Dress Code/Appropriate Clothing

[A blighted one]

I was recently told by a PhD student friend of mine in the biological sciences that as a woman grad student you need to make sure not to dress "sexy" while on campus. This got me thinking about "dress codes" in the humanities and how they may (or may not) differ from those in STEM departments. A few questions (I'm curious about all male/female/non-binary dress codes, here):

What is appropriate dress for an MA student when attending a seminar/class?

How about while TA-ing/teaching a class?

How nice will I be expected to dress? I'm not very fancy and will probably need to buy new clothes. I also generally wear tight pants and shirts. Would this be considered inappropriate or too "sexy" on campus? Thanks in advance!

[Dr. Old Bill]

Most students wear average day-to-day kind of clothes in class -- guys wear jeans or pants, sweaters, sweatshirts, henleys, polos, button-downs, occasionally t-shirts, occasionally shorts. Some dress up a bit more, but that's usually just a question of personal style. For women, it's usually jeans, slacks, leggings, skirts, dresses, blouses, sweatshirts, sweaters etc. In other words, casual wear...though it's rare to see grad students wear anything too casual, like short-shorts / hot pants, sweatpants, pajama tops or bottoms (I'm always amazed by how many undergrads do this...) etc., or anything overly formal unless they're giving a presentation. If I'm going to be up in front of the class for something significant, it's always pants and a long-sleeved button-down for me, and for the women, it's usually business casual skirts / dresses / blouses etc. In other words, you don't need to come to class in professional garb.

Teaching is a different story, however. While there's no dress code for teaching at UMD, most grad students (and professors) go the business casual route. I would sometimes wear jeans (nice jeans), but only with a collared shirt...typically a button-down. Likewise, most women do the blouse / skirt thing, or pantsuits, or any number of business-casual-appropriate attire.

It's hard to say whether tight pants and shirts would be too "sexy" on campus -- it's possible, but if that's your style and it's not objectively risque, it's probably fine for attending class. You may want to avoid it when teaching undergrads, however. 18-year-old men are easily distracted at the best of times...

[imogenshakes]

I generally hate dressing up, so the first year of my MA program I wore skinny jeans and cardigans almost exclusively. When I transitioned into teaching the following year, I started wearing more business casual dresses and skirts. I have friends from my cohort who continue/d to teach in jeans and a blouse, but that's also kind of the culture of my university. I wanted to distinctly set myself apart from my students (many of whom are the same age as me or older), so I abandoned the jeans. Haha

I think I did go to class a few times in leggings, provided I wore a long enough shirt. I can't really envision myself doing that in a PhD program, though, now that I've discovered the wonder and comfort that is a nice cotton dress with tights ?

[CrunchyMamademic]

To echo @imogenshakes, the culture in my MA program and the University I currently work at full time, jeans are absolutely acceptable. We have a wide range of styles, though, and it boils down to personal preference. I typically start a little more dressed up and end up in jeans by midterms or so, sometimes sooner if I have a really good class. In my experience, starting more professional can set the tone in the right way, particularly if you are a woman or look young.

I'm planning on asking about dress code specifically on my campus visit, since as @Wyatt's Terps noted some Universities tend toward more business casual attire. When in doubt, I think it's always better to lean more toward overdressed.

[rimeroyal]

I've never been anywhere that would look down on jeans for students. In class I'm almost always in jeans and a flannel rolled-up at the sleeves. Most of the lecturers I know dress at least one step above the students--usually somewhere in the "business casual" range. I did know one guy who obsessively wore a tie every day, saying he wanted work-time to "feel different" from everything else, which I guess I get. When they put me in a classroom I'll go for nice jeans, a button-down, and a pullover, unless someone tells me to. I might dress up a little more for a conference, but only if it's a fancy atmosphere.

[Abyss21]

Here's a funny story that my professor told me during my MA. She said that her colleague, another professor at the university, was struggling to find a job in academia after she finished her PhD at a prestigious university. She couldn't figure out what was wrong - she kept having interviews that seemed to go well but she would never get that final offer. She normally wore makeup, had long hair, and was very fashionable. However, one day, just to test out whether or not it was her appearance that was the problem, she decided to wear an oversized knit sweater, thick-rimmed glasses (she doesn't normally wear glasses), no makeup, and hair in a tight bun. And guess what happened? She got the job... right away. Here's a perfect example for you about the way academia views female professors. While a fancy corporate job requires women to wear heals and makeup, academia requires the exact opposite of them.

[orphic_mel528]

I worked full-time while I did grad school full-time, so I was always in business casual work clothes. I teach Comp I now and I don't wear jeans, but I do wear pencil-style trousers, so like the trouser version of skinny jeans. I usually wear a flowy kind of blouse and a blazer. 

My profs in grad school were always dressed casually. 

[Kate-]

This is a really interesting thread, and one that I've thought about a lot over the last few years while completing my BA. 

When attending class, I usually dress somewhat professionally (still talking about undergrad). I've noticed so many people that just show up to class inn sweatpants, looking like they've just rolled out of bed; I want my professor to know that I take school seriously and I feel like that just can't be done when you are dressed so casually?

I would think that dressing somewhat professionally would be expected at the MA level as well. Blouses, dark jeans, looking put together, that sort of thing? Definitely business casual in my opinion.

[FitBoy11]

I've just been admitted to graduate school and wonder if my wardrobe needs to be changed. I know a lot of students dress casually and I often dress, but I mostly wear shorts and crops. I assume this is a graduation no-go because most female graduate students in my institution are dressed very conservatively. Although I don't believe the way I look is provocative, it's just about integrity, I guess.

[SocialKonstruct]

Wow... thank goodness I am going into visual arts because I just would be in T-shirts and Crocs honestly if I were teaching. I don't like hierarchy whatsoever.

[Shakespeares Sister]

On 2/24/2017 at 11:35 AM, ThePomoHipster said:

However, one day, just to test out whether or not it was her appearance that was the problem, she decided to wear an oversized knit sweater, thick-rimmed glasses (she doesn't normally wear glasses), no makeup, and hair in a tight bun. And guess what happened? She got the job... right away. Here's a perfect example for you about the way academia views female professors. While a fancy corporate job requires women to wear heals and makeup, academia requires the exact opposite of them.

I know many young male professors who have also had this happen to them.

It's not sexism. It's ageism. The admins who hire you are from an era where bell bottom jeans were the style.

[WildeThing]

10 hours ago, Shakespeares Sister said:

I know many young male professors who have also had this happen to them.

It's not sexism. It's ageism. The admins who hire you are from an era where bell bottom jeans were the style.

OR, hear me out, the admins are from an era where sexism was the style and it’s sexism because this is a widely reported, studied, and verified phenomenon that disproportionately affects women. I’ll buy ageism as an exacerbating factor but it’s definitely sexism.