Universities should not impose strict dress codes. The majority of university students are over the age of eighteen, legal adults. While some may be attending school on grants or scholarships, the majority of students also pay for their education. It does not make sense for any organization or institution that runs on the funds of customers (or in this case, students) to control and impose strict dress code rules onto them.

 

Additionally, students enter college to learn how to be independent as they learn and grow into productive adults. This is where they can experience freedom and make choices on their own for the first time in their adult life.

 

To impose strict dress code rules would fundamentally disagree with this goal of teaching individuality and independence to young adults. Some would argue that dress codes are needed to teach professionalism to students who will eventually be entering the career force.

 

However, this argument falls short because the students are not employed or paid by the school. On the contrary, they are the ones paying the school for a service (education). This argument can only hold weight if one were arguing for imposing a dress code on the university staff.

 

Another argument is that a dress code ensures every student remains undistracted by others’ clothing or style choices that could be offensive or immodest. This argument itself suggests that students are incapable of tolerating other peoples’ choices and ideas, or perhaps need to be “protected” from uncomfortable situations.

 

Again, is this the goal of universities: to foster this immature mindset? It is not. Universities are turning children into adults, teaching students to become wise and independent. Universities help young adults not only learn knowledge but also help them become open-minded, unbiased, accepting, and diverse, while giving them room to develop their worldviews.

 

By taking away any of their independence, even though it may seem small, will detrimentally affect that goal. Strict dress codes also discourage creativity. Dress is more than just ‘what a person wears.’Dress shows an individual’s personality and allows them to showcase their own style, ideals, and uniqueness.

 

Another reason it is unwise to force a strict dress onto college students is that it adds a layer of stress to them. Students already are under so much pressure to perform well in class, socialize, and attend their jobs. To add the stress of a dress code to one who already has so little freedom would be very discouraging.

 

One should also consider what the purpose of a dress code would be? Dress codes are usually put in place for the following reasons: professionalism, control, and uniformity.While these reasons work well in elementary school or even high school, they do not fit the university setting.

 

Children usually need to learn structure first, but young adults need to learn independence. This means that strict dress codes would actually harm young adults rather than help them in any way because it keeps them from experiencing that independence and instead forces control where none is needed.

 

Universities must listen to the very ones paying for their education services, which are the students; otherwise, they will lose both students and funds.