A North Carolina School District Banned Skinny Jeans and Leggings

Skirt length and shirt straps are commonly regulated under school dress codes, but one North Carolina school district is declaring war on a new form of clothing: Skinny jeans.

Monday, the New Hanover County school district tweeted a link to their updated dress code policy, which includes new rules preventing students’ clothing from “disrupt[ing] the educational process or constitut[ing] a threat to the health or safety of others.”

In the document, the district underlined a rule stating: “No leggings, ‘skinny jeans’ or other excessively tight fitting pants unless covered by a top or dress to the appropriate length. (The length of the top or dress shall cover the posterior area in its entirety.)”

A local news station reported that New Hanover County School Board Vice Chair Jeannette Nichols said, “One of the reasons behind the policy change was that some of the ‘bigger girls’ were getting bullied because of their tight jeans.”

But people on the Internet were critical about the change: