While I in no way claim to be an expert in what should be considered proper attire. I do think professionals, and professional students especially, do need to attend to a style of dress, that while entirely acceptable be “casual,” should be to some extent restrained. I’m making my comments based on observations I’ve made while walking across our campus, teaching in classrooms and other venues. No one who knows me would consider me prudish but there are just some things happening out there that I feel compelled to comment on. Remember, I am the anatomist on staff here. Maybe it’s just because I am getting older…but…
I will partition this essay into two parts: one concerning male students and one, at some risk of being called a chauvinist, concerning female students.
Male Students
I start with the question: Why do guys feel the need to wear baseball caps in class and other academic venues indoors? More specifically, why do they insist on wearing them backwards and cocked or rotated a ¼ turn to the right or left? Personally, I cannot conceive of a situation in which a professional program student would be compelled to look like, what people in my generation would be called, in more polite circles, a jackass? (Please contact me if you would to discuss synonyms for “jackass.”)
Secondly, our young male students apparently need to be told that wearing short pants, or any pants in general, so that the waist hangs down around their knees with either their butts or underwear hanging out is unacceptable. Regarding butts: I was thinking about using the word “ass” (call me for additional synonyms) – as in “…their ass is hanging out” but I decided against it so as to fall within the bounds of acceptable professional language. When I see this behavior, which I see and I’m sure you see, all the time these days, one realizes that such an approach makes the person essentially one-armed. Why? Because to prevent the pants from falling down around their ankles, they have to use one hand constantly to hold their pants up. This makes the concept of bilateral prehension a non-event and relegates the male to being essentially one-handed. Notwithstanding the dress issues, young male efficiency is reduced by half and renders whatever claim we have to being evolutionarily successful…null and void..
Female Students
My comments at this point, do give me some pause. Being a male myself I understand entirely that making the observation I am about to make may, in some circles, make me seem like the proverbial male chauvinist pig. Nonetheless, because this is an experience I am having more and more in the classroom, I feel compelled to comment on it.
The issue here is: How much cleavage may be acceptably revealed until it is considered in bad taste? Cleavage is of course, from an anatomist’s point-of-view, the space between the breasts. Now, I had considered using the word “boobs” in place of “breasts”. I hear many of my female friends and colleagues, my wife and even my daughter use this term when the topic comes up. I also find that when a male uses this alternate term it is implied that we are using it in a derogatory way (call me to discuss alternate synonyms that I am aware of – I’ve heard of many). And, while I don’t necessarily agree that this is true I am nonetheless refraining from referring to breasts as “boobs”, especially in mixed company. I do perceive an implicit double-standard here but I don’t intend on going down that road in this essay.
That said, what is the problem? Again, I will state this as a question. Let me preface it by saying that this situation that I encounter involves female students who tend to sit in the front row when I am giving an anatomy lecture. The question: At what point do we, as professionals, teaching professional students, deem it inappropriate to see most of both breasts essentially lying on the table in front of me while I attempt to answer a question? While I try to look at this woman’s face it is very difficult not to ignore the other human tissue that is being exposed. What’s a guy to do? Now…at other venues, being a normal male, I am perfectly happy to look at naked breasts. It just seems to me that in a classroom filled with “ostensibly professional students” it is not appropriate to reveal so much of one’s anatomy. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that this is distracting and the longer I teach the more it seems to be a problem. It seems like someone should be setting standards here and it can’t come from me or any other male (especially if I don’t want to be verbally or physically beaten up).
Finally, I realize I run the risk of offending both the readers of this essay and the students of which I speak. However, I have chosen to take this risk because the anatomist in me argues that these comments fall somewhere within my domain – you will have to judge.
For the guys I say: “Suck it up! Stop looking like a jerk” (call me to discuss synonyms for “jerk”). Take off the hat and pull up your pants where, in times past, they used to reside. For any male student who wishes to argue with my observations and comments I would be happy to engage you in a real-time face-to-face discussion. Be prepared, however, for me to be right in your face.
For the gals, it’s clear to me this is not my domain nor place in public/social discourse. I will have to rely on my female colleagues to make corrective comments, if they agree with my thesis.
I will partition this essay into two parts: one concerning male students and one, at some risk of being called a chauvinist, concerning female students.
Male Students
I start with the question: Why do guys feel the need to wear baseball caps in class and other academic venues indoors? More specifically, why do they insist on wearing them backwards and cocked or rotated a ¼ turn to the right or left? Personally, I cannot conceive of a situation in which a professional program student would be compelled to look like, what people in my generation would be called, in more polite circles, a jackass? (Please contact me if you would to discuss synonyms for “jackass.”)
Secondly, our young male students apparently need to be told that wearing short pants, or any pants in general, so that the waist hangs down around their knees with either their butts or underwear hanging out is unacceptable. Regarding butts: I was thinking about using the word “ass” (call me for additional synonyms) – as in “…their ass is hanging out” but I decided against it so as to fall within the bounds of acceptable professional language. When I see this behavior, which I see and I’m sure you see, all the time these days, one realizes that such an approach makes the person essentially one-armed. Why? Because to prevent the pants from falling down around their ankles, they have to use one hand constantly to hold their pants up. This makes the concept of bilateral prehension a non-event and relegates the male to being essentially one-handed. Notwithstanding the dress issues, young male efficiency is reduced by half and renders whatever claim we have to being evolutionarily successful…null and void..
Female Students
My comments at this point, do give me some pause. Being a male myself I understand entirely that making the observation I am about to make may, in some circles, make me seem like the proverbial male chauvinist pig. Nonetheless, because this is an experience I am having more and more in the classroom, I feel compelled to comment on it.
The issue here is: How much cleavage may be acceptably revealed until it is considered in bad taste? Cleavage is of course, from an anatomist’s point-of-view, the space between the breasts. Now, I had considered using the word “boobs” in place of “breasts”. I hear many of my female friends and colleagues, my wife and even my daughter use this term when the topic comes up. I also find that when a male uses this alternate term it is implied that we are using it in a derogatory way (call me to discuss alternate synonyms that I am aware of – I’ve heard of many). And, while I don’t necessarily agree that this is true I am nonetheless refraining from referring to breasts as “boobs”, especially in mixed company. I do perceive an implicit double-standard here but I don’t intend on going down that road in this essay.
That said, what is the problem? Again, I will state this as a question. Let me preface it by saying that this situation that I encounter involves female students who tend to sit in the front row when I am giving an anatomy lecture. The question: At what point do we, as professionals, teaching professional students, deem it inappropriate to see most of both breasts essentially lying on the table in front of me while I attempt to answer a question? While I try to look at this woman’s face it is very difficult not to ignore the other human tissue that is being exposed. What’s a guy to do? Now…at other venues, being a normal male, I am perfectly happy to look at naked breasts. It just seems to me that in a classroom filled with “ostensibly professional students” it is not appropriate to reveal so much of one’s anatomy. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that this is distracting and the longer I teach the more it seems to be a problem. It seems like someone should be setting standards here and it can’t come from me or any other male (especially if I don’t want to be verbally or physically beaten up).
Finally, I realize I run the risk of offending both the readers of this essay and the students of which I speak. However, I have chosen to take this risk because the anatomist in me argues that these comments fall somewhere within my domain – you will have to judge.
For the guys I say: “Suck it up! Stop looking like a jerk” (call me to discuss synonyms for “jerk”). Take off the hat and pull up your pants where, in times past, they used to reside. For any male student who wishes to argue with my observations and comments I would be happy to engage you in a real-time face-to-face discussion. Be prepared, however, for me to be right in your face.
For the gals, it’s clear to me this is not my domain nor place in public/social discourse. I will have to rely on my female colleagues to make corrective comments, if they agree with my thesis.
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