sOver the course of our time at Notre Dame Belmont, leggings have been a hotly debated topic, from whether or not we are allowed to wear them to Aquacades, to the reasoning behind why we cannot wear them on Fridays. Recently, a new debate over NDB students’ clothing choices for free-dress days has begun. On any given Friday, students can be seen all around the school wearing sweatpants. It contributes to a comfortable, academically-focused environment that NDB girls treasure about their all-girls-school experience.

Last year, the administrative team put into place a new policy that girls could wear any sweatpants. Rather than just the NDB sweatpants that they were restricted to before. However, recently Ms. Hutchins has sent out an email clarifying the school’s policy on leggings and stating that “the handbook is clear that students may wear NDB sweatpants only as part of their free dress options.”

With the reinforcement of this old rule, many students are questioning whether sweatpants will become the new leggings. It is often wondered why the type of sweatpants we wear is regulated so strictly at an all-girls high school. There is virtually no difference between different types of sweatpants, and many students do not want to pay to buy another pair of sweatpants that are different only in their logo. Could the fact that sweatpants are becoming more than just a piece of leisure wear affect the school’s approach on these articles of clothing?

In addition, many clothing choices that are currently permitted on Fridays, such as floral/patterned flared pants, or many jeans, are skin-tight and may be considered more provocative or inappropriate for school than sweatpants. This is not to say that these options should not be allowed either (as this would leave us with virtually nothing to wear on Fridays), but to point out that sweatpants are not particularly unsuitable for an academic setting.