Dear whoever came up with the bright idea of “your shorts-must-be-finger-length rule,”

It’s 2015, not 1615. Please update the dress code.

With the new school year nearly two months in, students have fallen back into old patterns such as stealing lockers that do not belong to them, rushing to change classes, and, of course, dodging administrators in the hallways to avoid dress cuts.

Oh, the wonders of high school.

Students who walk into the juniors section of any store, from Super Savers to Pac Sun, are bombarded with lace, floral, and whatever other trends fill an Instagram dashboard.

From the months of April to August there are no jeans in sight, only shorts so tiny they give grandmothers everywhere heart attacks. Instead of sweatshirts, miniscule crochet crop tops dangle from hangers.

There is no clothing that does not break the school’s dress code as far as the eye can see.

Walk down the halls at any school that does not have a uniform and students will inevitably see hundreds of girls breaking the dress code. Why? Because unless girls cut their their jeans into shorts themselves, they won’t find any that are finger length and don’t end at the knee.

All the stores in the mall that teen and pre-teen girls populate sell these types of clothes. Why wouldn’t they? They are cute, good for the weather – in case you haven’t noticed, we live in sun-drenched California – and why shouldn’t people be allowed to wear what they want?

Our school is not the only with a restrictive dress code. The dress codes for all district schools have the same core message, even if the specifics vary: “The dress code regulations specify standards that promote a positive and safe learning environment,” according to Cal’s student handbook.

If this is true, why are girls the only ones getting in trouble? How am I supposed to learn when I’m choking from the stench of the Axe radiating from all boys within a 30 foot radius of me? That doesn’t seem very safe to me. Why are boys allowed to sag, but girls can’t show their shoulders?

Last year at homecoming there was a boy behind me in line with only a vest on. How come he can get away with that but girls aren’t allowed to wear strapless dresses?

I do understand why we have the dress code, and not everyone is unhappy with it. Obviously schools don’t want us to be promoting alcohol, drugs or violence, or wearing bikinis and speedos to school.

It’s just that the current dress code is outdated compared to today’s style of clothing, and not changing the dress code makes it hard for people to express themselves.