Quote:
Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS
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.
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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.