Miniskirts makes it difficult for men to focus?

Even malls have a dress code

Mon, Jul 28, 2008 The Star

"DO we have to be told what to do, right down to the way we dress, all the time?"

Tan Li Li (not her real name) is not the only one who is unhappy with the dress code at her university.

According to her, female students are not allowed to wear sleeveless blouses or collarless tops to class. And skirts or shorts must fall below the knees.

If students are caught violating the dress code, they will be penalised, she says.

"I'm 21, old enough to judge what is deemed appropriate and what is not. All we ask for is the freedom to wear what we want to university," says the third-year environmental science student.

Li Li's coursemate, V. Sharlini (not her real name), concurs and adds that she feels she is being treated like a school kid.

"There are so many rules to follow and everyone ends up looking the same. That's boring. They might as well just give us a uniform to wear," laments Sharlini.

On the argument that a dress code prepares students for professional practice, she adds: "I don't think how a person dresses is something that can be trained. All we need is a new wardrobe and we can start work,"

For Raffles Design Institute visual communication student Muhammad Ridzmall Ridzwani, college is the time when students can freely explore and determine their identity, fashion sense as well as career path.

"It's your stage to express your tastes. Wearing a buttoned down shirt to class every day is boring," he says.

While Nur Fathiha Johan Ariffin, a third-year Psychology student at Sunway, agrees that fashion is a form of self-expression, she feels "there is always the right time and place for that".

"We only spend a few hours at university daily and this is a place for study. Students can wear what they want off campus."

Another third-year Sunway student, P. Cassandra, says there should be a dress code on campus, but it shouldn't be too restrictive.

"Wearing slippers and showing your feet is not obscene. I feel the university should allow that," she says.

Soheil Behiyat, 22, who hails from Iran, feels that miniskirts should be saved for a Friday night out, and not worn to class.

"To be honest, it can be quite distracting and difficult for men to focus," says the Sunway ACCA student.

Taylor's University College South Australian Matriculation programme student R.M.V. Abirami argues that having a dress code on campus will not douse a student's creativity or the freedom to express herself, as some of her peers fear.

"In fact, I think it will train us to be even more creative in our dressing because you have to work around the 'boundaries'," she says.

Stanley Lim Jun Yan, a Taylor's hospitality and tourism student, is all for a dress code on campus.

"It's about dressing appropriately for a particular place and time. Shopping malls also have a dress code; would you wear a bikini to a mall?"

This article was first published in The Star on July 27, 2008.