Low cut blouses, T-shirts sporting four letter profanities and off color jokes–what’s next? If you read this newspaper yesterday, you most likely saw the article about passengers being evicted or banned from flights because of what they wear.

Basically, all airlines have a “contract of carriage” or “acceptance of passengers” link on their websites, which should outline what they believe to be the proper way to present yourself at the gate. But the rules governing clothing and apparel are vague at best, making individual interpretations varied and leaving folks like me to wonder just what is “offensive.”

I can see both sides of this debate. I don’t like to be told what to wear–which probably stems back to my parochial school days when uniforms were mandatory and viewed as the height of restriction for those important years of self expression. But c’est la vie. I was a kid and had to play by the rules.

I also don’t like to travel by air anymore to begin with. Though I personally couldn’t care less about what people wear, I do understand that some passengers are sensitive to other’s clothing choices.

But how far can the airlines go in their interpretation of their own guidelines?

They are still private enterprises, and as such, can make up their own rules about these things. But using words like “inappropriate” when describing fashion choices is hardly helpful.

I look back on my son’s lower education years when the schools he attended had very specific guidelines about appropriate clothing. Is that what we need? Seems a bit juvenile to me, but perhaps if we are all in agreement, then let’s adopt a universal dress code for flying. My mother would spin in her grave with joy.

And after that, maybe airlines could also give out detentions for those who don’t pay attention to flight attendant for the safety instruction talk, too.