Drawing the Line

Some people believe that a strict dress code can also create an environment in which students feel more self-conscious.

“I think there’s more body confidence with a more lenient dress code,” Miller said.

For Friestad, clothing should make one feel confident, but students should exercise good judgement.

“I feel like if people feel self-conscious about their body and what they’re wearing, they should be able to cover themselves up, and if they’re more confident, they should be able to show a little bit more,” Friestad said. “If I put on something that’s really risky, I’ll often feel really self conscious throughout the day and then I won’t end up wearing it. I just feel like you should just know where your limit is.”

For girls in particular, tank top straps and leggings continue to be a controversial topic.

“I think there is a certain point where you have to tell people what to wear and what not to wear. I think that people should be allowed to express themselves with clothing – yes, it can be distracting sometimes, but I don’t agree with teachers saying ‘girls can’t wear tight leggings because it’s distracting this guy and he can’t learn,’” Friestad said. “I think we should be able to wear whatever we want, and people should just use their own judgement.”

“Overly strict dress codes definitely fall more in the court of managing young women and what they wear. I think in a lot of ways that that is unfair, especially when a school tries to sell the idea that they’re trying to protect a distraction-free environment. I think that comes across as a little bit disingenuous, especially when we’re talking about things like leggings,” Basile said. “But I think there’s also that line, in that at school, we’re grooming students for their future. If that gets lost in the mix, and students think it would be appropriate to show up to work wearing whatever they might wear on Friday night, then we’ve kind of missed the mark, too. I certainly know that teachers, no matter what their bodies look like, don’t necessarily wear the same things that they would feel comfortable wearing on the weekend. We’re held to a different standard because we are working professionals, but I think that conversation can’t be overlooked, the importance of that kind of training, too.”

Dodge agrees that from a teacher’s perspective, a stricter dress code would help students realize how they should portray themselves in a professional environment.

“I think it’s important for students to express themselves and be able to choose proper attire for their location, whether it be work or school, and that we can help them make good choices,” Dodge said. “If someone is making bad choices, it is the faculty’s responsibility to talk to students so that they realize that in a professional setting like a school or workplace, they should be thinking about dressing a little more formally than they might in the summer with their friends.”

However, despite the current lenient dress code, teachers have never found clothing to be a distraction to the learning environment in their classroom.

“I’ve had some situations where I can’t believe people would wear a certain outfit to class,” Dodge said. “I’m glad that I can always see what my own kids are wearing to school, because in some instances, I wonder how students have gotten out of the house in what they wear.”

“I’ve never known a dress code violation to be an urgent distraction in my classroom,” Basile said. “Distractions happen for a lot of other reasons than what students have on.”