shafer rupardIt isn't uncommon to hear about teens getting in trouble for what they're wearing. And it's not exactly a massive surprise, being that some teens dress way too revealing these days (old person speaking here). But in an interesting and ridiculous twist, a teenage girl was kicked out of her prom ... for wearing pants. That's right, a totally innocuous, completely normal pair of pants.

Shafer Rupard attended her high school prom in North Carolina with a group of friends and, deciding not to conform to the typical sequin dress nonsense, wore a pair of red skinny pants. But shortly after she arrived, she was told by a teacher to leave. Initially, Rupard thought it was because of the leather jacket she was wearing, which she offered to remove, but the teacher said, Nope. It's the pants. Shafer left the dance and, despite there being no dress code for prom, is yet to receive an apology from the school.

shafer rupard

Like I said, I do think some teens dress way too scantily today (ever peruse Instagram? Yuck!). I would not be cool if my now-toddler daughter ever left the house with a skirt up to there and a shirt down to there, so I'm in favor of certain dress codes, but ... if they're not supposed to wear short dresses, and they're not supposed to wear pants, what's left? Don't we want our teens to err on the side of conservative when dressing? Don't we want them to be comfortable in what they're wearing? Don't we want them to know that it's okay to deviate from the norm? What kind of message are we, schools more specifically, sending if we're monitoring everything kids are wearing -- even if it's not offensive?

Teens dress differently. Although the styles are constantly evolving, that's how it's been for ages. It's actually a rite of passage. I mean, who doesn't have a few photos of themselves that make them cringe and say, "What was I wearing?!" But still, kids don't need to constantly be told to change, or berated, for the clothes they choose -- particularly if the clothes are harmless.

Asking a 16-year-old who's dressed promiscuously to change before leaving the house is one thing, but telling a kid who's wearing a harmless pair of pants to leave the prom makes no sense whatsoever, and it accomplishes nothing good. Absolutely ridiculous.

What do you think of dress codes?