A Piercing Question

By Niko Bernhardt

As students amble around the choir room, Ms. Goh calls on one and gestures towards her ear. Hurriedly, he unfastens his earring and slides it into a pocket within his backpack, saying, “Sorry, I forgot.” 

As the years go by, this occurrence has become more and more common. Male students in Dalat are getting ear piercings more often than they have in the past. Naturally, being high schoolers, they are forgetful and for the most part unintentionally break the rule. However, some students look at the dress code policy and call for change, bringing up the question, why can’t we wear earrings, and how can we get this rule to change? 

As has been the case since the dawn of time, high school students value self-expression. Now more than ever, students are being surrounded by messages supporting and encouraging that pursuit. Because of this, traditions and norms have been altered, and things that were once taboo are being destigmatized. One of the most widespread and quickly accepted changes was men wearing earrings. Throughout history, piercings have held many different meanings, ranging from status, to religion, and even indicating someone’s sexuality. Yet nowadays, earrings on men have become just another accessory, especially in western culture, where only the most conservative will give a second glance. Of course, students are products of their time, and along with that comes the issue. 

When asked about the reasoning behind the dress code policy, current principal Mr. Penland said, “The Dalat earring rule is a policy that was implemented to show respect to our host nation's conservative views on showing affluence and status. Dalat values the mutual respect with our host country.” This statement is one that Dalat students haven’t often heard. Most have assumed that the policy to reflect a traditional view on sexuality or professionalism, which ties into most of their arguments against it. As this statement points out, that’s not the case anymore, if it ever was. As Mr. Penland states, “The sexual connotation is no longer relevant. However, it is still unclear about the comfort level of our host country towards this dress code policy.” When students ask why, they’re quick to judge Dalat as overly conservative, but as it’s shown, it’s a reflection of the value Dalat places on respect. 

Even with the policy’s reasoning, students still ask if this rule can be changed, claiming that Malaysia isn’t as conservative as it was when the rule was established, and that Dalat could let boys wear earrings and maintain good standing. The question of change was also brought up to Mr. Penland, but the chances as they stand don’t look good. 

“Students typically will not see a rule amended by refusing to abide by the current policy. I could see this rule being amended if the minority of students not following the rule, follow it,” Mr. Penland explained. 

Dalat’s PAL is looking into the viability of amending the rule, researching the stigma that Malaysia potentially still carries, but the fact that the rule is being broken often communicates a lack of respect for that rule in the first place. In short, the rule was created for respect, and students can only advocate for change once that same respect is shown.