Eyebrow Raising Activity at Centennial High School
April 29, 2008 – 2:36 pm by KimSome students at Oregon’s Centennial High School have been ordered to shave off their eyebrows or go home, after sporting shaved vertical lines in their brows. Apparently this “cool” new trend was fashioned by hip-hop artist, Soulja Boy and has been copied by many of the school’s male students.
Assistant Principal Mark Porterfield said that students will not be suspended, but are not allowed back on school grounds until they cooperate.
Does this ring any bells? Perhaps the landmark case of Tinker vs. Des Moines? These students are being forced to alter their appearance or leave school grounds, just for expressing their lack of originality. Aren’t they going to look even more strange if they shave their eyebrows off?
So far four students have been sent home and one returned with a bandage over his eyebrow. Wasn’t that fashion statement created by the rapper, Nelly?
Police claim this is a serious matter because local gangs use similar eyebrow markings to identify with each other. They believe that these markings are used by students to intimidate others.
If I saw one of my fellow classmates with a row of hair missing from their eyebrow, I am not sure that intimidation would be my first reaction. Furthermore, I can’t imagine what it would do to a young man’s ego if he were forced to completely shave his eyebrows off.
I think a more fitting punishment for these students is to have their picture taken and framed for later use at their ten year reunion.
