Avi Shah ’17, Connor Gunsalus ’17: The topic of facial hair has become controversial over the past few years at EA. Should students be allowed to grow facial hair? If so, under what circumstances should facial hair be permitted? Currently, it is against dress code for male students to grow facial hair unless required by that student’s religion. Many students have found fault with this rule. They assert that this rule is burdensome, costly, prohibits freedom of expression, and even raises health concerns.
Some EA students believe they should be able to wear their facial hair however they would like, whereas many teachers argue that students who grow beards are growing unkempt peach fuzz rather than beards. Sam Willis, V Form Dean, believes that the rule is fine, and that many students look bad with their attempts at facial hair. Similarly, many students who have found less success growing facial hair have expressed praise towards this restriction on students’ right to self-expression. Max White ‘17 states, “Unshaven high schoolers look scruffy and unclassy. Many jobs make their employees shave so this rule prepares students for life.”
However, several students disagree with this assertion. When asked about this rule Nate Emrick ’17 says in regards to facial hair, “It happens naturally. Hair grows on our face and we can’t stop it from growing. I don’t understand why we have to keep shaving it off only for it to keep growing back.” Shaving can be a drag. With the rules at EA, many students have to shave multiple times a week, which can be unnecessarily time consuming.
Photo Courtesy of Qays Ladha ’16
Likewise, some students feel that their facial health and hygiene is better when they refrain from shaving. “When I grow my facial hair my skin seems to be healthier,” says Will Purtill ‘17. “When I shave more than once a week, I often feel a lot of irritation on my face.” Purtill also believes his significance is enhanced with facial hair, citing how positive it has been for him. “I believe that I look better with a beard. I’ve been told by adults and a few teachers that I look older and more mature.” If a student feels more comfortable in this situation, it seems unfair to deny him this level of comfort. “If I keep it trimmed, it does not look unruly and, therefore, should not be an issue with the dress code.”
Other students say that they feel happy growing facial hair and that it gives them enjoyment. Alex McLaughlin ‘17 says, “My beard allows me to express myself. It gives me a sense of freedom. I take pride in my beard and I personally enjoy growing it. I believe it is unfair to take this freedom and enjoyment away from someone.”
Growing facial hair is a new experience for most high schoolers and it is exciting, fun and memorable. Along with EA’s strict facial hair policy, there have been changes to the dress code that restrict the freedom of dress even more. It brings about the question whether looking “clean” and “respectable” is more important than students’ right of self-expression. One could say it contradicts our school motto, “To be rather than to seem to be”.
Cam VanHoorebeke ‘17 explains, “I have to shave every day to stay within EA’s facial hair policy. It’s a nuisance and costly as I have to constantly purchase new razors.”
We know the School sets rules and the students follow them. Given the many boy students who would like to see the facial rule loosened, perhaps the school could experiment with loosening the rule for a couple of weeks. The school could include guidelines on how, and how often, to trim the beards so they look clean cut. Pending the results of this experiment, the school could end it or extend it.
This is not an unreasonable request. In fact, The Haverford School, our rival, has and continues to allow its students to grow facial hair. This approach might provide a win-win for the school and students. The school would continue to have students who look neat and clean, while the students would have an additional way to express their identities.