Threads of Power: Fashion, Expression and the Law

Join us for a fascinating exploration of the intersection between fashion, expression and the law!

The Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law is pleased to announce our annual symposium scheduled for March 27, 2026. This year’s symposium is titled, “Threads of Power: Fashion, Expression, and the Law.”

Please join our esteemed panelists as they discuss the powerful intersection between our appearance and the legal systems that regulate, and sometimes suppress, self-expression. From gender identity and dress codes to norms in workplace appearance, fashion is much more than aesthetics—it is a site of identity and regulation.

This symposium brings together an esteemed group of legal scholars, practitioners, and researchers to examine how the law impacts identity and self-expression. Through panels and discussions, participants will consider whose expression is protected, whose is policed, and how the law both reflects and reinforces social norms.

Join us for an important conversation that unravels the legal threads woven into everyday appearance and style.