At 8:20 on a weekday morning, students walk across campus dressed in hoodies, sweatpants, and pajama bottoms. What seems like harmless comfort has sparked debate, with some students arguing that campus fashion reflects social pressure, blurred lines between public and private dress, and a diminished emphasis on intentional self-expression.
Sophia Zhan ’28 identified a detail she found irritating: socks worn over leggings. She explained how her discomfort lies in how the trend violates her standards about which garments should remain hidden, and which belong on display.
“I first started noticing this in middle school and I just feel like it feels really uncomfortable. Socks shouldn’t really be seen, they’re almost like underwear for your feet, so they shouldn’t be exposed outside,” explained Zhan.“Leg warmers on top of leggings feels fine to me. [In] ballet, we wear leggings and leg warmers on top, and that’s okay. As long as your socks stay underneath, I don’t really care what happens.”
Michelle Onyeka ’27 focused her criticism on sagging pants, a trend she noticed immediately upon arrival on campus. She attributed the popularity of the trend to social media believing that “influencers 100% popularized it.”
“I noticed sagging as soon as I touched base on campus in September 2024. People let their pants fall so low that you can basically see their underwear. It makes me wonder if people have any decorum… I think it is uncomfortable for everyone around and I think it is also performative, like what’s the point?” said Onyeka.
Anastasie Sycheva ’29 identified the widespread wearing of pajama pants to class as a trend she finds distasteful. Rather than advocating for the ban on relaxed clothing, Sycheva critiqued the motivation behind trend-following and emphasized fashion as a form of creativity.
“There’s a pretty big culture of wearing pajamas to school, which I think isn’t the best. I get that it can be very comfortable sometimes and make school feel a little less uptight and rigid, but still, people should save pajamas for something to sleep in rather than to walk around in… I don’t think I’d want to ban this fashion trend. I do want to ban the idea of trying to wear clothes just to fit in rather than to express your true self,” said Sycheva.
Jason Cai ’28 similarly criticized the so-called campus “uniform” centered on relaxed fits. He argues that the prevalence of hoodies and sweatpants diminishes fashion’s role as a form of individual expression.
“People generally seem to be preferring relaxed fits. When UGGs, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and hoodies started becoming more mainstream, outfits began to feel monotonous and almost like a uniform. It’s a low risk outfit that people are going to accept, and are not going to think anything of. People like it when things are predictable, so they choose lower risk options… I would greatly want to reduce the kind of fashion where you’re not at all dressing because you like the clothes that you’re wearing, but rather you’re only dressing because you think you’ll be able to get the attention of other people and make them pay attention to you,” said Cai.
