the next president in a few years is not a nice one.
      I shudder to think of what might happen to this already corrupt country if teens are allowed to go about like this.
      Likely you've already picked it up, but I am one very strange eighth-grader.

      • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:41:12 PM

        I apologize for the typo in my last post ("twofold connection.)connection.) I had no way of scrolling up or down, even with the arrow keys, so I had to guess where the words were...and it seems that I had already typed "connection". Hopefully you still got my drift!

    • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 09/12/2008 9:56:25 PM

      Oh yes, they have it sooooo rough; let's all cry a river for them.

      Your limp-wristed suggestion (if you can even call it that) is evidently to do nothing at all. Yep, that will help a lot.

  • Posted By: Kolibri @ 11/10/2008 1:10:08 PM

    Well, Detroit's choice is rather over the top--I don't see a point in prohibiting green, brown, orange, red, purple or gray. Nor do I see anything wrong with collarless shirts, as long as there is nothing hanging out of the V-neck. But I'm tired of seeing all the gross, barely-there clothing that most of my peers wear. Not only does it make going out in public an eyesore, it also makes it difficult for me--a very modest person in terms of clothing--to find something that I can wear comfortably (in other words, something that is not sleeveless, not see-through, not too skimpy, not too long, not too short, and not emblazoned with logos of a company I do not support in any way.
    It's time for America's parents to get a better grip on their kids and teach them what clothing is proper! My parents never left me in any doubt as to what is appropriate and what is not. I hope to goodness that the next generation will be able to say the same--but it seems that, at the moment, nothing short of a miracle is needed to do that.

  • Posted By: MSTeacher07 @ 10/11/2008 10:08:43 PM

    I am a teacher, and I fully support a uniform and/or specific guidelines for students (and staff for that matter). When kids come to school, I personally do not want to see boxers, underwear, thongs, bras, cleavage, and other body parts falling out of clothes. And the kids were always quick to come back with, "Well, don't look!" Well, you know when you need help with homework or have a question about today's classwork and I'm kneeling by your desk answering your questions, I don't need to feel uncomfortable with the fact that something may be exposed.

    School is a place for learning. It is also a place for young people to learn how to live and succeed in the outside world as a professional. One day you will hopefully have a job and most likely it will require you to dress professionally. If you're so inclined to wear your boyfriend's name on your rear or have your pants falling down to your ankles, do it on your own time. When you are in public places - school or otherwise - there are standards. And if you feel so restricted by dress codes, you can still glam it up with your personality. Add accessories, wear fun shoes. Keep it covered.

    I am a young woman who teaches. I like to look nice and fashionable. But I keep it appropriate. I dress professionally, but I still keep up to date with fashion. When the students complain that they can't wear what they want to wear, I ask them, "Well, would you really want to see your teachers running around with cleavage or sagging pants?" They usually agree with a strong NO. And I feel the same way. I wouldn't want to see ANYONE like that in school.

    So what.. From 8-3 Monday through Friday you have a dress code. Deal with it. Wear your juicy shorts later.


  • Posted By: Dreamweaver1956 @ 10/11/2008 2:29:57 PM

    If only more parents felt the way you do, dreamrequest! When did people abrogate their parental rights and responsibilities and let their children take charge? I mean, do they really think that their 14 year old daughter, who thinks its cool to wear a pair of shorts with "Mikes Ass" on the back, is capable of making intelligent decisions? I am with you - don't complain about school policies regarding dress for your child when you are either incapable or just refuse to set boundaries and controls on your own children. This country has gone to hell in a handbasket and all people can do is point their fingers at someone else.

  • Posted By: Dreamweaver1956 @ 10/11/2008 2:22:13 PM

    If only more parents felt the way you do, dreamrequest! When did people abrogate their parental rights and responsibilities and let their children take charge? I mean, do they really think that their 14 year old daughter, who thinks its cool to wear a pair of shorts with "Mikes Ass" on the back, is capable of making intelligent decisions? I am with you - don't complain about school policies regarding dress for your child when you are either incapable or just refuse to set boundaries and controls on your own children.

  • Posted By: bbeell @ 10/08/2008 9:37:41 PM

    Ummm...this isn't new. I did this back in high school, and I had my 20-year class reunion a couple years ago.

  • Posted By: bbeell @ 10/08/2008 9:36:21 PM

    ummm...this is not new, I was doing this in high school, and I had my 20-year reunion a couple years ago.

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