Dress Code Research Articles

The Codification of a Professional: Addressing the Hidden Curriculum in Public Health

Health organizations and public health programs are responding to the current pandemic of racial violence through releasing statements condemning these actions. They recognize that to be a health professional means addressing the structuralized inequities leading to reduced health outcomes and increased violence for portions of our population. However, the written and unwritten codification and curriculum about professionalism and what it looks like leads to the very biases that perpetuate inequities. This commentary examines the disconnect between the hidden curriculum of professionalism and the way we enforce how a professional is supposed to look through dress codes and stipulations on hair as well as other elements of appearance. We will then look at ways to “make the invisible visible” and open up conversation in the classroom. In order to address equity and serve all their students, organizations and public health programs need to open space to discuss the parts of our culture that reinforce biases and how these issues affect their communities.

Indonesia's Supreme Court Judgment on Religious Clothing: Failing Women and Girls in Public Schools?

Abstract In May 2021, the Indonesian Supreme Court delivered a unanimous judgment that struck down a joint ministerial decree prohibiting local governments and public schools from imposing religious clothing on female students, teachers, and staff.1 The joint ministerial decree was issued following public criticisms and media coverage of the religious dress code enforced in public schools in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Court held that such a decree conflicted with various provisions in the national legislations, including laws on regional government,2 child protection,3 law-making,4 and the national education system.5 Accordingly, the Supreme Court justices presiding over the case, Yulius, Irfan Fachruddin, and Is Sudaryono, instructed the Minister of Education and Culture, the Minister of House Affairs, and the Minister of Religious Affairs to rescind the joint decree. This comment explores and critically examines the Court's reasoning of the decision that has, consequently, legitimized local governments and public schools’ policy to enforce mandatory hijab on Muslim and non-Muslim female teachers, staff, and students at public schools across the country. It argues that the Court's ruling, in this case, is highly unreasoned and questionable, lacking in details in some respects, and failing to address the encroachment of women and girls' rights that should have been given appropriate consideration.

"Can you hear me now?" Video conference coping strategies and experience during COVID-19 and beyond.

During COVID-19 the workforce quickly adapted to using existing video-conferencing tools in order to work from home. To explore use and experience of remote video-facilitated work practices in response to COVID-19: termed 'COVID Response Zoom-style Interactions (CRAZI)'. A cross sectional study via a 66-item online survey for health and medical research and education sector workers. The survey included 8 sections: 1) pre-COVID video-conferencing meeting habits, 2) CRAZI meeting habits, 3) socialising, 4) CRAZI fashion, 5) behaviour standards, 6) family life, 7) future work, 8) participant demographics. Main outcomes were pre-COVID to CRAZI differences in frequency, length and type of video-based meetings, and video-conferencing experience. 202 participants, mostly Australian (median age 36-45, IQR 26-55 years) completed the survey. Women-to-men ratio was 3 : 1, 44.6%had children. COVID-19 changed video-conferencing frequency and maximum meeting size. Most participants found CRAZI meetings tiring and hard. Casual clothes dominated dress code (71.1%), pets were commonly seen. "Can you hear me now" was a commonly heard phrase. Good and bad behaviour were described, with formal codes of CRAZI conduct missing (58.7%) or unknown (21.9%). 76.6%of participants observed a child interrupting a CRAZI meeting, parents were mostly female. Despite challenges, most participants (76.6%) favoured video-conferencing post-pandemic, but preference for continuing to work from home varied. CRAZI work, while tiring, has fostered different work-practices that may continue beyond the pandemic. Working from home with children adds joy for others, but complexity for workers. Pets may help owners and co-workers cope with the pandemic.

Wearing religious symbols at work in the ECtHR’s judgments

Freedom of speech and freedom of conscience and religion are essential human rights which are protected, among others, by the ECHR. The number of the European Court of Human Rights’ decisions on wearing religious symbols (in a form of a Christian cross, a Muslim veil or a headscarf) at work remains small. Nevertheless, some interpretation guidelines can be identified in particular on how to ensure that an interference with Article 9 of the 1950 Convention has to be proportionate and “necessary in a democratic society”. Owing to a lack of European-wide consensus on states’ approach to religion, a state exercises a wide margin of appreciation. Nevertheless, a state always has to take into account rights of the others, in particular those who are dependent on (e.g. patience at hospital) employees or are prone to an impact of employees (e.g. pupils and students). Thus, dress codes confirming a secular nature and religious neutrality of a State not always violates Article 9 of the ECHR. Rules apply mainly to public bodies, but a state liability may also be found to private company’s cases. Details of each employment contract and of the employee’s conduct have to be always analysed. The dress code rules applied to man and women and irrespective to their religion, so the Court has not declared it to be discriminatory because of sex or religion of employees.

Exploring the Use of Exclusionary Practices Against African American Participation in Urban Nightlife

Drawing on qualitative data from an exploratory study of the experiences of audit pair researchers—pairs of black, white, and Latinx field testers—in an urban nightlife study in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas, this paper examines nightclub owners’ use of what I identify as “exclusionary tools”—that is, “dress codes,” “steering,” and “fake guest lists.” Using Critical Race Theory’s critique of neutrality, I argue that these exclusionary tactics create a welcoming atmosphere for white patrons while maintaining limits on the participation of African Americans and other peoples of color. This paper offers empirical examples of how these exclusionary practices limit legal challenges to discrimination in the first place and concludes with a discussion of potential methodological approaches for expanding this exploratory study and further identifying systematic exclusionary practices.

Objectification Found in High School Girls’ Experience With Dress Code Enforcement

Grounded in objectification theory, this study was conducted to uncover adolescent girls’ experience of dress regulations in US public schools. We conducted in-depth personal interviews with thirteen high school girls to explore internal, interpersonal, and contextual factors that might aggregate or alleviate objectifying conditions. Three overarching thematic categories emerged including (1) dressing as a life skill, (2) experiencing a sexually objectifying environment, (3) coping with the sexually objectifying environment. Eight subthemes captured under these thematic categories depicted how the school dress code is experienced and embodied by adolescent girls in their daily lives. Our findings demonstrated how the methods of school dress code enforcement and sex education promote a sexually objectifying environment in which girls feel physically and psychologically unsafe. Also, the findings of this study revealed that girls experience body shame, self-objectification, and powerlessness through dress code enforcement and sex education in school. Implications are discussed.

Catholic Dressing in the Spanish Franco Dictatorship (1939–1975): Normative Femininity and Its Sartorial Embodiment

The Francoist state, in collusion with the Church, tried to domesticate women's bodies and encode dressing patterns in accordance with Catholic moral doctrine. This article interrogates the normative notion of femininity in Francoism, focusing on ecclesiastical discourse and Catholic dress code. The Church dictated dressing norms, and the Franco regime sanctioned to a great extent its sartorial parameters. This paper also explores how women embodied gender ideals and sartorial patterns. I argue that foreign (im)moral influences that fissured normative discourses and sartorial practices from the 1950s onwards, after the international rehabilitation of the dictatorship and the transition from a society marked by an autarkic economic policy to a consumer society. This historical analysis suggests that efforts of (wo)men in positions of power within the Francoist regime and the Catholic Church to control the infiltration of other models and fashions were increasingly unsuccessful.

Against the Tarbiyah’s Symbolism of Hijab: Feminism, Islamic Conservatism and Reconstruction of Hijab Symbolism in Indonesia

Although Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, the way of how Muslims dress had never been a major focus of Islamic practice until the 1980s. The promotion of a particular Islamic dress code, especially hijab (veil), started in the early 1980s on Indonesian campuses. Since the Reformasi in 1998, the wearing of hijab has grown significantly along with the spread of the Tarbiyah movement, a transnational Islamist movement affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt. The rise of Islamic conservatism has targeted women to be controlled through their dress and caused Indonesian women to lose their freedom to decide whether they want to wear hijab or not. To fully understand this controlling mechanism, this article explores how the Tarbiyah movement has constructed and utilized the symbolization of hijab, and the weakness of the movement in enforcing its conservative values to its Muslim women members. Such exploration may direct us to a counter-strategy against the values. Based on in-depth interviews with four former Tarbiyah activists who have been active in feminism, this article examines the way the Tarbiyah controls its female activists through the hijab symbolization and how feminism has helped these activists to detach themselves from the movement. Thus, this article will make an important point on how feminism contributes to the battle against Islamic conservatism in Indonesia.

Dressed for Work: The Sartorial Representations of Working Women in Early 21st-Century American Primetime Dramas

The present study is theoretically located in the field of critical feminist studies of the representation of women in the mass media. It discusses the ways in which working women characters construct and express their occupational identity in selected American primetime TV dramas of the early 21st century. The observed strategies, which range from highly restricted self-expression to unbridled sartorial liberty, appear to be heavily correlated with the prestige of the presented occupations and their levels of masculinization/feminization. Moreover, the self-limiting sartorial choices of high-achieving professional women, frequently containing their femininity, result from the competitive nature of prestigious yet traditionally male-gendered occupations. However, it is also pointed out that working women are generally depicted as determined to accentuate the physical aspects of their femininity regardless of the established dress code or traditional gendering of their occupations. Thus, the sartorial choices made by the female characters at the workplace serve in the analyzed TV shows as symbolic manifestations of women’s growing confidence as players on the job market in their own right.

An Islamic Approach towards Nurturing Learners’ Morals in Institutions of Higher Learning in Uganda

This study explored an Islamic approach towards nurturing students’ moral values in institutions of higher learning in Uganda. The purpose of this study was to highlight the moral values that are emphasized among Muslim students at higher education institutions and the ways these moral values are nurtured in the students at this level. The study was qualitative and used phenomenological approaches. Methods of data collection included a literature review and interview of respondents knowledgeable in Islamic education to tap the tacit knowledge they have on moral development. These were selected from departments teaching Islamic Studies. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The study found the moral values inculcated to include prayer, respect, greeting, regulating free mixing, proper dress code, helping, cleanliness, and many more. Three major methods used to instill moral values were found. First, learning moral values through teaching various subjects in the curriculum like an introduction to Islam, integration of knowledge, and use of visual aids. Second, supporting moral development through students’ leaders and associations, guidance and counseling, da’awa work, and disciplinary committee. Third, through a practical method of role modeling, and practicing moral values.

352 Virtual Etiquette: A Closer Look at Emergency Medicine Didactics in the Age of COVID

Covid derailed multiple facets of emergency medicine (EM) residency training, including the need to move from in-person to online weekly didactics. While online education has been used within 90% of medical schools, it has not traditionally been used for residency education. Recent studies evaluating post-graduate residents' perception of online education found a receptive audience eager to incorporate the modality. To date, no study has analyzed how EM programs are approaching online education, including content, efficacy, and attendance etiquette. As part of a process improvement project, an online Survey Monkey questionnaire was sent out to 180 EM residency program directors and coordinators. The survey was open from November 2020 to March 2021. We received 52 responses from program directors and coordinators from all regions of the United States with a majority from academic or university-affiliated programs. Due to COVID-19, over 90% of programs shifted to an online didactic platform with only 10% maintaining in-person didactics. Zoom has been the preferred modality utilized at 89% of programs we surveyed with minimal security and techinical issues. Program consensus was that residents should be on time or no more than 5-minutes late for credit (42% of programs), have video cameras on (52% of programs), and appear attentive (44% of programs). Virtual etiquette was also examined, including screen presence: upright posture (less than 18% of programs reported accountable), background (less than 10%), and lighting (less than 6%). A majority of programs had not set expectations for screen presence. If not presenting, the dress code is generally at the resident’s discretion and was noted to be casual (52%). Sixty percent of programs reported increased faculty attendance since moving to a virtal conference. Programs also reported maintiaing consistency in content (62% of programs), increased utilization of guest speakers (50% of programs), use of national platforms (21% of programs), and maintaing small group sessions (77% of programs). Many residency programs do not record didactics, and only 15% offer credit if lectures are watched at a later date. When safely able, over 65% of programs plan to return to in-person didactics. The online learning platform provides opportunities and proves challenges. Many programs have shifted to online learning and diversified their curriculum. EM residency training requires a strong foundation in core content, which may not entirely be suited for an online platform. This coupled with the loss of face-to-face learning may reflected in the desire for programs to return to in-person learning. The benefits of online learning, which include accessibility, flexibility, and broader reach of topics should not be neglected. Further exploration of the efficacy of knowledge acquisition within online didactics would aid in decisions regarding next steps for return to a potential hybrid teaching model.

EPISTEME AND EXPERIENCES ABOUT PASHTUNWALI: THE STANDPOINT OF PASHTUN WOMEN OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Pashtun societies are well studied by international and national scholars of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The existing scholarship largely presents a male perspective while explaining the nature, structure, and interpretation of Pashtunwali in Pashtun society. A rigid and fundamentalist view of Pashtun society is usually portrayed such as tarborwali, revenge, honor killings, etc. Our research work was focused specifically on the pashtun females’ experiences and episteme of transmission patterns of Pashtunwali—Pashtuns cardinal code of conduct, among Pashtun women in Pakistan. This study was carried out in three districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)—namely, Charsadda, Karak, and Swat of Pakistan. Thirty-nine (39) Pashtun women having diverse backgrounds concerning age, education, and locale were in-depth interviewed for data collection. The data was analyzed through the thematic qualitative data analysis technique using Standpoint feminism (Sandra Harding and Dorothy Smith) as a major theoretical guide. The study has revealed the endowment of Pashtun women (especially mothers, grandmothers, and mothers-in-law) in preserving, sustaining, and transmitting the Pashtun value system towards the young generation (daughters). Unconditionally, Pashtun women (especially mothers) had a significant role in the creation and promotion of Pashtun culture through folklores, proverbs, songs, dress code, arts, literature, and by cooking traditional cuisine, etc. In Pashtun culture, notions of honor, dignity, and shame are described as driving fuel behind all cultural values and structures. The study reflected the perspective of Pashtun women that they were appreciative and insightful about the meaning, history, and cultural composition of Pashtunwali and their identity but at the same time, they were not benighted about the contemporary emerging challenges that have been faced by traditional Pashtun culture. Pashtun women highlighted that Pashtuns are ghairatmand –mind their words and commitments and never compromise on the basic principles. They emphasized that it is necessary to reconsider and revisit social heritage to better reflect on the changing notions and demands of the contemporary age. Hujras/Baithaks have been identified as the most celebrated and accustomed places in Pashtun society. Keywords: Pashtunwali, Pashtun Women, Standpoint, Experiences

‘Dress Code’ Controversy: A Victim of Misogynistic Mindset or Something Else ?

In the middle of September 2021, a female candidate wearing ‘shorts’ (the so-called ‘half pant’), hailing from Biswanath Chariali, went to Tezpur to appear at an entrance test of Assam Agricultural University (AAU) at Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (GIPS), one of the agencies of AAU. While the gatekeeper of GIPS gave her access, the invigilator on duty at the examination hall raised eyebrows on her ‘dress code’ but allowed her to sit in the examination, coercing her to drape a curtain to cover her legs. Doing so, the invigilator not only trespassed into her personal space— her body; humiliated her by lowering her dignity. This perspective is an attempt to revisit the debate of the dress code of Indian women, which refuses to die even in 21st Century India.

Religion and Secularism in Nigeria: The Effect of Compulsory Dress Codes in the Educational System on the Right to Practice Religion

Abstract Though Nigeria is regarded as a secular state, there are two major religions which are predominantly practiced. Religious sentiments have permeated the societal space in Nigeria and often times the ardent practice and observance of religious tenets lead to perennial conflicts with governmental policies. It is one of the fundamental precepts of human rights that the religious belief of individuals should be respected, therefore the provision for the protection of right to religion in the national laws and some international instruments. The education system requires specific dress codes which must be observed. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the right to practice religion in Nigeria and the obvious conflicts between this practice and policies in the Nigerian education system particularly at primary and post-primary school levels. The paper addresses the scope of the right to practice one’s religion under the law vis-à-vis governmental policies in educational institutions.

History and Traditions of the Orthodox Ukrainian Community in Maramureș

Maramureș County, located in the north-western part of Romania, has always represented one of the oldest religious centres of the ancient province of Transylvania. The first part of the present essay will illustrate the most relevant moments in the history of the Christian community of Orthodox Ukrainian people, who lived within the historical region of Maramureș, and also the structure and the evolution of the local Ukrainian Church. The second part will present and demonstrate the key role played by the Orthodox faith and beliefs in establishing mutual relations of friendship and collaboration between the smaller Ukrainian community and the larger Romanian population, within the boundaries of Maramureș County. These relations of friendship and mutual understanding must endure in order to fight against the newly emerging Antichristian ideology that has shaken the moral and Christian foundations of our society. By sharing the same faith and the same religious beliefs, members of the Ukrainian community have managed to preserve their customs and traditions, their traditional dress codes, music and dance and kept alive their spiritual heritage.

Students’ Perceptions of Doctoral Defense Formats

The doctoral defense is an important step in the doctoral journey and an essential requirement for obtaining a doctoral degree. Past research on the doctoral defense has focused solely on national practices. In this work, I investigate the potential link between the doctoral defense format based on its major and minor elements and the perception of the defense by the student. For this purpose, I first reviewed the different defense formats used internationally to extract the different elements of the doctoral defense, and the literature on students’ perceptions of the doctoral defense. Then, I carried out an international survey which received 297 responses, of which 204 were completed surveys which I used for the analysis in this article. I first analyzed the outcomes of the survey using qualitative and quantitative methods, and then cross-correlated the outcomes of defense format with the outcomes of student perception. From this analysis, I observed that the defense elements that positively impact the student’s perception are: publication of the thesis before the defense, receiving committee feedback before the defense, knowing the recommendations of one or more committee member in advance, having the supervisor present in the audience or as part of the committee, using a dress code, and including a laudatio. The final conclusion of this work is threefold. The first conclusion is that the details of the defense format impact most the students’ perception. The second conclusion is that doctoral students, on average, value the defense as a positive experience. The third conclusion is that the defense format cannot influence two important aspects of how a student perceives the defense: the student’s inner life and experience during the defense, and the behavior of the committee members.

ACCOMMODATION NEEDS AND PREFERENCES AMONG INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM STUDENT TRAVELERS

The Muslim tourist segment is regarded as one of the demanding segments in the tourism industry at the current state. It is understood that Muslim travelers prefer to select tourist destinations that bear Islamic elements thus allowing for activities to be done based on religious norms. This would include facilities for prayers, having Halal food and beverages, are liquor-free, and abide by Islamic dress codes; among others. These elements undoubtedly will provide an enriching experience during their travels. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate Muslim travelers’ perception regarding accommodation experiences that Muslim travelers encounter during their stay to realign with Muslim traveller’s needs and preferences. As this study is exploratory in nature, a qualitative research design is applied and 14 international Muslim informants who have travelled internationally were interviewed during the data collection process. The findings revealed that Muslim travelers seek accommodation that offers special necessities for Muslim travelers, located in a suitable location, and chooses the accommodation that offers a favourable service experience. This study has supported previous literature on enhancing Muslim customers’ experience in terms of accommodation provision worldwide. Furthermore, the findings aid in enhancing the needs and preferences of Muslim travelers during traveling hence supporting the growth of Halal tourism. It is seen that tourist destinations and facilities that can provide the faith-based needs required by Muslim tourists will exceed in the creation of a memorable and meaningful tourist experience.

Groepsidentificatie en cognitie

Abstract Group-identification and cognition: Why trivial conventions are more important than we think In existing (evolutionary) explanations for group formation and -identification, the function of cultural conventions such as social etiquette and dress codes is limited to providing group-markers. Group formation and identification itself is explained in terms of less arbitrary and more substantial phenomena such as shared norms and institutions. In this paper I will argue that, however trivial and arbitrary, cultural conventions fulfil an important cognitive function that makes them essential to the formation of and identification with large groups. Complex role-division, both informal and institutional, is important in the functioning of any large group of people. Shared conventions enable a virtually automatic understanding of signals, scripts and rules that regulate the interaction of divided roles. They provide a cultural infrastructure within which we perceive e.g. specific behavior and clothing as a range of social-cultural affordances for role-interactions. Shared familiarity with this infrastructure is the foundation for the basic kind of trust of in-group strangers that is a requirement for the formation of large groups. This non-intellectualist view on group formation and group identification can contribute to new ways of dealing with problems in multicultural societies.

돈 드레이퍼의 슈트: 근대적 남성성과 위태로움

In fashion as well as in popular culture, the suit often symbolizes conformity, masculinity, and class. The critically acclaimed TV show Mad Men (2007-15) features a man in a gray flannel suit, reflecting the dominant men’s dress code in the 1950s. His name is Don Draper, Creative Director of the ad agency, Sterling Cooper. Mad Men emphasizes the malleability of appearance and identity through its depiction of Draper. In re-inventing his identity, Draper finds a man in a suit as a social ideal he strives to achieve. Draper’s suit appearance not only constitutes his identity, but also contributes greatly to his success in society. His suit tells who he is, but it also veils who he really is. Despite all his success he continuously feels estranged and anxiety. His precarious identity is a paradigmatic example of the individual under constant pressure to re-invent oneself for success in the culture of self-help.

A Study of the Feminization of Young Men's Dress in the Upper Class in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China

When the decree to cut pigtails and change clothing was introduced in the late Qing and early Republican periods, there were many clothing changes. The feminization of men's clothing was widely discussed at the time as a distinctive dress code trend. This article looks at the historical documents that documented this event and analyses the specific manifestations of this phenomenon by looking at the groups and regions where the feminization of men's clothing took place. The article analyses the phenomenon of men wearing women's clothing to blur their gender and explore the image of cross-dressing men in the society of the time and its meaning. Through the analysis of historical documents on the diverse, outward expressions of cross-dressing men, the fact that diversity in masculinity existed in that time is illustrated. This leads to further induction of the respective images of masculinity and a discussion of the various reasons behind this phenomenon. The article concludes with an attempt to reveal the motives that produced the feminization of men's dressing, both in terms of external social and internal causes, and to discuss whether the feminization of men's dressing in the late Qing Dynasty involved transgender identity the analysis of masculinity.