High school is a pivotal transitional period in students’ lives, often characterized as an essential time for self expression and self exploration as students prepare for adulthood.
Clothes are a physical manifestation of one’s personality, and a huge aspect of self expression as they allow you to have a sense of control on your own brand and others perceptions of you. During the 2024-2025 school year, Wylie ISD had a relatively restrictive dress code, which prohibited students from wearing common items like sweatpants, graphic t-shirts, and non collared tops to school.
This school year though, after various rounds of voting from the WISD community, the dress code has been revamped to be far looser and less confining.
This policy change has been welcomed with open arms by students. “I like that I can express myself more, instead of just wearing just school clothes.” said Kendall Spurlin (9).
This new dress code gives students far more freedom with what they wear, and the ability to wear clothes that make them feel comfortable while learning. “I feel like I can just wear what I want instead of just wearing jeans all day,” said Spurlin.
Most students perceive clothing like sweatpants to be beneficial to their learning as they are comfortable and simple, but they’re oftentimes deemed unprofessional or distracting by districts and school boards. This disconnect between generational fashion expectations is a huge reason as to why many WHS students felt outraged by the limitations set by last year’s dress code.
“I think when you’re meeting new people, [fashion] is like one of the first things you can see about someone.” said Chiedza Chibayamagora (11).
It’s not only about comfort though, not feeling confined by specific restrictions takes a lot of strife out of choosing what to wear each morning. For most teenagers, fashion is an essential part of their identity, and an easily accessible way for them to assert themselves. “If you look good, you feel good. You feel more confident if you’re dressed the way you want to be dressed.” said Chibayamagora.
A less restrictive dress code allows students more fluctuation with what they wear, meaning they can dress up when they feel like it, but they’re not required to every day. And counterintuitively, this mindframe actually allows students to focus more on their studies as opposed to focusing their attention on their fashion choices, as they get to wear what they feel the most themselves in.
Overall, the loosened dress code has benefited students in a multitude of ways, and these small impacts eventually result in more positive impacts on the district as a whole.