The Deal with Do Rags
 

I was on an HBCU last week to do a presentation with the president of the college. The president stopped a student and asked him to take his “do rag” off. I was very surprised. She stated men are not allowed to sport “do rags” on her campus. Later, I began to think does it really matter. Would this have happened at a non-HBCU? What’s your take?

I don't believe this would have happened at a non-HBCU.

Firstly, do-rags don't offend me in most academic circumstances. In the classroom is fine with me.... in church, chapter meeting, formals, etc., it's a problem. I think what's most irksome is when people where do-rags with no do! I mean, you have a haircut homie! If you're trying to preserve your cornrows, then have at it.

I think what's happening on HBCU campuses is the clash between the black upper class and hip-hop/urban style. White administrators are either accepting of the style difference because they've seen everything from lip rings to mohawks, or they are too afraid to say anything for fear of violating peoples civil rights and liberties and having it called racism.

We must also remember that College is supposed to prepare young adults not only academically, but also socially. There was a time when college trained individuals stood out from the crowd because they were dressed in accordance to the schools dress policy. Many HBCU's had these dress policies and enforced them until the late 60s. I think more schools should implimate dress policies when attending class. This will put more focus on the business at hand...education. Therefore I believe that when a student is attending classes, he/she should be dressed appropriately...no do-rags, scarfs, hats, pajamas, slippers, stripper clothes etc. in the lecture hall. But when someone is on their own free time they should be able to dress how they wish.

I support the president's move 100 percent. Look like the professional you're studying/training to be.

Then how do you reconcile those that do not attend HBCUs and are not subjected to dress codes with the success they still achieve in life?

At my school we were allowed to be comfortable in our dress. That did not affect what we learned about life after college. Nor did it negatively affect our academic prowess. Not to mention that in corporate America today, many industries have relaxed dress codes anyway. For example, my daught who is a senior brand manager for Frito-Lay does not wear suits to work.

I see dress codes at HBCUs as being rather pretentious and separating the haves from the have nots.

Now if that do rag was covering up a conk, then that is a whole 'nother issue - LOL.

I see that some of you have never been on the Souhtern University campus on "Pretty Wednesday" LOL!!

I SWEAR that I have seen more breasts, butt, legs and thighs on a COLLEGE CAMPUS than I would see in a strip club! :eek: I have seen guys walking around with their pants to their knees. It's utterly ridiculous!

While I don't agree with a dress code, per se, I do believe there should be some sort of regulation. Though everyone should be able to express themselves freely through their dress, some folks take things too far. If you are "evolved" enough to be attending college, it's about time to modify your dress to match your vocational aspirations. One should not come to class like they have just finished their shift at the Nasty Kitty Gentlemen's Club, nor as if you and your homies are "riding dirty."

Tighten up that appearance!!!

When I was in school my freshman/soph year 89-90 it seemed that Mon/Wed/Fri was the unofficial dress up days. The Jrs/Srs wore shirts with ties, skirts or dress slacks, all had a coach briefcases and not too many backpacks etc. They looked like they were stepping off the campus and into the real world. You felt out of place if you were bummy on those days. Tues/Thurs were lab days mainly and not too many folks had a full day of classes so it wasn't as much. But it was nice to see college kids of all economic backgrounds try to care about their apperance w/o administration telling them to do so.

Actually dress codes originated at Ivy League Schools. Hence the "Oxford" shirt. It was once common practive for students at Yale, Harvard and Princeton to be required to wear a collard shirt, tie and jacket to classes. I don't beleive that everyone should be dresses in 3-piece suits to go to class, but businees casual attire is appropriate. Club-wear :rolleyes: should def not be in class rooms. I also don't believe that this should be just at HBCUs, but in all places of higher education.

No.

(doorags aren't a new phenom. but now more than ever bruthas are trying to incorporate doorags with regular attire and thinking it's cute)

HBCUs have "always" had either formal or informal dress codes and codes of conduct that non-HBCUs have not had. I can think of Hampton as a prime example where students in the early '90s weren't allowed to wear jeans with holes in them, even it that was once the fad.

This dresscode and code of conduct was especially salient in the early to mid-1900s because HBCUs were the center of black higher learning and young adult socialization. Therefore, the institutions made it a point to prepare students for the "real world" both intellectually and culturally--even when many of these students did not have families who were well-versed in intellectual and cultural matters. Now, some HBCUs are still fighting the good fight but I find that some HBCUs look like they've been overtaken by a less desirable element, even those insitutions that explicitly state their founding as religious institutions.

I'm not really bothered by doorags but I wouldn't date a man who still wears one out the house. :p And you're WRONNNNGGGG for the conk joke.

I rarely see bruthas wearing doorags around PWI college campuses. It happens but these were usually 1) underclassmen and/or 2) student athletes. Similarly, I didn't see too many girls walking around with scarves on their heads or looking like they are going to the club.

Relaxed/comfortable/casual dress code isn't the same thing as people walking around looking like "hoochies and hoodlums." You won't see a doorag or a hiked up skirt with stilettos at most jobs. And, no, I don't think that every dude in hip hop gear or a doorag looks like a hoodlum...nor does every girl with a short skirt and stilettos look like a hoochie (I wear short skirts and stilettos when the occasion sees fit :)).

I understand that and to me it was pretentious and used to separate the "elite."

There is separation in all walks of life. We're (read: within-race) not all the same people when you get to specifics. :) There will always be some divergence to go along with all of the convergence in experiences.

The cream of the crop isn't just about performance. People will also rise to the top based on their cultural proficiency and that includes style of dress and speech. It's what people in my field call cultural capital, social capital, and human capital. You portray a certain image and are able to network, then you will be given the opportunity to show of your knowledge and skills, as well as develop your knowledge and skills.

The big issue with this is that it is based on dominant group ideals. Cultural capital is about the style of speech and dress that the dominant group values.

Unless the student was the one presenting for a class, I wouldn't be suprised if he rebelled rather vehemently. At my alma mater, I would have laughed in the president's face for an order as ridiculous as that. Not only is it my right to wear whatever I want, but it is rather sexist to state that only women can wear scarves or do-rags. Some of the brightest students in my mangement school wore pajamas to class every day if they didn't have an interview or presentation. I find that is more important that the student showed up to class. I wore do-rags in school but still got my work done, always spoke properly, and treated everyone with respect. No one ever hassled me about what I wore and I respected them for that.

Maybe I'm real heated about this issue because I went to a huge public university, with progressive liberal ideas, or maybe I just really have a problem with authority figures who treat adults like children.

LOL at the thought of folx at the U wearing suits and dresses to classes. Now pajamas are a little much for me, but then I wouldn't wear pajamas outside of my house anyway.

It was her campus and her rules, she was just reminding him of the rules. We as a society have gotten rather lax in our standard of dress, be it school, work, or church. I think she was just reminding the student of the standards of her campus and that he must adhere to that standard.

Doo rags, head scarves, and caps have been a thorn in the side of administrators/teachers at my school, a HIGH SCHOOL for some time. They are not part of the district's dress code (uniform policy), so it cannot be worn during the school day. It has nothing to do with elitism. It's just about adhering to school policies.
Yet, the principal, even before the cool snap came through, had to mention the removal of said items from student's heads EACH morning. :rolleyes:

I say kudos to making the man take off the doo rag. Anymore, it seems as if people aren't being taught a time and place for everything. To me, doo rags are fine around the house, working on the car, nothing truly public. Then Kels and everyone else has one on with suits and it's supposed to be business/club attire.

I know this wouldn't have happened at most PWIs but it should. We can't get mad and fight everytime someone tells us to improve our appearance. Especially when we aren't repping in a good fashion(women do this too, too short, too low, too tight or just not dressing period). In the workforce, they tell you what to do more than just appearance, but we aren't fighting them.

I honestly have to disagree. If I was told to not wear a do-rag at my school, I would only do it if every single student attending the school had to adhere to the same policy. That means, I wouldn't want to see a single turban, yarmulke, scarve, burka, or piece of attire that would be worn above the neck. I'm not saying a do-rag has any sort of cultural or religious significance at all, but if I am having a bad hair day, I should be able to cover it up. I try my best to dress for the occasion, but I feel as though my wardrobe is my business. If I want to wear something that isn't the most fashionable, that's my problem. As long as I am not distracting anyone else, I have every right to wear what I am going to wear. I can't apply that too much to the situation mentioned however. I don't know if the school was public or private. If it was the latter, they could make the guy do whatever.

The president of the school, in the first post, acted out of line too. Admonishing an adult in public is unprofessional and does not build good relationships. If the president had whispered in the young man's ear, or took him aside so no one else would hear, that would be much more appropriate. I mean, I guess that's why I chose the school I did. A ban on do-rags would have to be in my syllabus for me to actually care what other people think about them.

How do you equate a dress code as seperating the haves from the have nots? Youare assuming that the haves will dress a certain way and the have nots will dress a certain way. I know plenty of upper class rich people that have kids that where do rags baggy pants and what not. I know people inth ehood that dress very professionally and try to dress like they are about business. SO wher eyou come from has nothing to do with your dress.

On the subject. I agree with a dress code. It sets a precedence. The reason predominantly white schools dont enforce it is porbably they dont care or are afraid of offending students since we live in a sue happy society these days. But like the previous poster said college is about more than just an academic education it prepares you togo into the professional world and workforce. SO you might as well learn to look the part.

At my PWI, I wore whatever I wanted including pajamas and the occasional headscarves. Depending on the school's mission, it may be within their policy to have people take off doo rags. But honestly, there must be other problems/issues at a school aside from dress codes.

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Do rags in public are the same as hair rollers in public. The practice communicates that the individual has not completed grooming themselves and that they are not to be taken seriously. Note the link-- it just looks trife. Boo!

Just wanted to say "ditto" to your thoughts. And I agree with the poster that stated that do-rags are the male equivalent to wearing rollers outside in public IMO. Just because you "can" do it, doesn't mean you "should". Appearance does matter in our society. Now I'm not saying that every campus should have ladies/men stepping out in suits, high heels and dresses (although some do on various campuses) but at least be presentable.

I'm glad that universities are now starting to take into account dress codes (I believe it is Hampton's business school that is now requiring its students to dress in business attire a few days a week) because thats how it is when you work for someone else and if this is what you're going to college to prepare for, you should be learning all the skillsss you need to suceed, both academically and culturally (in terms of working for someone else).

:eek: Since you said a PWI, I can believe it, but why? :confused: (rhetorical)
And... aw nevermind! (sigh)

ETA: The above is not limited to PWIs. Over the years, I've seen the way folks walk over to the cafe in their headscarves, pajamas, and slippers. :rolleyes: (sigh) :confused:

At home I tend to eat in my pajamas, so if I'm at school hundreds of miles away, I wouldn't want to feel homesick. I am old enough to know that it wouldn't be appropriate to wear pajamas on a date or to a job interview. I just don't see the need for someone's subjective view to be forced down my throat. If I have an intramural football game after class, I should be able to come to class in sweats if I want. I'd make sure they didn't stink or anything like that. If people don't like the way I look, they don't have to look at me.

In the corporate world, some companies have stricter dress policies than others. What is considered business formal at one company, might not even qualify as casual at another. In a university setting, students should be free to find themselves. It seems rather scary to have administration telling students how to look. What's to stop faculty and staff, then, from dictating how students think and feel? Most college students are adults and should be accountable for their own actions. They should learn, themselves, that dressing a certain way yields a certain type of treatment. It should not be up to the top brass of the university to "teach" that.

Not the same thing as walking around campus in pajamas.

They do, to an extent. There is no such thing as complete free will and free thought. In many regards, academia is anti-creativity and many people who were once open-minded and artsy become drab and concrete when they are in school. Education is one of the premier methods of controlling a group of people through discipline and rule-establishment.

Co-sign. LMAO (Nasty Kitty Gentleman's Club...):D

Now I can't get Pink Floyd's The Wall out of my head.

We don't need no education,
We don't need no thought control...

Seriously, that made me think.

If you are in college then you are in the business of getting an education. Therefore, you should LOOK like you are about the business of getting an education. I can remember myself in the mid-80's with the big hair standing straight up on my head that changed colors every other week (blue, purple, etc.). I used to dress in the classic "Flash Dance/I've been raped" look with the torn up shirts and all. BUT you never know who is visiting campus and who you might run into. You only have once to make a first impression.

I used to think that the students who dressed up were trying to separate themselves (haves from the have nots). I used to hate on this girl who wore suits and carried a Coach briefcase to class. Dam, who was she trying to be? I didn't realize that even though I thought it was my right to walk around looking anyway I wanted it really didn't make a whole lot of sense. I wish that we did have strict dress code back then and that someone actually had told me to look better.

Yep.

So people need to stop pretending that how we look doesn't matter. We are essentially told how we should look all of our lives. This doesn't mean that grown adults can't still do their own thing if there aren't rules against wearing doorags on campus, but people are still free to judge you and treat you based on your choices. The fact of the matter is that white people can get away with being carefree with their appearance in more settings than black people can.

Okay, I thought about it some more. Dress codes in colleges (with the exception of military institutions) are just plain silly. I was beginning to agree with some of the posters who advocated strict standards of dress, but to me, it seems rather elitist. Not everyone can afford a nice haircut every two weeks or have the resources to dry clean business attire when there is no interview that day. If I see someone with a wrinkled shirt, frayed cargo shorts, and sandals, that's his or her choice. As long as the person has a good personality and isn't a distraction, I let them be.

If I'm not comfortable wearing something, my performance will probably decline. If I have to worry about ironing a shirt before class, my head obviously isn't focused on the actual class. It's focused on ironing. If I pay to take classes, I can come dressed in a hoodie and pajama pants if I want. Unless someone is paying me or furnishing my wardrobe, I'll wear whatever I choose. The people I respect aren't superficial. And to be honest, my education actually liberated me more than it did control me. I grew up going to schools with dress codes and thought that everyone should do that to be great college bound students and all that jazz, but once I got to college, I realized that appearance isn't everything. People who judge others based on appearance are usually insecure themselves.

I'm going to have to go with Phrozen on this one. Having gone to a big, liberal PWI I LOVED that college was a place to 'bum around' and engross myself in studies and a care-free life. Not everyone is looking for that expereince, though, so when selecting a college it is probably best to select one that works best for you. I have definitely rocked yoga pants and a 'high school graduation class' t-shirt to the library for an all nighter. Personally, I feel rollers and head scarves in public are atrocious, but I doubt that the girl next to me is learning any less than I am because of them.

To say that you won't know how to dress in the professional world if you don't dress up for class is like saying that students who attend HBCUs won't know how to interact with people of other races in the professional world. The logic is weak. I find it hard to believe that anyone in college is really that slow, and even if they are...this is why we dress nicely for presentations, interviews, meetings, etc.

Not necessarily the case. As I have attended our UGs rush activity at a private PWI, where it is known that the attire for such activity is business. Of the interests that come with their "credentials" more than half did not dress in the appropriate business attire. I can remember where one young lady literally looked like she got out of bed from her evening nap to attend. The graduate sorors, graduates of HBCUS AND PWIs were :mad:, to say the least. So, not everyone dresses for the occassion. If one doesn't care about appropriate dress on a regular/daily basis, will they care under "special circumstances"? :confused: Is this because they do not know? they do not care? what? I believe it's the former.

Recently, I had a conversation about how some tend to dress for funerals. Since when are we wearing jeans and t-shirts to funerals? An after-5 affair in jeans. Just because your jeans, shirt and purse are outlined in gold and it's Roca Wear or Phat Pharm does that mean it's appropriate?


As undergraduates, did any of you attend required activities that "taught" you how to dress for certain occassions? cultural activities? Ours were called lyceums, which consisted of 2 courses and throughout the class, we had to attend events. One I really enjoyed was the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Okay, here is where I was about to agree with guidelines for dressing appropriately. I recently went to several weddings of some friends, and was shocked that people would come in jean shorts, t-shirts, etc. The first wedding that I went to, that wasn't family, I was way overdressed in a collared shirt, tie, and khakis. I didn't think that there was anything wrong with the people that didn't dress up, but if I had known that the average person was going to dress that casual, I would have worn some nice jeans and a polo. I looked like I was a really close family friend who knew everybody or something.

As an undergrad mangement student, I took a required course called Career Skills, where the instructor would go over how to interview, build a resume, and function in the coporate world. We were taught the differences between business formal, business casual, and just plain casual. Although most of it seemed obvious, I learned that brown dress shoes are more casual and sporty than black dress shoes. Also, trendy fashions that might be seen as conservative for women, such as gauchos, shrugs and capris, are not appropriate attire at most companies. I was also taught that an expensive Italian suit seen in GQ or Esquire would be considered tacky in a lot of white collar corporations. We watched some pretty funny informative videos as well.

God, I miss college.

Many don't and that was a concern a few years ago.

That's one of the purposes. If you don't like eliteism, apply elsewhere.

Many of the people you respect also care about outside appearance to an extent. That doesn't have to make them superficial. I'm sure you've seen someone dressed less than what you DEEM to be appropriate, in a certain context, and made assumptions of that person. Hell, I've even come across students who don't wash their asses or brush their teeth all day. That's offensive and distracting but based on your logic it's cool as long as it floats their boat and THEY can focus.

Point being, many campuses wish to create certain atmospheres as I previously stated. A school where students walk around barefoot have created a certain type of environment. A school where almost every male student is rocking a doorag and his boxers are showing all the way to his knees, has created a certain type of environment. One student doing it...okay...but 300 students doing it and you've shaped the landscape. So schools are making changes while the "issue" is still a small one so they can socialize students into a campus culture. Then they don't have to do a formal dress code or run around like "doorag nazis."

Whoa now... I never said bad hygeine was okay with me. That is very distracting and can become a health problem for other students. I'd move to another seat in the lecture hall if I encountered bad hygeine. I'm tolerant but I do have limits.

I recently talked with some friends of mine who went to BYU. There, beards are not allowed in addition to a laundry list of other items and activities. To agree with you on something, I can safely say that I would never have applied there, knowing that school's policy.

I'm not saying that all people who care about outside appearance are superficial. But people should mind their own business when it comes to what someone else chooses to wear. If one person can wear a do-rag, head scarve, rain bonnet, hat, turban, etc. then every person should be allowed to do the same. If the university is public, then there should be consistency. A no do-rag rule should apply to both men and women, and be clearly stated in the admissions brochure. It shouldn't be a university's role to socialize students into a campus culture. The students themselves have proven academically and socially that they can function at the school or else they would not have gotten in. The president of a university should be a president; not a parent.

Well, guess what, if you're going to take the time to have GOOD hygiene then you might as well take an extra 5-10 minutes and actually put on something other than pajamas. ;)

Sometimes people do mind their own business. :) Sometimes people don't. :)It depends on context and that's what this thread is about.

A hoodie works just fine with pajama pants. And a do-rag can be applied on the walk to class. For the record, I always wore a hat over my do-rag. But I'm still not taking it off for some bigwig who wants to power trip.

Yeah, some people act like jerks, and some people just hold it in. I wonder if the HBCU mentioned in the first post was public or private. If it was private, most of my rambles are rather moot. Professor, are you still listening, er.. reading?

I think part of the issue is that although a university prepares you for the workplace, it is also where you live. Even if I was a corporate lawyer, nobody could tell me I can't wear a scarf around my yard or in the car on the way to work. The level of control some HBCUs have over what students can do and say and wear 24-7 is insulting. I've been sent back to my room to change because I was wearing jeans to arts events on saturdays that I was attending for personal enjoyment.

LOL. This wording was funny. Did they send you to bed with no dinner, too?