The student body interacts with the Choate dress code on a daily basis. A revision of the dress code in 2016 was largely student-initiated, with goals to more accurately reflect the culture on campus and remove gendered guidelines.
Since the change in dress code five years ago, the meaning of “dressing for success” has changed quite a bit at Choate, with previously banned items like hoodies and sweatpants becoming an increasingly common sight during the class day. Despite the new dress code’s more relaxed rules, some community members still believe that the idiom, which postulates that dressing up will lead to better work, holds true and that students should put on more formal clothes for classes.
Chemistry and biology teacher Mr. John Ford said, “I believe that you need to take a little time on your appearance in the morning before school or work, that that is going to improve your performance, that it’s going to make a difference in how you do in class or as a teacher.”
On the other hand, HPRSS teacher Mr. Jesse Minneman, who chaired the student-faculty committee that suggested the revisions to the dress code, felt differently. Although he felt that there is some value in getting ready in the morning, he said, “A student can succeed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt.” Likewise, many students believe the notion of dressing for success is outdated, and that success is attainable in any attire, whether that be freshly ironed dress shirts or pajama pants freshly picked off of a dorm room floor.
Over the past decade, fashion has only become a more prevalent way of expressing oneself. The previous dress code did not allow for this same self-expression, and many community members believed that suppressing students’ personal style had a negative impact on campus. Mr. Minneman said, “The way you dress is so tied to identity.”
Many students feel that the freedom of expression that the new dress code currently allows them is incredibly beneficial to their learning environment. “Allowing students to express themselves shows their individuality, so not everyone looks the same,” said Gideon Reiter ’21.
Another part of the new dress code that has become more popular among students is its gender neutrality. The previous dress code was heavily gendered, with separate guidelines for male and female students, including separate lists of attire deemed “not acceptable.” While both lists prohibited common kinds of informal attire such as ripped clothing or athletic wear, only the girls’ list — which was twice as long as the boys’ list — included restrictions on which body parts to not show. It instructed only girls to not wear “clothing that exposes the midriff, bares the back, or has a plunging or low-cut neckline.” Many believed these unbalanced requirements objectified and overtly sexualized female students.
“It was very difficult for a male-identifying student to be out of the dress code, while it was much easier for a female-identifying student to be penalized for the way that they dressed,” said Ms. Catherine Velez, a registrar who was also a member of the 2016 Dress Code Committee. This discrepancy promoted a culture of policing girls’ bodies. With the fight against the objectification of women becoming increasingly prevalent in nationwide discourse on equality over the past decade, the new dress code “reflects changes that were happening anyway,” according to Mr. Minneman.
Even those who don’t quite favor the switch to a less formal standard of class attire agreed that female and male students need to be treated the same. “I agree we always had trouble specifically defining parameters for girls’ dress; we didn’t have as much trouble defining those parameters for boys,” said Mr. Ford. Still, he believes that there are better solutions to this problem than overhauling the former dress code completely.
Furthermore, the world has slowly become more accepting of nonbinary gender identities and gender fluidity, an evolution that is reflected in the Choate community. One goal of the gender-neutral dress code reform was to make students, especially gender nonconforming ones, more comfortable.
“It is harder to support gender fluidity and identity with a stricter dress code,” said Ms. Velez.
Reiter also supports these genderless reforms. He said, “Not being explicitly gendered is tremendous.” He believes that stepping further away from the gender binary allows students to express themselves more comfortably and more fully.
During a time when facial expressions cannot be read under the cover of a mask, clothing has only become a more effective means for students to show off their identity. Without the major change in dress code five years ago, Choate’s student body may not have the visual variation in identity and style that it does today.
