By Sophia Kruger ‘22
In the age of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, self-expression is everything. Teenagers have access to numerous platforms that allow them to share who they are with the world anytime and anywhere. One outlet that has always been used for expression is clothing; our clothes tell the story of who we are and how we want to present ourselves to the world, but only to a limited extent. It is certainly not uncommon for schools to impose dress codes on students, but what benefits and damages are they really causing to educational environments?
To much of the administration here at Sem, the new dress code has been seen as a way to better represent our school. Mrs. Bartron, an esteemed teacher and dean of the class of 2022, believes that “a dress code that requires our students to be clean and neat reflects our mission and core values – respect, integrity, and responsibility.” She also feels that “students and families have adjusted to this dress code, and it has accomplished its objectives” while also helping “to unite us in good ways” by encouraging communication between students, parents, and faculty with discussions that were had about these changes before the school year began.
Some students, however, do not feel that the new limitations imposed upon their dress have benefited the environment of the school. Mya Pyke ‘22 expressed her frustrations with the new dress code by saying “it’s really annoying because we bought all of these clothes in the summer to get ready for the school year, and now we can’t even wear them—it’s just such a waste of money,” and a significant burden for families that cannot afford to purchase an entirely new, dress-code-approved wardrobe whenever the school chooses to modify its regulations. Pyke also feels that “the school should take into consideration how much money we had to spend on clothes for last year” before making such drastic changes to what we have to wear, as “it’s insensitive of money” and “not everyone can afford that stuff.” Angelo Lombardo ‘22 also explains that some aspects of the dress code are inconvenient for students because “it’s expensive to change what we wear … we all have so many hoodies, and it’s a pain to carry a winter coat around all day,” and this is especially true when a heavy coat is not necessary. Another student of the class of ‘21 who prefers to remain anonymous echoed this sentiment strongly by saying that “the school should refund us for the extra money we had to spend this year.” Though this may not be a very realistic option, dress codes indeed impose a financial strain on many families in addition to the existing costs of private education.
Other students don’t support the dress code because they feel that it unfairly targets female students. Though all students can no longer wear Sem sweatshirts or t-shirts to school, some think that girls are experiencing more restrictions on their clothing than boys. Samantha Barcia ‘22 believes that the “dress code is heavily targeted towards girls, especially because boys are still allowed to wear the pants that they always have in cold weather, but it’s much harder for girls to find pants to wear” when it’s cold outside due to “the ban on colored jeans.” She explains that “in all honesty, the majority of girls aren’t wearing those kinds of pants (chinos) and they don’t own them already,” whereas “khakis are a regular pant style for boys.” Some girls would rather be cold during the wintertime than wear the pants that have become our only option, as “we would rather feel confident at school” when with our peers.
Many students are feeling dissatisfied with the dress code for a variety of reasons, but what power do students really have to change the rules? Mrs. Barton recommends that “students [that are] interested in any modifications” should have “conversations with Mr. Morris, class deans, and Student Government” about what they think could “be the right next steps” for the dress code. Whether we believe that the dress code supports Sem’s ideals as a school, violates our freedom to express ourselves, places an unnecessary financial strain on our families, or targets individual members of the student body more than others, this new policy does affect us all. However, the choice for students still remains: will those against this new policy fight appropriately for change, or will the new dress code stay the way that it is in years to come?
