To dress up or suit up, that is the question

Homecoming, Winter Formal, Prom. What do these three functions have in common? Well, for one, they bring excitement into school life for many students. As everyone knows, with a formal dance, comes a formal outfit. I think it is safe to assume that everyone who goes the distance and purchases a dance ticket wants to look nice.
This brings me to the dress code. Take Homecoming for example. The official Homecoming dress code states:
Appropriate dress for ladies includes a dressy dress (long or short). Dresses shall not have the midriff exposed or excessively deep neck or back lines, or be too sheer to expose undergarments. Appropriate dress for gentlemen includes a coat and tie and appropriate shoes.
Why is it necessary to break the dress code up by gender? The way our dress code is currently written implies that any variation from the norm-any dapper ladies or dress clad boys-could be inappropriate. I would like to propose an alternate set of dress code rules:
Appropriate dress for those wearing a dress/skirt includes a dressy dress (long or short). Dresses shall not have the midriff exposed or excessively deep neck or back lines, or exposed undergarments. Appropriate dress for those wearing suits includes a coat and tie and appropriate shoes.
There, that was relatively painless right? Personally, I have always enjoyed experimenting with fashion. I would love to rock the dapper look at Homecoming (I mean, I look gorgeous in a dress already, so imagine how good I’ll look in a suit vest!). I believe that getting rid of unnecessary gendering such as that which can be found in the Homecoming dress code is the first step towards a more accepting society.
Removing the unnecessary gendering of the formal dance dress codes will not only help to open minds, but closets as well! So while I strongly urge administration to change the wording of the dress code, I encourage all of you out there reading this to try something outside of the heteronormative box this Homecoming. After all, you can’t knock it til you try it.