When Johan Bavman’s son Viggo was born, so was a deeply personal photograph project: a look at fathers using Sweden’s parental-leave policy—to stay home with their children.

Paid maternal leave（女性产假) around childbirth is common throughout the world: It’s federal policy in 34 or the 35 member nations, such countries as England, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, etc. of the OECD(all but the United States). About two-thirds of those nations also fund at least brief parental leaves for fathers—a benefit first extended by Sweden, in 1974.

Sweden’s program has allowed parents to split 480 days of subsidized（补贴的）leave to care for children and earn bonuses according to how evenly they split the leave. But despite those encouragements, only about 14 percent of Sweden’s fathers “took paternal leave and shared the days equally with their partner,” Bavman says.

He joined the ranks of those dads in 2012 at Viggo’s birth— “I wanted to be at home by myself with him, to get to know his needs” —and is also using leave to stay home with Manfred, born in 2016. In his photo project（now a book）, Bavman shows fathers in Sweden overseeing child and home care. “It’s gone unrecognized that this is really hard, full-time work” he says, and “something that women have always been doing.”

Like most new mothers, Caroline Ihlstrom looked forward to cuddling and feeding her new-borns. But premature（早产的） twins Parisa and Leia were unable to nurse. When Bavman arrived to take photos shortly after the twins’ birth, their father, Samed Kohigoltapeh, had fed them formula（配方奶）and was warming them against his skin. A construction engineer, Kohigoltapeh took joint parental leave with Ihlstrom for the babies’ first four months and then soloed with them for six more months.

So far Bavman has taken photos of 45 fathers on leave. He is happy to offer them as role models “so men can see the benefits of being on leave.” But he’s not satisfied with the nickname some Swedes supply: latte-pappor, or “latte dads,” as if the men perform childcare duties between coffee dates. Though he does drink coffee, Bavman says, “I don’t have time to sit.”

Taking long leaves with his children has made him a better parent, Bavman says. He hopes his photography project will inspire more fathers—and more countries—to give the idea a try.

I’ve been teaching college for many years, long enough to note the steady relaxation of attention in matters of student dress. I’ve long grown used to the tom jeans, flip-flops, shorts in the dead of the Maine winter, and ball caps worn backward. Still, I took note recently when one of my students showed up in pajama bottoms. I couldn’t help stopping him and remarking, “Did you just roll out of bed?”

His response: “Five minutes ago.”

I'm familiar with the school of thought that says that how students dress is irrelevant, so long as they’re learning. I deposit it in the same category as “Grammar and spelling don’t matter, so long as they’re expressing themselves.” Perhaps. But I also wonder about the wisdom of confusing the line between bed and desk. I should think that dressing properly before entering a formal environment, such as a college lecture hall, is a sort of visible reminder to oneself (and one’s teachers) that impressions are important and that we have come together to get down to business.

I smile when I think back on the occasions that my parents associated with needing to look presentable. Once, when I was 11 and my brother 9, my father announced that he was taking us into Manhattan (just a subway ride away) to see the film of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” My brother and I were happy at the prospect, but were soon deflated when my father directed us to put on our best clothes, including jackets and ties. “But why?” I begged, not wanting to change out of my comfortable jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers.

“Because,” he said, “we’re going to New York. Other people would observe and assess us based on our appearance.”

So yes, I’m all for freedom of choice in matters of dress, and yes, I do want my students to be comfortable. But I also want to pay my respects to those students who believe that appearances count.

Though often referred to as a type of men’s formal wear, a tailcoat (燕尾服) is technically a specific kind of formal jacket. Given the name because of the two “tails” that trail below the coat, these jackets have remained in style over a century. 【小题1】

In the early 19th century, tailcoats were made for men who needed to both ride a horse and wear formal dress without it getting in the way. 【小题2】 Nowadays, it is regarded as one of the most elegant, yet somewhat useless articles of clothing. Rarely worn in the 21st century outside of the theater or celebrity or royal circles, tailcoats may never fully go out of style due to their historical significance.

【小题3】 People generally wear tailcoats after 6 pm as evening dress. They may also be worn during the day on some occasions, when tailcoats will serve as “morning dress”, which is equal to evening dress.

The design of tailcoats has much in common. 【小题4】 And from the neck down, it only reaches the waist in the front and on the sides. Besides, there’s typically a space between the bottom of the coat and the top of the trousers meant to show the vest worn beneath the jacket.

Tailcoats are meant to be extremely fitted and are often designed specifically for the wearer to meet every body’s different features. Besides, pockets can be sewn to the inside of the jacket. 【小题5】 And the tailcoat may or may not be buttoned.