Hampton faculty strikes again with another rather suggestive letter, that causes me to question my decision on attending this illustrious institution once more! On September 12, Jewel B. Long, Dean of Residence Life, sent out a letter to the female population of Hampton University in regards to dress code. The comments regarding the dress code had aspects of not only slut-shaming, but blatant misogyny and rape culture that degrades and belittle female students by treating them like children, opposed to the young bright women attending this university.
Quite honestly, when I read “Dear Women Students” I knew we were in for something messy! The letter opens with a patronizing tone when addressing students. She soon implies that self-respect is depicted by one’s attire. Not going to lie, this had me a bit stumped. I just cannot seem to figure out how one’s self-respect is determined by what they have on opposed to what is housed within. Also, associating material things like clothing to self-respect and self-worth can be psychologically damaging, especially when targeting a group of women who are continuously devalued by society in countless aspects.
OK, maybe not every outfit is appropriate for every setting, there is definitely a time and a place for certain looks, but there is never a time or place where belittling other women should be tolerated. The first sentence in the third paragraph alone is extremely problematic, it reads “While I understand that many of you choose your attire in an effort to draw attention to yourself, the inappropriate attire that is being displayed is an indication of your failure to respect yourself.”.
Let’s start from the top, shall we? When telling a woman that she is looking for attention by her outfit, one is supporting rape culture. It goes hand and hand with the common stigma of “she asked for it”. Despite that, it is derogatory to assume that a woman is solely looking for attention from her outfit. It ignores all the other factors that may have played a role in how she decided to slay, such as, trends, mood, comfort, and empowerment. How one pieces together their outfit shows no indication of the level of respect they have from themselves. Self-respect is not shown through how much fabric you choose to wrap around your skin. It is showcased through how you treat yourself, as well as, how you allow others to treat you.
Student’s should not be subjected to patronizing comments like, “your attire really does speak volumes about your character,” or body-shaming comments like, “consider buying items that are appropriate for your body shape and size.” They should be respected enough to be sent much more professional memos regarding dress code without being degraded.
Overall, the content of this letter was disdainful in its way of communicating a message. When you want adults to follow a certain protocol, you do not reprimand them like they are children. Nor do you speak to them in a matter that may cause students to reject the message, which in turn may spark a rebellion. It is counterproductive and creates a hostility towards administration. Due to the lack of professionalism in this letter, I am left with a question, if students were to bring that same energy and tone in a message to faculty, would it be acceptable? If not, why is it acceptable for faculty like this?