Do professors care if you wear sweatpants all the time?

[ekeekk14]

I agree with you, to an extent. I see no compelling reason to wear hats (and sunglasses) in class. It feels far too informal. Maybe that's just because I'm not a hat person, though.

Anyways, Americans can definitely be far too casual.

I loved the no-hat professor, by the way, despite his terrible public speaking skills and cantankerous attitude. He has been my favorite thus far. His no-hat rule quickly established his authority in the classroom: my fellow students were most well-behaved!

I agree with this.. its true that some Americans tend to be a bit more casual than some would like

ie) one of my old French professors actually mentioned this during one of her lectures..

she said that students would never wear open-toe shoes to university lectures in France

but honestly..we're students who are attending school to learn.

learning and accumulating the most information I can in the short time I spend at school is my priority..

when it comes to clothes.. it's all about being comfortable with how you look i think

i don't think there's a problem with rolling out the sweats once in a while.. for lectures, however, I usually wear black leggings and a loose top. equally as comfortable for me. save those vs sweats for the library haha

and I usually don't put on makeup during the weekdays.. at most, maybe some light powder and lip gloss

weekends are a different story though lol

Edited August 24, 2011 by ekeekk14

[Arcadian]

They don't "deserve" your time? What about you? Do you think you deserve their time? What if they think you don't because you look like you don't even care enough to dress appropriately.

That would be a logical fallacy, for why would the materials surrounding my body bare at all on my intellectual merits? Try to have some objectivity. I realize that most people are bogged down in social norms, but I would hope that most academics are able to rise above that.

[GreenePony]

I wear stuff from my undergrad (heck, even my high school) all the time. No one looks at me strange. Now if your alma matter were a huge rival (i.e. Big 12 schools), wear it at your own risk. I have a friend who thrilled in wearing his KU stuff. He got some testy looks, especially on game day.

My facebook feed blew up a couple weeks ago because a kid was wearing a very bright UT shirt in the middle of campus, the only way he would have gotten nastier looks is if it were an aggie shirt.

I realized 85-90% of my shirts are from my college marching band, thankfully I didn't apply to a Big 12 (or former Big 12) school but I'll still probably make an effort not to wear a GWB shirt every day of the week in grad school. As a last semester senior? I really don't care anymore.

As far as sweatpants are concerned- I personally don't find them that comfortable anyway but I've had professor friends mention they can't believe how casual students have gotten in the 10 years it's been since they were in college.

[wildviolet]

Even though this topic was started a while ago, I find the emergence of personalities and opinions on this thread very interesting. Here's my take on the conversation:

To answer the OP's question: it really depends on the culture of your institution and your position within the university.

When I was an undergrad, I pretty much wore sneakers, jeans, and a sweater or nice cotton shirt (not t-shirt) almost every day. Now for work I wear business casual or fancy business casual, like nice dry-clean-only dresses, skirts, and sweaters. I don't own any sweatpants. Instead, I have yoga pants or black leggings, which I wear to dance class or while I'm out running errands, like grocery shopping and laundry. I like to wear cute clothes that fit me well, are appropriate for my age, and show off my best assets.

When I go to grad school in the fall, I will probably continue to wear my business casual most days and jeans on very relaxed days. As a colleague-in-training, I want to look presentable at all times, even if my professors dress more casually than I do. Now, the caveat is that I'm moving from trendy California to small-town Midwest. Maybe my thinking will change once I get there and see what the campus culture is like for doctoral students.

That would be a logical fallacy, for why would the materials surrounding my body bare at all on my intellectual merits? Try to have some objectivity. I realize that most people are bogged down in social norms, but I would hope that most academics are able to rise above that.

Of course, what you look like or what you wear on your body has little relation to your intelligence. However nice it would be to think that we intellectual academics are able to rise above looks, though, the basic fact remains that our actions and thoughts are (probably to a large and unconscious) extent dictated by human biology. I mean, are you telling me that you would not do a double take if a very attractive person walked into the room? So my point is that looks, including how you present whatever you were born with to the world, is a factor that influences how other people perceive you, which in turn may influence your success. Even in the world of academia, I'd rather be perceived as attractive and professional rather than not.

And, really, this is the second to last paragraph... as far as makeup is concerned. I wear natural-looking makeup to enhance my features and boost my confidence. As my skin has improved over the years (no wrinkles yet) with some new products I've discovered, I'm actually using less makeup because my skin looks fine on its own. The only thing I really use is a powder to decrease redness because I have sensitive skin. Other than that, I don't use much on my face. I do like to use eyeshadow, liner, and mascara to enhance my eyes and a natural-looking lip color to finish off the look. I don't think that using makeup makes me less of an intellectual (and if you think so, then you are judging me based on my looks!).

So, I guess it boils down to this: Can't I be both pretty and smart? Maybe that's the real issue here.

[Ashanti77]

I don't think it really matters, unless you're planning to have a conference with the Professor.

[abc123xtc]

I really hate the wear-sweatpants-everywhere trend. Save the sweats for home and the gym. It's not hard to throw on a pair of jeans or leggings before class. People judge you on your looks whether you like it or not -- might as well look presentable.

[Andsowego]

My two cents - It matters if you expect your prof to write a reference letter for you at the end of his/her course. As much as we say it doesn't matter, personal appearance does make a difference (whether we're aware of it or not). If one of my students wore sweatpants every day to class and looked like they literally just rolled out of bed, it would make a difference in how I perceive them. The best advice I give my own students about this (4th/5th year UG's), is for them to think of every day in class like it's a job interview. Not that they have to show up in a full suit and tie to every class, but that they need to look & act professional enough (in addition to submitting high quality work) so that it doesn't distract from their learning process or their eventual career path. However, I do acknowledge that this may vary from field to field. Generally speaking, I'm in Education, where it's fiercely competitive for good, long-term teaching jobs, and every little bit of professional edge matters. The same advice can be applied at the graduate level: if I'm working with prof's everyday who could potentially be my future colleagues, why wouldn't I want to make the best impression possible?

Edited February 18, 2012 by Andsowego

[abc123xtc]

My two cents - It matters if you expect your prof to write a reference letter for you at the end of his/her course. As much as we say it doesn't matter, personal appearance does make a difference (whether we're aware of it or not). If one of my students wore sweatpants every day to class and looked like they literally just rolled out of bed, it would make a difference in how I perceive them. The best advice I give my own students about this (4th/5th year UG's), is for them to think of every day in class like it's a job interview. Not that they have to show up in a full suit and tie to every class, but that they need to look & act professional enough (in addition to submitting high quality work) so that it doesn't distract from their learning process or their eventual career path. However, I do acknowledge that this may vary from field to field. Generally speaking, I'm in Education, where it's fiercely competitive for good, long-term teaching jobs, and every little bit of professional edge matters. The same advice can be applied at the graduate level: if I'm working with prof's everyday who could potentially be my future colleagues, why wouldn't I want to make the best impression possible?

That is exactly what I was thinking but couldn't articulate.

[wildviolet]

I really hate the wear-sweatpants-everywhere trend. Save the sweats for home and the gym. It's not hard to throw on a pair of jeans or leggings before class. People judge you on your looks whether you like it or not -- might as well look presentable.

Ha ha, this is a succinct version of what I wanted to say. Thanks! And, yes, I especially dislike the sweatpants with the writing on the behind (e.g., Victoria's Secret)... or the Juicy Couture matching sets of sweatpants/sweatshirts.

[ktel]

What really baffles me is the fact that it doesn't take any more time to put on nice looking clothes than to put on ugly ones. Sweatpants aren't inherently that much more comfortable than other clothing. So I really just don't get why they need to be worn at all. The only reason I use them is to throw them on over my shorts at practices and games, where it's impractical to wear jeans over top. That's what they're designed for.

[abc123xtc]

It also baffles me when folks wear full faces of make up, make their hair really nice, but still wear sweats to class...

[Behavioral]

It also baffles me when folks wear full faces of make up, make their hair really nice, but still wear sweats to class...

They're cornering the market on 'comfort chiq' look.

[Andsowego]

What really baffles me is the fact that it doesn't take any more time to put on nice looking clothes than to put on ugly ones. Sweatpants aren't inherently that much more comfortable than other clothing. So I really just don't get why they need to be worn at all. The only reason I use them is to throw them on over my shorts at practices and games, where it's impractical to wear jeans over top. That's what they're designed for.

Best. Sentence. Ever.

[abc123xtc]

Please note that leggings are NOT pants.

They still look far, far better than sweats.

[rising_star]

They still look far, far better than sweats.

I think that depends on the wearer's physique and the overall outfit. Putting on a baggy t-shirt/sweatshirt with leggings is still going to look sloppy.

[GreenePony]

Re: leggings v. sweats

I tend to connect "pink" sort of sweats to girls who either think they look cute or don't bother to change to go to class, athletic sweats to the actual athletic teams, and leggings to the sorority girls who want us all to think they spend a lot of time at the gym. Those that actual run either have the decency to shower and change before coming to class or wear the actual running leggings that look different than the fashion leggings. It makes me almost wish we went back to the clothing rules that were in place 15-20 years ago where we had to be more dressed up (5 years ago PJs weren't allowed outside dorms, I had a friend told to go back and change by the BPD because he had lounge pants on).

[eco_env]

They still look far, far better than sweats.

Depends on whether you are talking about looking sexy or professional.

[ktel]

Please note that leggings are NOT pants.

I see so many girls wearing leggings as pants, and not proper leggings either (i.e. ones that are a tiny bit see through when they stretch at all). Leggings are meant to be worn with a longish shirt or a dress or skirt. Or at least if you wear them as pants get a thick pair so that we can't see every bit of your legs and underwear.

[abc123xtc]

While I personally do not like the leggings as pants trend, I find that most peoples' disgust with the trend tends to be a form of body-shaming. If we were all fashion models, I doubt anyone would care. However, in my personal experience, people tend to only be annoyed with the trend if the person wearing leggings as pants isn't considered thin. I could be wrong, though, but I doubt it.

[Chande]

So I've seen some hate on here about sunglasses indoors. What if someone is extremely photosensitive to the point where any light makes them feel like their eyes are going to burst into flames? I've tried to bear it without wearing sunglasses but I had to constantly blink and that distracted my professor. It's not every day for me but it's enough days that people notice. It's a side effect either of my medicine or the condition I'm medicated for, not sure which. Is it really better to not show up than to wear sunglasses? I don't want to seem rude or offend someone.

[bluetubeodyssey]

My two cents on leggings:

If they're worn under a skirt or a dress, they look fashionable and nice. If they're worn simply as pants, they look tacky.

Examples of fashionably-worn leggings:

Example of tackily-worn leggings:

[crazygirl2012]

So I've seen some hate on here about sunglasses indoors. What if someone is extremely photosensitive to the point where any light makes them feel like their eyes are going to burst into flames? I've tried to bear it without wearing sunglasses but I had to constantly blink and that distracted my professor. It's not every day for me but it's enough days that people notice. It's a side effect either of my medicine or the condition I'm medicated for, not sure which. Is it really better to not show up than to wear sunglasses? I don't want to seem rude or offend someone.

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with you wearing sunglasses indoors when you need to. I doubt anyone wants you to be in pain! There's a big difference between a fashion statement and a medical condition.

[Chande]

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with you wearing sunglasses indoors when you need to. I doubt anyone wants you to be in pain! There's a big difference between a fashion statement and a medical condition.

Ok, just wanted to make sure!

[Andsowego]

So I've seen some hate on here about sunglasses indoors. What if someone is extremely photosensitive to the point where any light makes them feel like their eyes are going to burst into flames? I've tried to bear it without wearing sunglasses but I had to constantly blink and that distracted my professor. It's not every day for me but it's enough days that people notice. It's a side effect either of my medicine or the condition I'm medicated for, not sure which. Is it really better to not show up than to wear sunglasses? I don't want to seem rude or offend someone.

If you suspect your prof is going to have a problem with the sunglasses (they might assume you're being disrespectful), just chat to the prof after class briefly near the start of the year and let them know that your eyes are sensitive.

[Chande]

If you suspect your prof is going to have a problem with the sunglasses (they might assume you're being disrespectful), just chat to the prof after class briefly near the start of the year and let them know that your eyes are sensitive.

Thanks, that's a good point.