Recently there has been a push from some in the student body to change the school dress code to allow boys to wear earrings. However, the dress code should not be changed.

Yes, I understand the worthy reason why students want to take a stand. Freedom of expression is an important way people show their personalities. Despite that short term gratification, the professionalism and the job preparation skills that students get from the dress code will benefit them more down the road. 

It’s no secret that times are changing. People are allowed the freedom to wear almost anything they want, at times it seems regardless of societal norms. Yet, work and school clothes are the exception because in a traditional and professional work setting men don’t wear earrings, and no one has any visible, distracting clothes or accessories- like tattoos. Marian’s dress code is preparing students for work environments like I’ve described, where employees wear clothes with similar guidelines to the dress code to their jobs.

Looking professional in a traditional sense could help people be more successful, according to dmia.net which says: “In “professional” companies, a man wearing earrings can be perceived as flamboyant, lax, immature, untrustworthy, or unperceptive to the expectations of their job… In a professional environment, when dealing with clients and customers, you do not want to lose a sale for your company due to their bias against your physical appearance”.

Going hand-in-hand with professional job settings, interviews are best played safe and should be dressed professionally for, too. 

Earrings shouldn’t be worn by men at school or work because of our professional attire tradition, and the Marian dress code enforces that. Marian should still enforce professionalism because it gives students tools to succeed in their future jobs, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from expressing themselves with their appearances outside of work.