Letter to the editor

11/1/12 7:00pm

 

To the editor: 

Last week's "Fashion Gaze" column (Oct. 26, 2012) gave me a bit to think about. I appreciate its purpose as stated in the second paragraph: 

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"This weekly column will feature easy ways to integrate some style into your closet without taking too much time away from your organic chemistry problem sets or too much money out of your late-night Domino's Pizza fund." 

However, the column does not go on to give trend reports or advice about how to find good clothing deals as one would expect. Instead, the authors go on to shame Rice students for their choice of clothing and imply that students who don't dress "well" are somehow worse students than their peers, as shown in the quote below: 

"But, whether intentionally or not, your wardrobe communicates something about you personally and, more to the point, academically." 

The authors first make the point that certain events have certain clothing requirements. The example given is a formal concert at the Shepherd School of Music. I agree with the authors that, in this setting, there is a certain style of dress that is expected and that blatantly breaking this norm is distracting to both the audience and the performers. 

The next point brought up (and the main purpose of the column) is the lack of "professionalism" that Rice students display in the clothing they wear to class. The authors seem to be trying to draw a parallel where none exists. There is no norm that students dress professionally for class. That is not a trend. Perhaps the authors recognize this because, rather than informing students that their clothing choices are disruptive (which they are not), the authors go on to try to convince students why they should dress "well." 

"Wearing pajamas to class communicates contempt both for your professors' time and for the subject they teach." 

I disagree. Dressing "poorly" communicates nothing about my devotion to a particular class. The most powerful communicators of "contempt both for your professors' time and for the subject they teach" are things like failing to pay attention during class, turning in shoddy work (or no work at all) or not preparing appropriately for exams. The pants I wear to my 9 a.m. class do not affect my ability to take notes, participate in discussion or solve a problem. 

"Why not take the extra 30 seconds to put on a pair of real pants rather than just rolling out of bed and plopping down in your seat for class?" I will respond with another question: Why should I be obligated to take those extra 30 seconds (which could translate to a bagel or coffee in the morning) if I don't want to? If I'm going to a setting where the benefits of my experience are determined by my participation in class, the quality of my homework assignments and my preparedness for exams, why does the fact that my pants have a zipper and pockets mean that I am a better student? 

"What we are getting at is that unless you are going for a workout, are currently working out or are returning from a workout, you should not be wearing exercise clothes. While choosing to do so is not as disrespectful as walking around in pajamas, exercise attire is purposed attire and is therefore inappropriate in the classroom." 

Whom am I disrespecting by cavorting around campus in my flannel pajama pants? My fellow students, who have the right to see me dressed as they would please rather than as I would please? The professors, who have spent years in academia so that they can be entitled to see only "well-dressed" people in their daily lives? William Marsh Rice, who originally founded this university as the Institute for the Advancement of Zippered Pants and Shirts That Have Buttons? 

I would argue that, though exercise clothes are suitable for things like running and biking, that does not mean that they are unsuitable for anything else. That "sensible black dress and heels" mentioned in the third paragraph is certainly appropriate for a formal concert - but I doubt that the authors or anybody else would say it was appropriate for class. Are we also to be discouraged from wearing cowboy boots if we're not on a ranch? From wearing scarves when it's not cold out? From wearing just our underwear to a party? 

I fully support the Thresher running a weekly fashion column that discusses trends, points students to inexpensive clothing options or features creative outfits from Rice students. However, I do not think that a column chastising students for wearing gym shorts to class will do anything to change our norms, nor do I think there is any reason we need to change our norms. Those who want to wear sweatpants will wear sweatpants, and those who do not, will not. 

Sarah Frazier is a Brown College sophomore. 

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