Shirts and Shoes Required: Unnoticed and Arbitrary Standards in Society

Though sumptuary laws are not generally realized today, they are in place under a guise that is socially acceptable. Dress codes are instated in schools, businesses, offices, and, essentially, in society. These dress codes impose a standard on youths  and adults in order to establish what type of dress and appearance is acceptable. Oftentimes, the “acceptable” dress and appearance is one that can be considered drab and dull. These standards also eliminate individuality within a society and this can have unfavorable effects on the citizens within that society.

Though “respectable attire” is a standard that has evolved, it is an idea that has been preserved throughout the ages. The types of clothes one wears are indicative of their wealth and place in society, and this has rung true for hundreds of years. Even in the middle ages, only royalty and persons of high social status were able to wear clothes considered decent, as only they could afford them.  For instance, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which was written in the fourteenth century and took place during roughly the same time, Queen Guinevere is described as having a canopy draped over her, surrounded by “rich metals and jewels” (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, part 1, line 79). Of course, the fact that she is a queen draped in jewels is no surprise, but it is this that aids in designating her status. Later, the entrance of the Green Knight is described over the course of almost three pages, though it is not by his actions that he is initially described, but by his appearance. From the Green Knight’s “closely trimmed” tunic (part 1, line 153) to his “neat stockings” (part 1, line 157), his impressive apparel is what intimidates the knights of King Arthur’s court and earns him the respect (or fear) he desires.

Children today are taught early on that it is imperative to earn the respect of others, and that the easiest way to do this is by dressing in a manner that is considered decent. In order to enforce this “lesson,” many schools require uniforms, and the majority that do not have extremely strict standards of dress and firm rules regarding appearance. For example, most public schools do not allow “unnatural” hair colors, “short” shorts, “thin” straps on shirts, and other various “distractions” that are simply subjective. Because of the idiosyncratic nature of these rules, many schools (especially private schools) require uniforms that consist of what could be considered business attire. From something as simple as bland hair colors to something as extreme as coats and ties on a daily basis, public and private school systems tend to require well-pressed and presentable students in order to prepare them for societal standards of dress, which tend to force everyone into a state devoid of originality or personality.

In offices, the standard dress is typically a coat and tie or suits and dresses. This “professional attire” is something that is ingrained in us from an early age (generally with school uniforms). As Marjory Garber relayed in her book Vested Interests, “kids carry themselves a little differently with a shirt and tie on” (Garber, page 23). This idea is imposed upon youths the moment they begin school, from the age of four or five, and it is carried on throughout their lives in order to “help people see themselves entering the working world” (Garber, 23).

Even in public places like parks and restaurants and “casual” places like fast food restaurants, signs are displayed and rules are imposed that state, “shirts and shoes required”. Though this may seem like an obvious courtesy for fellow patrons and citizens, it only seems obvious because we have been taught that these things are necessary. These necessary gentilities are just dress codes we have been conditioned to oblige. As Noah Feldman, a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard University, stated in his article “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Civil Rights?”, these dress codes could actually be an infringement on the fundamental rights of citizens. Feldman alludes to the fact that different cultures have different measures of what is appropriate and professional, and more often than not, these measures do not align with those of Western culture. However, according to the Constitution, private citizens maintain the right to be “as racist,  sexist, and exclusionary as [they] like” (Feldman).  Of course, this does not mean that racist, sexist, exclusionary citizens are not shunned and disdained, for it is customary to adhere to society and whatever standards it upholds.

Unfortunately, society’s ideal attire also comes at a price. For schools that do not require uniforms, there is an extremely obvious divide amongst lower, middle, and sometimes upper class students. According to Emma Banister’s and Margaret Hogg’s article entitled “Negative Symbolic Consumption and Consumers’ Drive for Self-Esteem: The Case of the Fashion Industry”, the image congruency theory states that consumers will purchase products that agree with their own ideal being, and more often than not, their own ideal being is based on what is “popular.” This is due to notions of “negative self-incongruity and congruity”, which motivate consumers to purchase or reject clothing based on brand names (Banister and Hogg, page 853). The types of clothes worn by students essentially determine their social  status throughout their schooling. Brand names like Banana Republic and J. Crew set the standard for “preps” or upper class children, while brands like American Eagle and Aeropostale are designated for the middle class. “Off-brands” or generic clothing are typically associated with lower class citizens. These stigmas can follow children through their entire lives, and can influence career decisions and other major life choices.

Despite its inherently detrimental effect on the world and its inhabitants,  there is a perpetuated standard of dress that has existed for centuries depending on the culture, and the standard will inevitably exist for years to come, albeit in varied forms. These ridiculous standards are capricious and subjective and merely confine citizens to the limits built by society.
 

Works Cited

Banister, Emma N. and Margaret K. Hogg. "Negative symbolic consumption and consumers' drive for self esteem: the case of the fashion industry." European Journal of Marketing (2004).

Feldman, Noah. "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Civil Rights?" 21 January 2014. BloombergView. 22 October 2014 <http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-01-21/no-shirt-no-shoes-no-civil-rights->.

Garber, Marjorie. Vested Interests. 22 October 2014 <http://ereserves.jsu.edu/eres/ReedEH102dresscodes.pdf>.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Oxford: Oxford University Press, n.d.