By Kallee Nielsen
Too tight. Too short. Too revealing; but for all of the controversy that''s stemmed from BYU''s strict dress and grooming standards, most BYU students say the dress code has little interference in their lives.
'Half the time it is too cold to wear anything immodest anyway,' said Laura Woodward, 19, a freshman from San Diego majoring in English.
Woodward said she usually forgets that her dress standards are different than the rest of the population until she is home, in the more temperate climate of California.
'You see some of the stuff people wear at church. I don''t want to name any names but I''ve seen a few shockers in my time,' she said.
She said for the most part, she likes the standards for modesty, which she sees as more flattering.
Matt Slivka, 22, a junior from Murray, Salt Lake County, majoring in international studies and a transfer student from BYU-Idaho, said the honor code seems relaxed compared to what he''s used to.
'If people think this is too strict, they should go to BYU-Idaho,' he said.
'Try no overalls, no sweats, no capris and no flip flops.'
But some think the transformation of the dress code is fickle and constantly changing according to the winds of time.
'Maybe tomorrow they''ll ban bags with straps across the shoulders that people have complained about in The Daily Universe,' said Brooke Fassil, 20, a sophomore from New York, majoring in accounting.
The most recent advancement is the mention of midriffs in clothing.
But before this, the honor code underwent a series of changes.
Men were not allowed to wear jeans until the early 1970s and women until 1982. Pants for women became permissible in 1971. And official university publications continued to prohibit overalls until 1992.
The men were required to wear socks with shoes. A rule that was first specified in 1982-1992, when the dress code was revised to reflect the language of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint''s 'For the Strength of Youth' pamphlet. The revision included the sanctioning of knee-length shorts.
Rules have also changed in regards to grooming standards lengths, outlawing beards, requiring the exposure of earlobes, defining appropriate sideburns, and discouraging mustaches. Since the 1992 revision, however, BYU''s official position on mustaches has been neutral.
Still, few students seem to have complaints about restrictions.
'It''s a private university, they can do whatever the heck the want,' Woodward said.
Kim Walden, 19, a sophomore from Richmond, Va. majoring in marriage and family studies said, 'If people don''t like it here, they should just go to another school.'