Specially Groomed Eyebrows A Headache At Oregon High School

[Miranda]

April 29, 2008

PORTLAND, Ore. - A Portland high school is raising eyebrows with its brow grooming policy: shave 'em or go home.

Some students at Centennial High School have shaved vertical lines into their eyebrows in a trend recently made popular by hip-hop star Soulja Boy. School officials say the mark looks like a gang symbol.

Centennial administrators are telling students with the lines that they can't return to school until they shave their eyebrows off. Assistant Principal Mark Porterfield said the students are not suspended, but they are not allowed in school until they cooperate.

Four students have been sent home. One returned with a bandage covering the shaved brow.

Police say gangs have co-opted the trend for their own use, with one gang's members marking themselves by shaving one line into an eyebrow and three lines in the other to symbolize 13.

"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."

Andy Gonzalez, a junior at Centennial with one vertical line shaved down his brow, was studying for a test when a security guard approached him and said, "If you're going to come to school like that, don't come at all."

Gonzalez, 17, says he isn't in a gang and shaved the lines to look cool and impress girls. But he says he'd be humiliated if he had to shave his brows off.

Centennial implemented the rules about the eyebrows after other area high schools did, but other schools say they only look for the markings of the 13 style.

[Lillylu29]

i cant believe this fad made a comeback.......

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

i know, its a bit ridiculous...

[GOREgeouslyDecorated]

lolz... I can understand where the school is coming from, but I think it's a bit rediculus

[Pandora]

Portland is a really really nice (and culturally tolerant) town and they've been able to keep their crime rate very low. I can completely understand wanting to keep any sort of gang culture out of their schools. And yes it is a gang sign in some areas of Los Angeles, I've seen it with my own eyes living in Carson, which is right next to Compton (which gets a bad rep by the way, it's a pretty nice area, but stay the fuck out of Watts.)

Freedom of expression is one thing, but students are still kids in many areas and they don't think about the consequences of their behavior more often than not, I certainly never did.

I support what the high school is doing.

[Rev.Reverence]

EYEBROWLESS...THAT'S OURS!!!!!

I bet you that this kid:

(((Gonzalez, 17, says he isn't in a gang and shaved the lines to look cool and impress girls. But he says he'd be humiliated if he had to shave his brows off.)))

Is not humiliated by his pants falling off his ass...

This is Soulja Boy... he pissed me off LAST YEAR... that is a 'Reggae' name, and there ain't a dip assed spiritual word in this HORRIBLE rendition of rap... and he looks like a trouble maker...

[Destroit]

EYEBROWLESS...THAT'S OURS!!!!!

I bet you that this kid:

(((Gonzalez, 17, says he isn't in a gang and shaved the lines to look cool and impress girls. But he says he'd be humiliated if he had to shave his brows off.)))

Is not humiliated by his pants falling off his ass...

This is Soulja Boy... he pissed me off LAST YEAR... that is a 'Reggae' name, and there ain't a dip assed spiritual word in this HORRIBLE rendition of rap... and he looks like a trouble maker...

Oh my fuck...that kid. Literally...kid. Hell, I'm 22 and I could easily be this five year old's mother. I can't believe they have 'em rapping as soon as they're outta diapers now.

[Rev.Reverence]

Cherny...

you have no idea... and this was 1 out of like 23 photos...

ALL the others he's wearing big ass glasses!

you can't even see his eyebrow!

[Destroit]

So basically, Rev...if I'm understanding this correctly...

Flavor Flav took a mole off of his face, put it in a cloner, and this boy was the result?

[Rev.Reverence]

So basically, Rev...if I'm understanding this correctly...

Flavor Flav took a mole off of his face, put it in a cloner, and this boy was the result?

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....Perty much yeah....

..and thanx for sayin' that.. it was so... on-the tip-of-my-tongue!

[TygerLili]

This is Soulja Boy... he pissed me off LAST YEAR... that is a 'Reggae' name, and there ain't a dip assed spiritual word in this HORRIBLE rendition of rap... and he looks like a trouble maker...

Wow, thanks for that! I've been laughing for a minute straight. My grandma looks more badass in her pink nightgown and bunny slippers than this little punk.

As for the article, I think the school is within their rights here.

[Fin]

This is quite a quandary.

It is true that when eyebrows are shaved off, they sometimes don't grow back!

[Rev.Reverence]

This is quite a quandary.

It is true that when eyebrows are shaved off, they sometimes don't grow back!

'

not that I have noticed... however the ladies insist that when you pluck them they grow back softer, or less bushy or somethin'... but deffinately not w/a razor...

[Homicidalheathen]

Ice, Ice.......maybe....NOT! Hahaha!

[pomba gira]

Portland is a really really nice (and culturally tolerant) town and they've been able to keep their crime rate very low. I can completely understand wanting to keep any sort of gang culture out of their schools. And yes it is a gang sign in some areas of Los Angeles, I've seen it with my own eyes living in Carson, which is right next to Compton (which gets a bad rep by the way, it's a pretty nice area, but stay the fuck out of Watts.)

Freedom of expression is one thing, but students are still kids in many areas and they don't think about the consequences of their behavior more often than not, I certainly never did.

I support what the high school is doing.

I agree. But making the kids shave their eyebrows seems a bit extreme... couldn't they just have them color the shaved part in with an eyebrow pencil? Shaving could be the next step if the eyebrow pencil got "accidentally" wiped off more than once.

Surprised we haven't seen this at my school... my students all ADORE Soulja Boy Tell'em. One of the most successful lessons I've done all year was a reading comp/writing exercise based around an interview with him in our local paper. They were really stoked about it.

[Oh_My_Goth]

Ice, Ice.......maybe....NOT! Hahaha!