What Year Is It Again?

Even though my hair hasn't been longer than 3 inches in 20 years, this video really pissed me off. This kid is just trying to go to school, but the school's dress code won't allow him. They characterize his hair as "distracting". Distracting? Really?

Hmm.

Let's tease this notion out.

When young ladies have long hair, that isn't distracting. It is something to be praised by most standards. It's a thing of beauty, a thing of wonder, a feat even. We fawn over it and praise the young lady. And, relatedly, we often make women who lack this long, pretty hair feel as if they are somehow lacking...as if they are less of a woman.


And, similarly, people get up in arms when a male doesn't want to chop his hair off at every possible juncture. This thing of beauty becomes a mark of otherness when it is attached to the head of a male. It is often deemed effeminate and weak (interesting how we often conflate weakness with things typical of females, and more interesting how many females champion these self-effacing schools of thought with little question).

Hmm.

Sounds somewhat archaic, but okay. Can I take it that girls in pants is equally distracting (and masculine)? Or girls with short hair (damn lesbians!)? Actually, I'll do you one better. Perhaps having girls in school at all is distracting to male students. Therefore, we should keep them home and give them something more useful to do, like [insert 50's era idea of "woman's work"].

Of course, I kid, but it really does frustrate me. I don't know why people are so staunchly tied to antiquated notions of proper gender etiquette (I'm looking at you, Morehouse College). These ideas are dated and restrictive. More importantly, these ideas are dangerous. We ostracize those who refuse to conform. We tell them that they are somehow "less than", because they choose to be their authentic selves. We place them on the margins with demands that they become like us in order to have value or to be morally correct (whatever the hell that means). And then we are surprised when they move even farther away from the norm, when they consciously embrace a counterculture in order to rage against a society which oppresses them.

How long will be hold onto bullshit in the name of tradition?