I was disappointed in the “Fashion Crimes Committed on Campus” article in the Feb. 2 edition of the Miami Hurricane. I can tell that the author/illustrator tried to include some diversity among the culprits of these fashion crimes, but how about, ya know, some men? Women aren’t the only students who come to school underdressed, showing skin, etc. etc.
Although I’m sure it wasn’t Ms. Zerpa’s intention, but this type of scrutiny being applied solely to women contributes to the pervasive, harmful message that a young woman’s value as a person comes down to her appearance, while men are judged as complex individuals. Girls are under enormous pressure to convey a multitude of different messages to various people (guys, friends, professors, etc.) and are also given various conflicting advice from the media on how to achieve this.
Understandably, mistakes are sometimes made. Perhaps next time a better format would be “Tips for Dressing to Impress” instead of this more slut-shamey style of article.
Julie Brown is a graduate student at RSMAS.