All in Favor, Say “Tie”
“I don’t even get why they want to change the dress code, like, no one at Exeter is transgender… And if they were I bet they could, like, just explain it to their teachers. This is stupid.” I overheard a girl say this as we were walking down the stairs after Student Council in the fall. The Policy Committee had just proposed their first draft of a rationale to change the current dress code.
I remember Policy’s first meeting about changing the dress code, and I remember having the exact same thoughts. “But I like the tie.” The issues with the current dress code boiled down to two things: the girls’ dress code is more relaxed than the boys’, and the wording forces kids to identify with one gender.
I’m sure we’ve all been in a class where a male student forgot to wear a tie and was forced to run back to dorm, while a female student in the class sat there in leggings or a deep v-neck shirt. It is easy to call a boy out for not wearing a tie, but it’s awkward for a teacher to call a girl out for showing cleavage. The girls’ dress code allows for girls to dress up or dress down, but the boys’ forces them to dress formally everyday. A boy could be wearing a button down shirt without a tie and not be in dress code, but a girl could have the exact same outfit on and be in dress code.
Adolescence is a time of trying to figure out who you are, and for some it is a time of figuring out your sexuality or gender identification. Before proposing the final draft of the rationale, the Policy heads read two testimonies anonymously submitted by Exeter students. Both letters spoke of times when the author “tried out being another gender” by dressing differently. Personally, I don’t know anyone that is struggling with gender identity, but I understand that kids on this campus do wake up everyday and panic as they try to figure out what to wear. What you are wearing is how people see you and identify what gender you are. We should not be forced to dress like one gender if we don’t identify as that gender.
“Adolescence is a time of trying to figure out who you are, and for some it is a time of figuring out your sexuality or gender identification.”
After months of planning, drafting and discussing, the rationale for an improved dress code was passed by Student Government on Wednesday. This does not guarantee a new dress code will be implemented, but it does show to the deans and faculty that the student body agrees that the dress code needs to be changed. Now that the rationale has passed, Policy is working with the council to form one gender neutral dress code that will be shown to the deans for approval.
What does a gender neutral dress code look like? Sadly it means taking away the requirement of a tie—a beloved tradition at Exeter.
Honestly, I like the tie and wish there was a way to keep it, but there just isn’t one. Exeter is always striving towards becoming a more advanced and modern community, while keeping our traditions. The tie is one thing we will have to sacrifice for a better Exeter.