The Bermuda Shorts Affair

Commission for Barnard college

About a scandal at Barnard college in 1960, when Barnard’s presidents ruled that students were not allowed to wear Bermuda shorts. The shorts were considered not proper and their reasoning was basically that young women belonged in skirts or dresses.
« If women showed that much skin, the presidents argued, male students would be driven to distraction and the whole community would be turned on its head ». 🙄
This proposed dress code for students ignited of course protest — and the activist spirit — on the Barnard campus. 💪