A Questionable Code The Dress Code’s Hindrance of Personal Expression
By Andrew Holden ‘07
From the moment I learned I would be coming to Choate, the dress code became a part of my life. I had to buy multiple pairs of khakis and collared shirts in order to have enough clothes that conformed to the class dress code. Early on in my Choate career, I—along with the rest of the student body--was threatened by Headmaster Shanahan with the possibility of a coat and tie dress code should kids not abide by the already strict Dress Code. I was shocked. I had chosen to attend Choate because I in fact felt that Choate students were allowed more freedom and avenues to express themselves than the other secondary schools I was considering at the time. Though my application was originally rejected, I was so taken with the school’s atmosphere and relaxed ambience that I convinced the admissions office to give me the chance to raise my grade point average. I earned the best grades of my life that quarter and was accepted. I was also admitted into my other two top choices, but instead of going to Taft or Westminster—schools better suited to my athletic interests—I denied their offers of admission. I risked not going to any prep school the following year because I wanted to go to Choate so badly. I wanted to go somewhere that I could be myself while receiving a better education than I would at public school. I think what draws most people to Choate is that we are not like every other preparatory school.
Is what one wears really relevant to how well that person learns on a given day? I don’t think there are any teachers who can honestly say that they see a decline in the learning capacity of students on “Buck-A-Jeans Days.” None of the major universities in our country mandate what a student can and cannot wear during class. A particular class or event might require more formal wear, but there is no universal dress code on a daily basis. If the highest institutions of learning don’t require a tucked-in collared shirt and khakis, why is it necessary that Choate requires this of students? No company in the business world has suddenly become incompetent after allowing their workers to ditch business suits in favor of more relaxed apparel. My dad, Arthur Holden, who has been working in the corporate world since 1981, believes that “relaxing the dress code in the work place can help to enthuse employees about coming to work every day. Having some freedom over what one wears has made working feel like less of a chore for me.” Supporters of the dress code argue that it is important to look “presentable” and that people often judge others based on appearance. I agree that one certainly ought to “dress to impress” at something like a job interview. However, I see no point in having a dress code for normal class days. We see our classmates every day.
On top of the fact that there is no evidence that a dress code helps students learn more effectively, the existing one is sexist. Girls are essentially allowed to wear weekend dress sans jeans. Boys, however, are verbally accosted whenever so much as a corner of their shirttail is un-tucked. On many occasions I have seen several girls wearing enormous, frayed black pants with metal chains hanging off of them. These clothes are clearly in violation of class dress, yet those girls seem to be immune from the constant reprimands of teachers. When I have asked faculty why only boys are forced to tuck in their shirts, the common response is that many girls are self-conscious about their waists and that it is “not the style” for girls. What if I feel self-conscious about wearing khakis and a collared shirt? In my opinion, wearing khakis and a tucked in collared shirt “is not the style” for boys either. Either way, feeling self-conscious would necessarily be distracting from learning. Instead of mimicking every other prep school by enforcing a dress code, why not enhance our reputation as a school where people can come and be themselves? Why not abolish the dress code entirely? Some might receive this as my challenging authority for no reason or think that I am “overreacting” to the restrictions of the dress code. But the reality is that my old t-shirts and broken-in jeans are who I am, and I do not see why I should have to pretend to be someone else in order to get a Choate education.
