My 12-year-old daughter plays on a co-ed soccer team, which means she routinely defends against boys a half-foot taller than her.
That's actually her favorite part, as she catches them off-guard with her speed and aggression.
But she got a rude awakening when she wore her soccer shorts in gym class last year, because she was informed they were too "distracting" for the boys. My daughter, being a shrinking violet, shot back that that was sexist. But as a straight-A student, she acquiesced, lest she be slapped with a "B" -- or worse.
There's nothing unusual about her school's policy -- which is the problem. I will say that other schools seem far more zealous in enforcing dress codes, like an Ann Arbor middle school that recently inspired a protest by 80 students.