Keeping It Professional
Unlike our rival school Andover, here at Exeter we are required to follow a certain dress code. Boys are required to wear a shirt and tie to classes, or a turtleneck instead.For girls, it's a little more simple. They are just not allowed to wear clothes that are too revealing, such as tank tops or really short skirts or shorts.Coming from a school where we had to wear a uniform everyday, a white polo and gray pants, I am pretty thankful that we have more of a choice, but if Andover doesn’t have a dress code, why do we?It is often believed that a dress code helps promote a more serious school atmosphere which emphasizes academics and promotes good behav- iors. Studies have shown that dress codes in school settings are supposed to reduce social conflict and peer pressure that may be associated with appear- ance, because most of the time no one is the odd one out.Moreover, a dress code still allows students to wear what they want, giving them a sense of choice
Rohan Nawalrai '16Staff Writer and expression, unlike uniforms.Several years ago, Exeter had a stricter dresscode; boys had to wear blazers everyday. However, the students convinced the faculty to have a vote, in which the students were involved. In the end, blazers were not required anymore, but boys still had to wear ties.According to one of my former English teach- ers, it was the girls who voted for the boys to still wear shirts and ties. Is this fair, considering that girls are not required to wear anything specific and have more freedom of choice?Some mornings, after nights of only one or two hours of sleep, its kind of a struggle to put on my shirt and tie. The top button is buttoned with the second one. The tie is too long. The tie is too short. Sure, it would be easier if we did not have a dress code, but its hard to imagine Exeter like that.Exeter is supposed to be a place with a serious academic atmosphere, and I think the dress code only adds on to this, which is a good thing. It keeps
us focused on our work and prevents certain dis- tractions. I suppose it would be hard to concentrate on work if I saw my classmates wearing shirts distracting patterns or ones that say, “I moustache you a question”in biology class everyday.A lot of people may say that a dress code re- stricts students from expressing their individuality, which can lead to other forms of self expressions such as tattoos and piercings. However, from what I have seen here at Exeter, there is plenty of room for kids to show their individuality.I’ve seen kids walking on the paths with whale- embroidered pink pants, others in their respective ethnic attire, and girls rocking some cute sunflower dresses.To people outside of Exeter, teenagers wearing shirts and ties every day may seem slightly odd, but I think it only adds to the academic rigor of our school. The dress code does not restrict us; in fact it allows us to find other forms of self expression from a wide variety of choices we can make.