School District Ignites Controversy With Proposed Restrictions on 'Leggings,' 'Skinny Jeans' and 'Other Excessively Tight-Fitting Pants

A public school district in Wilmington, North Carolina, has drawn the ire of some local parents and students, alike, with a proposal to ban skinny jeans and other tight-fitting pants that aren't worn with a shirt or dress that covers the "posterior area."

The New Hanover County School System reportedly drafted the proposed ban after some "bigger" girls were targeted and bullied over wearing tight jeans, school board vice-chairwoman Jeanette Nichols explained.

As a result, officials are reportedly seeking to possibly restrict leggings, skinny jeans and "any other excessively tight fitting pants" that are not accompanied by a dress or shirt that would "cover the posterior in its entirety, according to the Associated Press.

The change, if adopted, would amend the current dress code, which already restricts dresses and other articles such as skirts or shorts that might also be too short. See the amended changes below, which were preliminarily accepted by the school board last month:

New Hanover County School System

It didn't take long for some students and parents to protest the move. And, on Tuesday, school board member Lisa Estep also joined the chorus of dissenters, publishing a long Facebook post about her concerns over the policy changes.

"According to the news, the reason given by one of my fellow School Board members for this proposed change was that a 'bigger girl' was being bullied, presumably for wearing the aforementioned attire," she wrote. "As a 6'1" 'bigger girl,' I grew up being teased, bullied, and ostracized at different times in my life. And I know, to my shame, that sometimes I wasn't so nice myself."

Estep continued, "Guess what? You can't legislate kindness. But you can teach it. You can't legislate compassion. But you can live it."

In the end, she said that she simply doesn't believe that the policy will work.

Others have also pushed back, with one individual tweeting a series of images featuring women wearing big dresses. She wrote, "Finally, I'll get a chance to wear my civil war dresses."

A person identifying him or herself as a parent in the district added, "If bullying is the impetus, do a better job of teaching the kids to be nice. Don't tell them how to dress."

The response has been so sweeping that Nichols said that it is likely that the policy will be reviewed and further discussed by district officials.

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