Addressing The Dress - Grace Ross and Yasmin Khan

Addressing the Dress

Last year, there was a lot of confusion surrounding the dress code and uniform requirements and enforcement, a primary issue being skirt length. There was also talk of alterations to the hair rules for boys and the addition of UGGS to the formal winter uniform. In order to accommodate the needs of students as well as the requirements of the dress code, the administration brought in ten young women and ten women faculty members to investigate the issues with the current skirt and find solutions. The committee investigated the problems many female students had with the skirt, both in its fit and comfortability. The committee took these problems to uniform supplier Sue Mills, and inquired about other options and styles available. Along with ensuring the new skirt met dress code requirements, the administration wanted students of all body types to feel comfortable and confident in the new uniform. In order to make certain that students’ needs would be met, females of all ages, heights and sizes modeled the skirts during the selection process. Each of the twenty females on the committee was then asked to go out and interview ten or more female students, all of whom shared their personal thoughts about the current uniform skirt. After conducting the interviews, the committee reached the conclusion that the current skirt lacked many features that students desired. For example, many students said they wanted pleats, pockets and a soft cotton liner in the skirts. Another incentive to choose new skirts for the Upper School was to separate the Lower and Middle School look from the Upper School one. “[The skirt] was designed to be more mature and more professional,” Ms. Ronda Zents, Assistant Principal, said. Even though the process of choosing the new skirt was intended to meet the needs of the student body, there has been some backlash regarding the length of the new skirt. “One comment when our freshmen girls started to try on the skirt was that it was longer than the current [one],” Ms. Zents said. “It’s not meant to be longer, past your knees or anything that seems drastically different, but it is a longer style going into the more mature, professional look that was desired.” Along with the uniform changes came new rules. According to Ms. Zents, male faculty are no longer expected to distribute hours or other forms of punishment to female students because of their skirt length. There is a new committee of women faculty members who will address dress code questions regarding skirts. The skirts are not the only new additions to the uniform. UGGS have also been added to the dress code, advocated for by Izzy Wheeler, a senior. “[People] hadn’t really told me they wanted to [be allowed to wear UGGS],” Wheeler said. “We had an assembly, and [the administration was] talking about the new uniform. Afterwards, I walked up to them and said that [since] we can wear a [specific] color of rain boots, can we [also] wear UGGS?” The UGGS are only to be worn as apart of the formal winter uniform and with tights, in order to ensure students are not abusing the privilege and only wearing the boots during appropriate weather conditions. “During the winter uniform period of January and February, [both male and female] students can wear the classic II short boot in the colors of brown, black and gray,” Ms. Zents said. Knock-offs of the boot that have the same look as UGGS have also been approved. “I would hear people complain, but nobody ever said we should seriously do something about it,” Wheeler said. “So when I asked, nobody had mentioned UGGS to [the administration] before.” The requirements of the uniform extend beyond clothing, however. Braids, often worn by people with natural hair, are an easy style option that promotes hair growth, keeps hair clean, is easy to manage and is currently on-trend. Nonetheless, the handbook prohibited braids for male students, despite the hairstyle being allowed for girls. Black male students felt as though this rule targeted them because of their individual preferences. Khalil Battle ‘21 was unaware that braids were not allowed on out-of-uniform days. When he was called out by a dean, he was confused. “My hair looked neat, and it wasn’t derogatory or offending anyone,” Battle said. “I even got several compliments from teachers, so I did not know why I needed to take them out.” Battle said getting his hair braided is a form of self-expression. He believed that the handbook rules unfairly targeted AfricanAmerican males. “If I can change my hair up, it’s not only because I am able to be diverse but is also because females are allowed to,” Battle said.

by Grace Ross and Yasmin Khan

illustration by Farron Edmonds

“Males should be allowed that same option, and it shouldn’t be taken as inappropriate when they do so.” Michael Taylor White ‘20 has also worn braids. White noted that faculty told him that boys that wear braids will not be able to keep their hair clean, or that it is simply not a “nice” look for preparatory academy male students. White completely disagrees with this feedback. “What people say in the media is that boys with braids are not adept to learn, but I don’t see how a hairstyle determines whether or not you are able to learn better than anyone else,” White said. He also believes that no one should make rules based off of personal preference. “It’s [possible] for rules to have been created [to] suppress black creativity,” White said. “When you look at all the rules, ask yourself who those rules are directed towards.” White, passionate about the matter, decided to take a proactive approach against the handbook rule by meeting with Dr. Stuart Gulley, school president. White’s conversation with Dr. Gulley ultimately led to a change in the hair requirements for male students. The rule is no longer in effect this school year and has been omitted from the handbook. This not only allows boys to wear braided styles, but also sets a new standard for outdated handbook rules. “One of the things that took me by surprise was that [Dr. Gulley] said the hair-braiding rule predates him–he wasn’t here when that rule was decided,” White said. “The reason that the rule was created was because no one thought men would be braiding their hair.” White thinks he made substantial progress. Since no one had previously spoken out against this rule, he feels a sense of accomplishment. “Everyone was afraid to talk to authority figures,” White said. “But, the thing is, they’re not here to shoot down our ideas. In reality, a lot of them want to help and make us have a better learning environment.” In this case, White’s meeting with Dr. Gulley garnered White’s desired result. “I appreciated that Michael cared enough about the topic to make an appointment to see me to discuss it,” Dr. Gulley said. “I shared with Ms. Marcia Spiller our conversation. At the time, she was chairing a task force of students and faculty to examine the uniform requirements, and she indicated there was some desire to respond to the concern Michael had raised. After the task force’s deliberations, the decision was made to remove the sentence prohibiting men from having braids in their hair, which, to me, is an example of our willingness to examine the uniform requirements, especially as cultural practices change.” As societal and cultural norms change, our school changes with them. In order to see desired improvements, students can advocate for their wants and needs, just as White, Wheeler and others have.

It’s Not Just Us...

Students all across America have been raising questions about dress codes and how they affect our identities. Laura Orsi, a student in Little Rock, Arkansas, created the PasstheSkirt movement, a social media page and website aimed at connecting students to document their own uniform stories in order to start a national conservation around race and gender issues in dress code policies. Woodward is just one of many schools where students have been working to make change by modifying the dress code to make it more inclusive. “It goes back to our origins as a military school,” Dr. Jon Merrill, principal, said. “As the school has transformed through the years, the uniform has transformed with it.” Uniforms serve as a unifying force for independent schools, reminding students of their school allegiance. “Tradition is good, but [it] can be modified,” Dr. Elizabeth Burbridge, social studies teacher, said. “The demographics of the school have changed dramatically in the last 15 years. We need to address that fact, but also, in the country as a whole, the idea of dress code and business wear has changed dramatically in the last 20-25 years.” –Aspen Andrews