Back when I was in high school, I always thought it was silly that dress codes were implemented. No spaghetti-strap tank tops? No yoga pants? Shorts have to be fingertip length? I never agreed, but I always complied. When I started at Keene State three years ago, I noticed that the way people dressed was quite different from high school.
How could it not be? With no parents telling students what they can and cannot wear and no dress code, students are free to wear what they want and express themselves in any way that they please. I agree with this — to an extent.
Crop tops and high-waisted shorts have made a big comeback over the last year, especially on campus. Upon returning to KSC this semester, I noticed that women have been fancying these fashion comebacks.
Girls on campus are wearing high-waisted shorts as booty shorts and crop tops as belly shirts. I believe in freedom of expression, but I feel there is a time and place for dressing that way and it is not in the classroom or the Dining Commons. When I’m sitting in class, or in the DC enjoying a meal, I do not care to see girls’ behinds coming out of their shorts and their entire stomachs exposed.
Photo Illustration by Kyle Bailey / Photo Editor
Although I do not think there should be a dress code on campus, I do feel that there should be some limitations for what is appropriate and what is not on campus. What girls wear when they go out on the weekend is none of my business but when they start wearing those same clothes in the classroom, it becomes a different issue.
I was curious to see if KSC had some sort of dress code or restrictions but I was unable to find one regarding classroom attire. However, the Spaulding Gym does have a dress code.
The facility rules are posted online and in the building stating, “T-shirts or tank tops and athletic shoes must be worn at all times in the fitness center.” Although T-shirts and tank tops are required, I still see people violating this rule. It seems as if people look at going to the gym as if they are going to a fashion show. The same clothing style I see on campus and in class is brought into the gym: incredibly-short shorts and shirts that do not cover much. I also see guys wearing shirts with the entire sides cut out, which is equivalent to not wearing a shirt at all.
I do not think it is necessary for there to be restrictions to what people can and cannot wear to class, because I’m sure that would cause an outrage with many students. However, it should be up to those wearing these revealing outfits to class to reevaluate what clothes are meant for parties and what clothes are appropriate for the classroom. I think students tend to lose sight of the fact that the classroom is a professional environment. I’m not saying girls should be wearing business-casual clothes to class, I just think that wearing clothes they would wear to a party paints an unpleasant picture of themselves to a professor, especially if the students are looking for a professional reference in the future. I would also say the same about students who come to class wearing pajamas looking like they have not showered for days; it is a sense of disrespect.
Just because a certain fashion is depicted in the media does not mean that the classroom is an appropriate place for that style. I do not advocate for total coverage whatsoever. I would like to attend class or eat a meal without seeing buttcheeks and midriffs everywhere I turn.
Brooke Stall can be contacted at bstall@keene-equinox.com