Few students attended BYU-Hawaii’s Honor Code Fashion Show in the Aloha Center on Thursday, Mar. 23, but those who did attend said the event proved students can be fashionable and modest.
Sister Robins, director of the show and a senior missionary for the Office of Honor, said, “I was hoping it would be more attended. I thought [the models] were good! I wanted regular, modest clothing [to be displayed], and we got some regular, colorful, and Sunday clothing.”
Mimi Hernandez, a fashion show attendee and junior exercise and sport science major from Illinois, also mentioned her disappointment in the lack of attendance. “I think it went great, but I feel that there could have been more students here. I think it would have been a good thing for students to attend, especially because the dress code is something that a lot of students are getting called out for. It would have been a lot better if they were here to see that,” she said.
Runway model Zara Manukyan, a senior from Armenia studying social work, said, “I think it was so much fun to see people coming and supporting the event and caring about how students can see that clothing can be fashionable and at the same time modest and beautiful.”
Audience members clapped while judges reviewed each of the models, deciding which ones would qualify for top places in predetermined categories. The categories ranged anywhere from “Best Sunday Outfit” to “Most Macho.” Senior Beau Kapeliela, a communications major from Washington, emceed the night, announcing the models’ names and information about their event.
The BYUH Honor Code includes a Dress & Grooming section that outlines specific appearance standards that students and employees must follow. Some standards are specifically assigned to gender – men’s hair must be trimmed above the collar. Other standards apply to athletic or leisure activities. The Honor Code website states, “Dress and grooming should emphasize appropriateness and cleanliness, avoiding any unusual apparel or physical alterations, such as color or style of hair, which bring undue attention to one’s self.”
Manukyan said, “I knew about the Honor Code before I came, so I was so ready and prepared to come and live with what I chose. I stand for it. I love it! It is easy because we have the foundation of the gospel, and I don’t think there is a large difference between modesty and the gospel.”
Before attending the university, students are required to read the Honor Code and sign an agreement saying they’ll live it. The Honor Code is split up into four sections: Academic Honesty, Dress & Grooming, Residential/Daily Living, and Ecclesiastical Endorsement.
Robins said, “When students are doing their endorsements, they are supposed to read the Honor Code. They [sometimes] skip down through it. They should go through it. I think that’s when students can learn the most [about the Honor Code]. We hope students will do what they commit to do when they come to BYU-Hawaii.”
When asked how she tries to live the Honor Code, Hernandez said, “Even though I’m not endowed, I always think, ‘If I was wearing garments right now, would I be able to wear this?’”
Students can find a detailed description of the approved Dress & Grooming guidelines on the official BYUH Honor Code website at honorcode.byuh.edu/content/dressing-grooming.
Writer: Hyram Yarbro