There is a certain aspect of our school that I have a love-hate relationship with: our dress code. This is U.Va. - we are the inventors of the "Guys in ties, Girls in pearls" football game attire. So it shouldn't be a big surprise that we have certain expectations for everyday appearance as well. But before I get ahead of myself, let me pause and give a disclaimer for any first-year readers: Not to worry newbies, this "dress code" isn't written down anywhere, and your resident adviser didn't just forget to tell you about it.
No, this law of appearance is unspoken and threefold. If you look carefully around Grounds you will notice that everyone is either well dressed, looks as if they are going to the gym or is wearing some school-related T-shirt and jeans. Nor are these three categories the random happenstance of current fashion styles. Oh no, our outfits are chosen with a specific purpose. Being Wahoos, we are all a bunch of over-achievers, so of course our rule of thumb with attire is always "dress to impress." Each accepted style in our secret dress code is meant to leave some positive impression about us.
The intended impression of the first tier in our cannon of clothing is fairly obvious. "Well dressed" means wearing items that match, are stylish and look clean. When we're well dressed for class, we are telling people that we care about our appearance and know how to play it up. Whether you are a girl wearing a skirt instead of jeans or a guy in a collared shirt, people take notice when you put in the extra effort and let's be honest, you want them to. Looking nice not only makes you more approachable but also makes you seem more sophisticated.
After just plain nice clothes, we move on to the most casual category in our dress code: the wearing of workout clothes to class. If you walk around Grounds, you will see our school is rampant with spandex pants and varying degrees of Under Armour attire, and I know most of these people are not really getting ready to hit the gym. No, this is simply the more comfortable side of our "dress to impress" rule. By wearing gym clothes around, even if you haven't hit the Aquatic and Fitness Center in months, you still look like someone who exercises. You are impressing people by showing that you seem to care about staying in shape and being healthy.
My favorite of three looks though, is the college T-shirt and jeans. With this you are saying, "Look! I'm involved. I know people and we are all in a group cool and coordinated enough to have our own shirts!" The number of T-shirts that you have under this category speaks not only to your involvement but most likely to your popularity overall. When people see you belong to an elite or well-respected group on Grounds they are impressed and you want them to be. You earned that T-shirt!
But now that I've broken down the ins and outs of our dress code, let me get back to the reasoning for my rocky relationship with it. I love that students here are able to appreciate the benefits of a positive outward appearance. I think the effort we make to look nice is proof that we have come to terms with a reality that students at other schools perhaps are not ready for: appearance does matter, or at least in terms of impression. No matter where you are headed, whether it is a class, a meeting or an interview, you always look more competent and prepared if you look nice. My problem then is not with our need to dress well or even what we consider "well dressed." I just hate how often we confuse looking nice with the need to look the same. I applaud the wearing of collared shirts and stylish fleeces and I don't even mind that we have these pseudo-categories to make things easier. But I think we can make a good impression without all having to wear the same Polo and North Face versions of these items. Let's mix it up a little. I mean seriously, how many times a day do you pass girls wearing the exact same pair of Nike running shorts? So for my final word on our dress code: it is a good thing and by all means let's keep silently enforcing it, but let's work on looking classy without all looking the same.
Katie's column runs biweekly on Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.mcnally@cavalierdaily.com.
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