Universities Weblog

If you're looking for a university setting that makes you feel like you're back in middle school, consider the University of West Alabama. UWA just instituted a dress code for students, according to the Associated Press. It is one of the only universities in America to have an actual dress code.

The campus in Livingston, Alabama, has banned tank tops in class. Guys are no longer allowed to wear the sleeveless shirts that often get referred to as "wife beater shirts" to class. And "whales tails," the part of a woman's thong underwear that has become fashionable to display above the waistline of a pair of jeans, is also disallowed on campus.

The vast majority of college campuses have rules against certain behaviors, but attire is usually left to be sorted out by social norms, peer pressure, and more subtle forms of authority expectations. According to the AP, UWA is "one of the na­tion's first state-supported universities to enact a dress code for students."

The dress code is not too gender biased. Along with whales tails, saggy breeches on guys that allow their boxer shorts to be seen are also prohibited by the dress code. Jeans and sweat shirts are prohibited at some more formal campus events like career days and job fairs.

Many students are unhappy about the new dress code, put in place at the beginning of the semester. Enforcement is primarily through "gentle persuasion" according to one source…

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