The Student Review reported Monday that BYU-Idaho added skinny jeans to the list of clothing violating the university’s dress and grooming standards.
BYU-I Student Services and Activities Vice President Kevin Miyasaki denied the school was involved in the decision, and said the university’s testing center had acted independently in making a rule about tight jeans.
“We have not identified “skinny jeans” as a specific violation of the dress and grooming standard,” Miyasaki said in an e-mail to the blog Gawker . “We are aware of the incident and the Student Honor Office is working with the Testing Center to address the issue.”
Flier at BYU-I testing center
The incident Miyasaki referred to was a flier obtained by the Student Review posted in the testing center that said skinny jeans were “not appropriate attire.”
“If your pants are tight enough for us to see the shape of your leg, your pants are too tight,” the flier reads.
BYU-I’s campus paper, the Scroll, reported Tuesday that students have been denied entrance to the testing center for wearing skinny jeans.
“I got in line and the guy said that I couldn’t take a test because my pants were too tight,” senior Rachel Vermillion told the Scroll. “I thought he was joking at first.”
The testing center employee wasn’t joking.
Vermillion told him she lived twenty minutes away from school, and another employee even tried persuading him to let her take the test. He still didn’t budge.
It appears the testing center has since loosened its policy. The wording at the bottom of the flyer, for example, has been softened. Students are also not turned away if they show up in skinny jeans.
Emily, a student majoring in sociology who asked that her last name not be used, said when she took a test the week before Thanksgiving, she was allowed in, but had to read the updated flyer.
“If you don’t understand the Dress and Grooming standards, we invite you to go to the Lord ‘and ask in faith, nothing wavering’ for approval of the clothing you wear. The Spirit will tell you whether what you are wearing is appropriate or not,” it read.
Emily said even before the incident, she felt testing center employees were very strict.
“They’re really critical,” Emily said. “I don’t like going into the testing center.”
The manager of the testing center admitted to the Scroll that some employees were more zealous than others.
As a private university, BYU-Idaho would be allowed to officially ban skinny jeans if it wanted. Such a move seems unlikely, however. 280 miles south at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, there are no rules on skinny jeans, and hundreds of students will be wearing them as they take finals next week.
Still, Emily said she doesn’t take any chances.
“I don’t wear skinny jeans to the testing center anymore,” she said.
30 comments
Justin Gertsch says:
Dec 7, 2011
The honor code =/= the Word of God.
BYU not so uptight: skinny jeans allowed « unambiguous says:
Dec 7, 2011
[...] regarding their modesty. I’m okay with the ban because the ban on skinny jeans, turns out, wasn’t really a ban, and let’s be honest: a lot of amusing things have been said and created in response to the [...]
Leo Janowski9 says:
Dec 8, 2011
Lets be honest, those who even get aroused by the sight of “skinny jeans” already have an issue. At college age people should be able to handle their emotions and not bring it to the point of saying how one should or shouldn’t dress. Ballerina’s are people who symbolize peace and beauty. They too wear very tight and seemingly exposing atire. However we don’t look at such people and think inappropriate thoughts. If a young woman,(or man?) conducts themselves in a way that their father in heaven would have them, then there really isn’t an issue that they wear tighter jeans. Because they, like a Ballerina can also be an example of beauty and peace with their day to day actions
Mo says:
Dec 7, 2011
I don’t think the Honor Code is really about ‘standards’ or the ‘Spirit’. As with any code, it’s about serving a brand.
What exactly does the honor code do? Does it make students feel like they belong, or does it alienate them? I propose that it programs the students to be agents of the brand in question (BYU), and that this brand is losing it’s affiliation with Christ. That’s what force does… it negates faith. No wonder there is a scandal every year.
It is faith and trust that allows the Spirit to flourish.
Do you remember the war in Heaven? The one where the Father chose between two plans? He seemed to be more impressed with Christ’s plan of trust and faith than Lucifer’s meat puppet scheme.
And what about BYU? Did the folks who implemented the Honor Code believe in trust? Or were they acting out of fear? Indeed they were afraid of the collective natural man at large on campus. Afraid of what freedom means at a school subsidized by tithes. So they wrote the code, and have compelled entire generations to re-program themselves.
Yes, everyone signed their name. What else were they going to do? Forfeit their education? Part of the problem with the HC is that people can’t help but become terrorists either for or against it. Normal LDS kids who were the pride of their home wards suddenly have the impetus to swear, vandalize, and get laid because the code becomes a context that compels punk ethic. And those that support the code out of a righteous desire for standards start ratting out their brothers and sisters like SS police straight outta Nazi Germany.
The code changes who you are. It makes it difficult to be yourself. It affects the entire valley.
What happened to trusting adults to simply live up to their covenants? That’s the issue at hand here: the code implicitly tells otherwise righteous students that they can’t be trusted to obey their own covenants. In fact, we’re not even going to give you the chance to try. Sign here, and sink or swim.
The HC is a doubling of law imposed on people that are already under a law regarding their covenants. That is why it is redundant. It simply presumes that the defacto behavior of all entering students will be akin to that of a group of preschool kids or a pack of dogs.
The result of the strictness of the code is that thousands of students delay repentance until they graduate. I went to UVU, and I remember various friends at BYU simply postponing confession of serious sins because they didn’t want to get kicked out of school. This is a destructive context to live and study in, and it is absolutely unnecessary. The only people that should be kicked out of BYU are those who refuse to repent.
The HC removes repentance from being a ‘faith act’ and inserts it into the realm of calculated risk. It should be abolished for the faith-destroying redundancy that it is. The minute it is abolished is the minute the floodgates of repentance will be opened, and the same instant that faith will rule a campus that is supposed to be a reflection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gwendolyn says:
Dec 7, 2011
I think skinny jeans are awful to begin with. They’re too tight and many women use jeggings and the like to wear mini skirts and very short dresses. Its inappropriate and too tight, I don’t care if you’re 88lbs or 188lbs skinny jeans are not flattering and I’d rather not see every single shape, curve, and line of anothers’ body.
Joe Boxer says:
Dec 8, 2011
I think it’s funny that I Provo student paper is reporting a BYU-Idaho story. A. Doesn’t Provo has any of its own news? B. Why are provo students so obsessed with BY-Idaho? That seems to be all they talk about.
Fred says:
Dec 10, 2011
Really? All BYU Provo ever talks about? For 1, of course we’re going to be interested in the happenings at BYU-I. It’s a BYU LDS university, as are we. And 2, I don’t think 1 article in the news paper justifies saying that BYU-I is all we ever talk about. It is very rarely brought up.
Emily says:
Dec 8, 2011
@Justin, agreed! Oh my goodness, this is absolutely ridiculous. Not the entire “skinny jeans” ordeal, necessarily… I think what I have the biggest problem with is the fact that the flyer asks students to go home and pray about this… It seems out of place on a flyer about the honor code.
Dress Code Crackdown? | eduJunction says:
Dec 8, 2011
[...] Independent BYU newspaper The Student Review reported on the apparently updated dress code, identifying a sign on campus that read, “No skinny jeans.” [...]
Jared says:
Dec 8, 2011
As a former student and current member of the church, these standards I think do serve a purpose. My problem is that some of the time people at these places like the testing center are complete jerks about it. I think that they enjoy ruining someones day with any little thing that they can find. It is a perfect example of why people think our religion is strange. “Pray to the lord about your clothing.” GIVE ME A BREAK. These are probably the same people that sit at a red light praying for it to turn green. If you have to pray about your clothing? It is probably not appropriate or you need to get your head examined. Common sense should tell you what is appropriate. To those of you that don’t know what “Common Sense” is, it is also known as the still small voice. Skinny jeans are NOT offensive. If you think they are you need to go and hang out with the “Church Lady”. I do agree, however, that if you are overweight? Then it wouldn’t be offensive as much as it would be gross.
Our Long National Nightmare is Over: BYU-Idaho Allows Skinny Jeans | Telestial State says:
Dec 8, 2011
[...] to The Student Review, skinny jeans were never actually banned at the LDS Church-owned school, but rather the supposed [...]
Dan says:
Dec 8, 2011
I just want to let you all know that this policy will cause people to not join the church, just like Warren Jeffs forcing polygamy down his adherents throats caused people not to join. BYU Idaho is crazy, those students who enforce such a policy do not understand the atonement or their redeemer. Pharisaical obedience is what killed Jesus and has destroyed pure truths throughout history.
anon says:
Dec 9, 2011
may I say that when you work at the testing center just like any job you enforce rules. It’s the job of the employees. It has nothing to do with judging fellow students all it has to do is with asking them to please comply with the dress and grooming code. This whole this was blown out of proportion. Don’t ridicule us when our school doesn’t ridicule other universities.
Kaitlin says:
Dec 8, 2011
That flyer has some issues. First off, this seems to be a real issue in semantics. “Skinny jeans” – any pair of them that you find at a mall or at Target (trust me, I’ve worked there for a while now, I know)- are not the issue here. The issue here is “jeggings” and jeans which are too tight. Flare or bootcut jeans can be too tight and show off more than you might want to show. But all that it takes for a jean to be called a “skinny jean,” is for it to be tight around the ankle and calf. ANKLE and CALF, got that? Not tight around the thigh or buttocks or hip. It’s just like any other pair of jeans at the top, but is tight at the bottom.
It’s okay at BYU-I to show your ankle and calf, right? Why on earth then, would a pair of jeans which is tight around the ankle and calf be considered immodest?
The BYU-I dress code, if it’s going to be there to penalize students who abuse it, needs to be well thought out and carefully worded. Those who enforce it need to make sure they are at least doing their homework and defining terms properly. I hate to break it to the apparent power trippers at the testing center, but a skinny jean as it is properly defined is a perfectly acceptable modest wardrobe choice for representing your faith and religion, not to mention showing that you respect yourself. It can be an appropriately modest, stylish, and flattering wardrobe choice to have.
Second off, the testing center should not be telling people to pray about something as trivial as a pair of jeans. This is absolutely ridiculous, it’s not a major life decision. Not only is it not the testing center’s call to suggest what someone should pray about, but most people I think, get along just fine in life without praying about their wardrobe or what they have for dinner at night. There are some decisions which it is perfectly alright to make without the help of prayer, thank you very much. God loves us, but he does not necessarily care about which can of beans we buy at the supermarket for instance, or for the record, what the bottom cut of our jeans is (be that flare, bootcut or skinny.) If we feel it’s right to dress cleanly, modestly and walk uprightly before him, why on earth should we feel that we need to pray for further guidance? He trusts us to make good decisions as we strive to follow gospel principles, and that is enough.
I suppose if I said this to those in favor of the testing center policies in person, they might not listen. I am, after all, a University of Utah student who figures these things out without the help of any testing center guidelines. Might I suggest to the flyer makers that they tell students to refer to the Strength of Youth Pamphlet and church-approved guidelines on modesty and dress, instead? These things are actually well thought out and come from those who have actual authority on the matter.
sara says:
Dec 8, 2011
BYU needs to chill out and worry about there own school instead of spreading rumors about byu-i. Byu-I has an honor code and in it it states that form fitting clothing is not allowed why is that such a bad thing?
Mia says:
Dec 14, 2011
I think a lot of the concern has to do with the fact that if it really was a rule that students can’t wear skinny jeans at BYUI it might spread to BYU.
Jason W says:
Dec 8, 2011
“The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism … the haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances.” – Hugh Nibley in his talk ‘What is Zion?’
Jim H. says:
Dec 9, 2011
Congratulations to the people at the Student Review for breaking this story that went on to become national news. Abusive behavior like this needs to be exposed and I’m glad the leaders at BYU-I corrected it. Who knows how many people would have been turned away like Rachel Vermillion if SR hadn’t run this story.
There was a serious problem with the original story, though. Most of the conversation about this story has called this a school policy and a lot of outrage around the country has been aimed at BYU-I administration because the original SR story gave that impression. The ABC story and the Deseret News story got the distinction that this was a pharisaical testing center employee inventing his own interpretation, but the SR story aggrandized the issue to give the impression that skinny jeans were being banned from the entire campus.
SR needs to hold itself to a higher journalistic standard. Apparently people are paying attention.
Jason Smith says:
Dec 19, 2011
YES! YES! YES! Your last paragraph is exactly how I have been feeling, it seems like the SR wants to just ignore this whole “we were wrong” part of the story.
bret says:
Dec 9, 2011
<<<<<>>>>>
Daniel B says:
Dec 9, 2011
Newsflash: Not a news story…unless you count vigilante behavior by rogue testing center employees as being a story.
Keep milking this, guys. All you are proving is that the world is still your campus.
Orwell says:
Dec 10, 2011
Link to picture of Rachel Vermillion wearing the outfit that got her kicked out of the testing center:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2336946994221&set=a.2336946954220.2106888.1566240254&type=1&theater
Jo says:
Dec 10, 2011
They are only considered skinny jeans if no more than two fingers can fit between the ankle and leg opening….or if one can determine what type of undergarments one is wearing…granny-panties, briefs, bikinis, or thong. Really, who wants to be the judge of THAT!
Student Newspaper at Brigham Young University-Idaho Sparks Skinny Jeans Debate « College Media Matters says:
Dec 13, 2011
[...] also prompted a school response stating that skinny jeans specifically are not banned at BYU. Yet, students told the Review the [...]
Richard says:
Dec 14, 2011
@GWENDOLYN… honey that is only your opinion, other people (including myself) appreciate style!
Richard says:
Dec 14, 2011
@ANON… honestly I don’t know if you are genuine or not, but I have met tons of jerks that are jerks at the testing center at BYU-I. Of course not all are jerks, but obviously there are enough “rocking the boat” to be super annoying!! Thank you…
Holdengreen says:
Jan 9, 2012
OMG – there are wars being fought and children who will go to bed hungry tonight.
Jody says:
Feb 23, 2012
Some members are a little more on their high horse than others. The person in charge of the testing center is obviously letting their power go to their head and making their own policies. I got called out in Primary, by the Primary President, when I was 9 for wearing a tank top dress on a 98 degree day.
If your pants are too tight… - Rational Faiths » Rational Faiths says:
Feb 29, 2012
[...] student that she couldn’t take a test because her pants were too tight. Read about that one here. In both incidents it is important to point out that it wasn’t BYU imposing judgment, but [...]
Dr. Chuck Limbski says:
Mar 8, 2012
Go to the Univ of Utah…no problem here…