Boy Wears High Heels to School, is Asked to Leave

A Riverview High School student in Tampa Bay, Florida was asked to leave class because he decided to wear high heels as a form of self-expression. While the student's name has not been disclosed, several friends of his claim that he felt confident enough to wear shoes that are more frequently worn by girls that age. The principle of the school, Bob Heilmann, said that the shoes were a distraction to the other students in class, making the boy a potential target for bullying. While the high-heels wearing teen male has not been cited for deliberately provoking any bullying, Heilmann said he wanted to keep the boy safe from harm, believing that asking him to leave class might prevent the boy from any further fashion statements in class.

While the younger generations tend to treat school as a place for socializing, fashion shows, and other forms of self-expression that are best left private, it makes one wonder why parents do nothing to stop their children from turning themselves into targets of humiliation. It is no wonder that some public schools in larger cities have decided to mandate the wearing of uniforms and sensible shoes for students in order to make the school environment more conducive to learning. Uniforms also equalize students so that no one student can come to school wearing a miniature Bijan suit or Oscar de la Renta dress which would obviously make the other students feel underprivileged and inadequate. Schools, after all, exist to educate students, not provide them with social careers. If children want to engage in self-expression, that should be done through exercising their unique talents and skills, such as art or music. Children do not need to be wearing clothing that can provoke, or getting body modifications which can not only provoke but harm one's self image and reputation. Parents must learn to teach their children to never do anything that makes them stand out like a sore thumb in school or other public places. A child's self esteem is not based on self-expression but rather on what they can actually achieve through their natural abilities. By taking school seriously, and not dressing to impress one's friends, a student is more likely to make real friends and keep those friends long after high school is over with.

Hopefully the boy at Riverview High School has not experienced too much trauma in being quietly pulled aside by Heilmann and asked to get shoes that teen males usually wear. Once teens realize there are boundaries in what they should wear or not wear to school, they will spend less time trying to impress, and more time on getting a good education.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/boy-in-high-heels-removed-from-class-04212011

http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/16