Dress Code in College: The Pros and Cons

By Shubham Singh:

My maths teacher always said if one changes his hair style and his clothing style, it’s an indication that he is falling into a bad friend circle.In this context a long, unsolved and heated debate has been whether colleges have a dress code.

Talking about the pros first, we see how homogeneity is important in school and colleges, because that is the place where one should not be discriminated on the basis of one’s looks or the brand of clothes he/she wears. Also, wearing the same clothes bring a sense of unity among the students. In addition, it even provides a feeling of patriotism and being a representative of their respective institution which injects a sense of responsibility among them. No wonder why is it mandatory to wear uniform for soldiers.

To add, it does becomes a little obsessing when students try to attract others with the branded and ‘indecent’ clothes to adhere to the funky look and sometimes even teachers get distracted. I should mention an incident of a girl who came by wearing short skirt and she was forced to be murga as a form of ragging by seniors on her very first day of college. Wearing costly clothes also sows the seeds of hurt and jealousy amongst the other students.

The dress code does becomes the call of day in the college because this is the real place where people from various religions , cultures and different backgrounds come to make their future and at this critical time of life, no one needs to be discriminated or treated unequally.

Now, thinking of that we went to school by wearing that boring dress for almost 12 years let us see the other side of it.

One does not need moral policing in college. Or does one? We say now has come the days when we have our life by the time we get ourselves admitted in a college, right? Now we have become quite a mature that we know we’re in a college to study, so now why do we even need to be treated a kid anymore? Yes, Justified.

So what’s wrong if a man/woman wants to be a little trendy and fashionable at least in college? Teasing or ragging happens everywhere, but why does that affect the way we think, behave or dress. If seniors would be up to something, they will have your salwars unworn and then make you murga. Fight for yourself at that time and such perverts need to be slapped.

And when one talks of inculcating a sense of togetherness, we have a lot of ways for doing so. People should have the freedom to explore things together and access the choice of choosing their dress code which allows them to mix and match with whatever they want.

Youth of college represents colorful diaspora. So, who are these corrupt ministers to postulate law for us? We go to college for studying it doesn’t matter what we wear. But we could strike a balance between wearing our identity and maintaining a social décor. Let us be aware of what we wear.