Oregon school wants students to shave off their eyebrows

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Apr 29th 2008 6:04PM

Categories: Teens & tweens, Life & Style, Weird But True, Education

At least four students at an Oregon high school have fallen victim to a rather unfortunate fashion trend: vertical lines shaved into the eyebrows. This look was popularized by hip-hopper Soulja Boy, but police say gang members have adopted it for themselves. Because of this gang connection, school officials at Centennial High School have prohibited these students with self-inflicted bare spots in their eyebrows from attending classes.

"We don't dictate policy for any schools," Officer David Schmidt of the East Multnomah County Gang Enforcement Team said. "We just tell them what we see the latest trends are. This is a way for them to identify each other. In a school setting, it intimidates other kids."

Until somebody invents an eyebrow toupee, the only way to get rid of the so-called gang symbols is to shave the eyebrows entirely. And that is exactly what school officials want these students to do. One student found a way around that by putting band aids on the eyebrows. That student has returned to school, but the other three are still sitting out, presumably waiting for their hair to grow.

One of the students, Andy Gonzalez, claims he's not a gang member and only shaved his brows to impress girls. I wonder how impressed the girls will be when he shows up with NO eyebrows.

Source

Comments (13)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Eva 4-29-2008 @ 8:51PM

Why on earth do schools think it benefits students to miss class?

Ginny 4-29-2008 @ 9:13PM

That is stupid. My husband does this & has been off & on since the 90's. It personally drives me crazy, but give me a break. It is worse for those kids to miss school & I'm sorry buy shaving them would be such a distraction! Can't they color them in with eyebrow pencil if it is that big of a deal?

ame s 4-29-2008 @ 9:38PM

Jeez, whatever happened to letting teens look like ridiculous idiots if that is what they choose to do? It doesn't look much more stupid than nose, lip, and eyebrow piercings.

sweetchuckd 4-29-2008 @ 10:16PM

I agree. Any of us could look back through old yearbook photos and realize what dumb-looking trends we all went through. Today everything is banned, censored, or deemed inappropriate for a school environment. Prisoners have more rights.

c_rousseau05 4-29-2008 @ 10:23PM

10 years ago when I was in high school boys had this done to their eyebrows so it's nothing new. It actually is a gang thing, it signifies someone who's killed another and the reason I know that is because a friend of mine told me (his eyebrows were like this, two vertical lines on each). I don't think it should matter, fashions come in and out all the time and schools always find something to gripe about and suspend kids over. LOL! I can't help but laugh though at the poor kids that have to shave their eyebrows to go to school. They'll be pretty funny looking for a couple of weeks, no big deal, they grow back. Next thing you know they'll be supsending girls kids for penciling in their eyebrows because *gasp* it's got a gang affiliation!

Luck Stevens 4-30-2008 @ 4:45AM

This is the best thing I have ever seen! http://www.spymac.com/details/?2355207

gonzs_hustle 4-30-2008 @ 8:32AM

dat shit stupid...jus because we put lines n our eyebrows dont mean we gang related... its jus da look but yup....ya boii Gonz akron ohio g-field!!!! 7714

LS 4-30-2008 @ 10:06AM

Ok, so on one hand it's a "harmless teen fashion" that we should just ignore, and on the other, it's a gang sign that signifies the KILLING OF ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. (that is, if C_Rousseau05 is correct)

Well.

If it's a teen fashion thing, fine. Let it go. No biggie. But if it is a gang thing, as it seems to be in this particular area, what's wrong with cracking down on it? Honestly, we sit here and say that we want school officials to take more responsibility in the discipline of children in their care, and then we bash them when they do it. IF gangs are a problem in the area, and IF they are working in conjunction with the Gang Unit of the local PD, I see nothing wrong with enforcing this 'no-shaving' policy in the school.

But then, I'm also in favor of dress codes in school, and actually enforcing them.

LS 4-30-2008 @ 10:10AM

And further... if it does, indeed, signify that this person has done murder, why are the eyebrow-shaved not tossed in jail? In effect, they are admitting a felony...

Cheyan 4-30-2008 @ 11:54AM

If they shave their eyebrows obviously your still going to know who had the lines because they will be eyebrowless.

Rachel 4-30-2008 @ 12:00PM

These kids are missing school because they want to. Why aren't their parents saying, "Put a band-aid over your eyebrow and get your butt to school!" Their parents are allowing them to miss school.

CLM 4-30-2008 @ 5:13PM

The administrators must be male. A little eyebrow pencil would take care of that in no time.

Bev 5-08-2008 @ 9:13AM

Since when did your eyebrows have anything to do with your ability to learn? We're talking about eyebrows!!!!! Ridiculous

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