Florida schools vote to ban "extreme" hair and makeup

One Florida school district hopes to ban bold beauty styles. Photo by Thinkstock
One Florida school district hopes to ban bold beauty styles. Photo by Thinkstock

Rainbow hair color and bold makeup are increasingly popular thanks to pop stars like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Katy Perry, but high school students in Lake County, Florida attempting to emulate similar styles may be in trouble soon as the district is voting to ban the beauty looks.

According to a Fox 35 news report, the list of shunned style includes any "extreme" hairstyles, unnatural hair colors, and makeup that affects direct eye contact in the classroom. A school spokesperson named Chris Patton said these creative styles detract from learning. "When you have someone who has extreme hairstyles or different colors like pink or purple, it could be a disruption to the education happening in the classroom," Patton told Fox 35 News. "Kids start talking about it, they start teasing the kids with the different pink or purple color hair."

Do they really? We don't believe that purple hair dye would hinder a girl from working hard to get good grades or learning in the classroom. And what teacher would allow kids to tease each other about their hair during class while they're teaching a lesson? Furthermore, it seems confusing for the school to say pink hair dye is forbidden but red, black, brown, or blond are OK.

When asked for his definition of "extreme" styles, Patton said, "If you have eyeshadow that goes way off the side of your face almost like how a rock-star would have, that too is distracting." Fair enough, that sounds a bit like a Halloween costume, but again how do you draw the line? Patton elaborated saying, "Mascara, eyeshadow, and even the bangs if they are blocking the eyes-where you can't see a students eyeballs, that's even a safety thing." Has anyone ever heard of mascara or eyeshadow that blocks eyeballs? As for eyelash-grazing bangs, many girls (and boys like Justin Bieber) love the look, and we don't know how schools will be able to dictate haircuts.

Fox 35 tracked down students in Lake County who are upset about these proposed rules and find them unfair. "We want to express ourselves and sometimes we want to do it with our hair," said tenth grader Sigorney Schmidbauer. A ninth grader named Abagail Wilbaks told Fox 35, "I agree with the makeup, the hair I don't because it's a way to express yourself."

The final vote is set for August 22, the first day of school. If the beauty ban goes through, any students who wear prohibited styles could be banned from all extracurricular activities.

What do you think of this makeup and hair ban? Do you think the school district is being harsh, or do you agree with them that girls are going to far with their cosmetics and hair dye? How would you feel if your child was sent home and punished because her bangs were too long or her mascara was too "extreme"?


Related links:

Huh? Alabama students must choose between being PADDLED or suspended for violating prom dress code
Should baggy pants be outlawed in schools? Florida officials think so.
Italian town bans miniskirts and low-rise jeans
British supermarket bans shopping in pajamas