Hemline issue rises again at Kentucky dance

It was back-to-the-future at a recent Kentucky homecoming dance where dozens of girls were sent home because their dresses were too short.

Not micro-mini’s, mind you, just more than the 2 inches above the knee prescribed in the school dress code.

The girls didn’t know it, but they shared an experience with many of their grandmothers and great-grandmothers, who once kneeled on a gym floor while a teacher or principal took measurements.

According to reports, these weren’t Beyonce-esque runway creations, they were off-the-rack dresses, many admittedly sleeveless to wear on a hot-humid Kentucky evening, but many even had high necklines.

The crowd of students, milling around after being turned away and waiting for their parents to pick them up, even prompted a response by police, who ordered them off school property under threat of being arrested for trespassing.

Parents said the rule was unevenly enforced, one girl turned away while another in identical attire admitted.

The Louisville Courier Journal reported that a previous version of the school’s dress code allowed hemlines 6 inches above the knee.

The incident raises questions about sexism and equality we thought had been hashed out decades ago. Yes, school administrators have the responsibility to maintain order and safety at school functions, but it ultimately falls to students of both sexes to deal responsibly with issues that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

The flood of hormones that accompany adolescence can be overwhelming whether there’s a bikini or a burka involved.