The Hindu Business Line : Of tank tops and spaghetti straps

ONCE upon a time when Jenny Wren was young, so daintily she danced and so prettily she sung that Robin Redbreast lost his heart, for he was a gallant bird, as you'd know from a Mother Goose rhyme.

"Oh, dearest Jenny Wren, if you will but be mine, you shall feed on cherry pie and drink new currant wine; I'll dress you like a goldfinch or any peacock gay. So, dearest Jen, if you'll be mine, let us appoint the day," said Robin.

In response, Jenny blushed behind her fan and thus declared her mind: "Since dearest Bob I love you well, I'll take your offer kind. Cherry pie is very nice and so is currant wine, but I must wear my plain brown gown and never go too fine."

A forlorn Robin would know that Jenny has friends in Anna University (in Chennai) who are speaking about dress code and `proper student behaviour', and in other colleges too, for they chime in chorus that students dress `simply, decently and modestly'.

An FAQ, therefore, for anxious kids and their parents who're bombarding my inbox with mails!

What is dress code?

Code is "a collection of the laws and constitutions of the Roman emperors, made by order of Justinian, containing twelve books," informs Webster's 1828 Dictionary, but `dress code', according to Merriam-Webster means "formally or socially imposed standards of dress."

Is that a minimum or maximum?

Dress codes usually set forth a lower bound on body covering, says www.answers.com. For instance, "Business casual typically means not wearing jeans or track suits, but wearing instead collared shirts, and more country trousers (not black, but more relaxed, including things such as corduroy)".

Reverse dress codes, a.k.a. `undress codes' set forth an upper bound on body covering, alerts the site, citing the example of Schwaben Quellen, a spa in Stuttgart, Germany, where "no clothing of any kind is allowed."

Too much fuss, I think!

There can be two opinions on this. A liberal view is that we allow students the freedom to be themselves by providing a safe haven such as college, but gently persuade them towards accepted social mores rather than impose rules top-down. No, say the disciplinarians, invariably a generation or two ahead of today's hip boys and girls, horror-struck by tank tops and spaghetti straps, baggy trousers and `messaging' T-shirts.

A peculiar Indian problem, I guess?

No, these codes are everywhere. For example, a report by Michelle Burhenn on www.joplinglobe.com cites a school principal fretting that some kids are wearing lingerie as clothing. Another school says `no' to mesh or see-through clothing, and also "exposed underwear or clothes torn above the knee." Shirts must have shoulder straps that measure at least two inches, reads their code.

Another story on the subject I find at www.ssnewstelegram.com talks of schools mandating that shirts and pants, shorts or skirts must meet; there are also prohibitions on clothing exposing a bare midriff, bicycle shorts, tight leggings and tank tops, and clothes that exhibit pictures, emblems or writings considered to be suggestive with images or writings that are lewd, vulgar, morbid, slanderous, offensive or depict violence.

So, what should we do?

"Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul," advises Mark Twain. And George Bernard Shaw may rationalise that the main reason for adopting literature as a profession was that as the author is never seen by his clients, he need not dress respectably. Yet, for students, Benjamin Franklin's quote may be appropriate, more in tune with Jenny's preferences: "Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others." Only, `others' means the admin, not Robin, so that you can concentrate on your studies rather than get into problems!

SayCheek@TheHindu.co.in

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Of tank tops and spaghetti straps