A dressing down

Published in The Daily Item on Thursday, September 10, 2015

It seems that at the start of every school year a dress code-related controversy erupts over a particular article, or articles, of clothing deemed inappropriate for the classroom. As has been the case in recent years, yoga pants and leggings are again at the forefront of disputes between administrators and students in various school districts across the country.

Restrictions on the figure-hugging pants, which are often made from thin spandex or other stretchy material conducive to exercise, have been in put place in many school districts across the country because they are too revealing, too distracting, or not appropriate attire for a learning environment. Some districts have outright banned them, while others have made suggestions on how they can be worn while still conforming to dress-code requirements. Students, mainly young women, say the popular, athletic-inspired pants are comfortable to wear and claim banning girls from wearing them is a sexist move.

Last week approximately 200 female students and several of their male counterparts at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich wore yoga pants or leggings for the first day of school in protest of a new revision to the dress code, which states the garments can be worn only if covered by shorts or a skirt. According to the school district’s superintendent, Robert P. Sanborn, the new policy was not put in place because of the pants’ distracting nature, but instead to teach students a far greater lesson: to better prepare them for appropriate dress and behavior in the workforce. The move garnered international attention. Sanborn was quoted by multiple news outlets as saying, “Vocational technical education is about preparing people for a career. It has to do with employability. We’re passing on the skills that are needed in the workforce, to know that’s not proper attire when you’re at work.”

None of the dress-code violators were given detention or sent home to change. Instead, school officials are viewing this as a “teachable moment” and plan to work with the students so that they better understand the reasoning behind the policy.

While it may seem absurd that any group of adolescents needs to be taught why certain articles of clothing (i.e. yoga pants, tank tops, hats, or even T-shirts bearing vulgar words and phrases) aren’t appropriate for the classroom or the boardroom, it is not at all surprising. The art of dressing seems to be a thing of the past for most Americans. We have traded in the style and elegance of the suits and frocks that our elder generations so proudly showed off for the convenience and comfort of stretchy, man-made fabrics and leisure wear. And this is not just a trend, it’s been a gradual shift in our culture that now seems to be at its peak. Let’s face it, we’ve kind of become slobs.

The Item staff from the late 1940s was dressed to the nines...

Just take a quick look around — most of us adults probably aren’t the greatest fashion role models for our younger generations. Our “casual Friday” attire of jeans, cargo pants and T-shirts seems to have infiltrated the entire work week. Our workout clothes, now trendily coined “athleisure” wear, are being worn outside of the gym, into the office, while shopping, and to other social gatherings. Our flip-flops are no longer just for the beach. Need proof? Just look under the table at a meeting — chances are you’ll spot a pair or two. Our outfits are exposing body parts that shouldn’t see the light of day, sometimes unintentionally, but they’re nonetheless showing. Even our pajamas, most notably the bottoms, have crept out of the bedroom and are shamelessly being worn out and about in public places.

...while the Item staff today is much more dressed-down and casual.

Some of you may think I am being overly critical, superficial or too judgmental on this issue. I am not a self-proclaimed member of the “fashion police” looking to avenge all crimes of fashion. I, too, embrace dressing casually (in fact, I’m wearing cutoff shorts and a tank as I type this, but I’m also sitting at my kitchen table and not my office desk); however, there is such a thing as being too casual. When we start showing up at board meetings looking like we’re about to run the Boston Marathon, we’ve taken casual dress way too far.

If we are dressing inappropriately for our own daily roles, then how do we expect younger generations to know any better or do any differently? And if the old adage: “Dress for the job you want…” still rings true, then we are preparing the workforce to be flooded with an influx of yogis over the next several years.