Proper modes of dress have been in the news lately. The city council of Vaughan; “the city above Toronto” where overtaxed Toronto businesses flee for refuge, recently debated a proper dress code for municipal employees. During a heated vote on Monday, the dress code passed and such attire as vinyl, tube tops and miniskirts are out. Boo hoo hoo cried some of the city councillors.
Janice Atwood-Petkovski, the city solicitor was quoted as saying, “We’re just codifying common sense. We’re just saying like what to wear to go dancing may not be the best thing to wear to work that great little spandex skirt that you.” In light of the debate you have to ask what century Ms. Atwood-Petkovski is living in.
Proper dress for the workplace might have been common sense at one time but that common sense is not applicable in today’s world. There was vigorous opposition to the city’s suggestions on appropriate work attire. Some councillors railed at the “invasive policy” that dictated that tube tops were not appropriate business attire. These politicos wondered what else the fascists would impose on all their undoubtedly overpaid and underworked workers.
Even Vaughan’s mayor, Linda Jackson, got into the act by fighting for the right of city employees to wear her favourite footwear – flip-flops. This, despite the fact that these Draconian rules apply only to municipal employees and not the mayor and the councillors who are still free to wear spandex miniskirts, tube tops and of course flip-flops. And that’s just the male councillors.
The residents of Vaughan can at least take solace in the fact that their council can’t increase taxes and impose new user fees and debate flip-flops at the same time. If only Toronto City Council would spend a few days debating clothing – it would sure save the beleaguered taxpayers of that city some dough.
Last Friday, Grade 7 student Adam Zussino was asked to leave his Barrie Ontario school because he showed up to that institution of alleged learning with his hair dyed blue. But, after discussions with his family and his principal, the school relented and he was allowed back. The 13-year-old had dyed his hair blue in support of his peewee hockey team.
What was surprising, or maybe not, was that the initial decision to force the blue-haired boy to leave the school last week had nothing to do with his blue-hair per se. Apparently the only thing wrong with showing up to school with blue hair is not that it is inappropriate for a learning environment but that it is banned so that students cannot come to school sporting “gang colours”. Other than trying to discourage glorifying street gangs, there appears to be nothing inappropriate in coming to school with bright blue hair. Let’s hope when little Adam grows up he doesn’t try and get a job with the City of Vaughan. They have standards.
These two incidents illustrate how our culture has changed in the last 40 years or so. The city mothers of Vaughan who strenuously objected to the implementation of a modest dress code for their civic employees are perfect examples of those who were raised in the “me generation”. I want to wear what I want to wear…. my rights, my rights… whine, whine whine.
And in school if you have no gang affiliation it is perfectly acceptable to come to class with blue-dyed hair. Besides, it’s so cute! Shades of “if it feels good, do it”.
It’s a good thing that the school relented. No doubt if students like Adam were kicked out of school, the school board would have to open a bluehaired-centric school for him and his fellow hockey players.
Times have certainly changed in the past few years – and not for the better.
