Students spend long days confined to classrooms, hunched over a pile of books – so being comfortable is a high priority, but does professionalism have to pay the price for comfort?
Universities are seen as professional environments where students prepare themselves for the real world. It would seem then, that wearing appropriate clothing would be a no brainer, but for some it isn’t.
Michelle Darlene, a local entrepreneur, said she loves leggings and finds them relaxing and sexy.
That being said, she doesn’t think they are suitable for a professional environment.
“I have a pair that are absolutely not see through and I always wear them as if they completely are,” said Darlene. “I don’t know why I’m so adamant about this, I think it’s because they are specifically a category that is not pants and so I think they should be treated as such.”
Students often look for the easiest way to get through the stressful workloads, and long days. Comfortable clothing like leggings and sweaters allow for that to happen.
“I would think it’s about their comfort. We are all stressed and probably want nothing more than to wear pajama pants and sweatshirts, but we also want to respect the professional environment,” said Darlene.
This is not the case for everyone though. Bachelors of Education students have a specific dress code outlined for them.
Katelyn Rushton, a B.Ed student at STU, said “the dress code listed in B.Ed handbook is professional dress during the academic term. On Monday’s professional dress is mandatory.”
The dress code is designed to satisfy the need for appropriate attire in schools during their placement. Rushton said they were told to avoid cleavage or wearing skirts that hit above the knee, jeans that have rips in them, or stained t-shirts.
Despite that, Rushton said she thinks it would be hard to enforce any sort of university wide dress code.
“I’ve retired mine for a marathon study hall sessions and weekend wear only, unfortunately,” said Rushton. “I think it’s in the best interest of students to err on the side of professionalism in the way they dress and act.”
If leggings aren’t professional, then why do students think its okay to wear them in professional environment?
Taylor Hoyt said it’s because she loves to wear them.
“They are comfy and sometimes they fit better than jeans,” said Hoyt. “Jeans are sometimes rigid whereas leggings form to your shape better.”
Even though Hoyt said she loves them for their comfort, she understand why others might find them inappropriate in a working environment.
“They are very stretchy and close-fitting, but jeans today are so skinny and low rise that they are just as inappropriate by that logic.”
Hoyt agrees with Rushton and said that the implementation of a professional dress code would be too hard.
“Plus in my opinion, I think leggings can look professional if paired with the right pieces,” said Hoyt.
