Agnes Irwin Students discuss the controversies that come from the tradition of the annual white dress at graduation.
For many years, The Agnes Irwin School has continued the tradition of seniors wearing a white dress at their graduation. This tradition was originally meant to create a sense of unity among the senior class; however, many Agnes Irwin students have expressed strong opinions to the school community both for and against maintaining this tradition. In an attempt at compromise, Head of School Sally Keidel, informed the senior class that they are now able to choose any of the five dresses that are offered along with a pantsuit option. “We believe this compromise honors the various opinions expressed by the class, keeps us connected to our school traditions, and allows us to evolve as an institution,” Mrs. Keidel claims. Despite the slight change in the school’s tradition, students continue to have strong feelings about graduation attire.
“I think the white dress tradition is outdated. Many all-girls schools have the same tradition, and AIS has had it as a tradition for decades, but I don’t think tradition is a good enough reason to keep something around. Not everyone feels comfortable in a dress and it might cause gender dysphoria or body image issues,” said a junior, who preferred to be anonymous. Students have also argued that one dress may not fit all body types. To allow all students to feel comfortable in their graduation apparel, some Agnes Irwin students have suggested that the school should adopt the tradition of a cap and gown on graduation day.
“I would rather wear the traditional cap and gown because it will feel more like a graduation experience and I won’t have to wear something that doesn’t fit my body well,” another anonymous student stated in The Wick survey.
On the other hand, many students have communicated that they wish to keep the tradition of the white dress and are open to Mrs. Keidel’s new proposal.
“I feel that because it is a tradition, there is no changing it. I do think it is unusual and different from other schools; however, we go to [a] same-sex school. I agree that everyone might not feel comfortable in wearing a dress, but if it causes gender dysphoria, then why do people wear a skirt every day? Wearing a skirt at school is associated with women too. Also, there is already a pantsuit option which is open to people who do not want to wear a dress,” says a junior.
Many expressed that they were not in agreement with the idea of a cap and gown because the white dress tradition was something that they always looked forward to. Students have also said that wearing white as a whole is equivalent to wearing the school uniform each day.
A couple of weeks ago, Agnes Irwin’s school newspaper, The Wick, sent out a survey to the school asking students about their thoughts on Mrs. Keidel’s new idea on graduation attire. Out of 28 students, 46.4% did not agree with Mrs. Keidel, while 17.9% agreed. The remaining students claimed to not have a strong opinion or did not feel that the new change was beneficial to Agnes Irwin’s goals of inclusion.
So, will Mrs. Keidel stick with her sentiment? Or will student opinion affect graduations to come?
