Dress code: The controversy surrounding leggings at
Providence Day
The dress code at Providence Day allows lots of freedom for students to wear the clothes they choose; however, leggings are a new source of controversy within the PDS community.
The dress code at Providence Day School has always been a source of debate between students and the administration. Last year, there was a dress code committee comprised of one female and one male Providence Day student from each high school grade level. They surveyed their classmates and gathered information on what the students wanted to change the most for next year.
The committee instilled some positive changes, such as allowing boys to wear long-sleeve t-shirts, and allowing athletic shorts and sweatpants to be worn on spirit days.
However, the female students at Providence Day object to some of the new regulations for girl’s dress code that prohibit them from wearing current fashion trends such as ripped jeans, visible undergarment straps, and leggings. A female student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that “it’s outrageous how all the negative changes are targeted towards girls.” Last year, many of these clothing items were not explicitly banned in the dress code, so girls wore them without consequences.
“It’s outrageous how all the negative changes are targeted towards girls.” -Anonymous
The most prominent example of this debate is the controversy surrounding leggings. Although they are allowed to be worn on Fridays, leggings cannot be worn during the rest of the week. Nadia Johnson, the Director of Diversity and Multicultural Education at Providence Day, agrees that leggings are an argumentative subject, but not one to be avoided.
There are many conflicting viewpoints concerning wearing leggings as pants. The majority of female students believe that they should be able to wear leggings throughout the week, because they are comfortable, warm, and a current fashion trend. However, many faculty members and parents object to this.
Because leggings are a type of pant that is extremely tight fitting on a girl’s backside, many people have issues with females wearing them. Although Providence Day’s administration has made an effort to meet the wants of the female student body, the majority feel as though it’s not enough.
The debate becomes much more complex when examining what shirts the girls are choosing to wear with the leggings. Some wear long sweaters or sweatshirts that cover their backsides completely, some wear t-shirts that only do so halfway, and some wear cropped shirts with no coverage.
This changes the conversation to focus on body shapes and personal clothing choices, something that can easily lead to the objectification of women. Johnson states that “leggings are tricky, because you never want to objectify female students.” Although unintentional, the objectification of girls does occasionally occur at Providence Day concerning their clothing choices.
“Leggings are tricky, because you never want to objectify female students.” -Nadia Johnson
It is tough to draw the line between clothing being school appropriate or not, especially when it comes to leggings. It often comes down to a girl’s body type and how they style the rest of their outfit. Johnson says that “it is very problematic because when schools talk about leggings, they’re talking about body shape.”
“It is very problematic because when schools talk about leggings, they’re talking about body shape." -Nadia Johnson
In conclusion, there needs to be a conversation between students and the administration of PD concerning leggings, dress code, and the objectification of female bodies. The Dean of Upper School at Providence Day, Gordon Bynum, states that “we are moving to a single dress code for students in general, as opposed to what boys should wear being separate from what girls should wear.”
Although this is an inclusive idea, it may not be realistic for meeting the wants and needs of the PD student body. Leggings should not be as controversial a topic as they are, due to the fact that they are simply a type of pant, but there needs to be an open conversation concerning dress code, and female clothing choices at Providence Day.
Leggings are one of the most popular pant types for women and girls to wear. Image courtesy of C. Quarm.
Lululemon--a brand characterized by a stylized letter A--is the most favored brand of leggings amongst women. Image courtesy of C. Quarm.
Leggings and some of the different types of shirts often worn with them. Image courtesy of C. Quarm.
By Carly Quarm
COMMUNITY
The Charger, December 2017
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