Comformity, Uniformity...

In one of my earlier posts about ridicule and self-esteem, a question was raised in the comments section about school uniforms, so I would like to address that topic now.

Personally, I am against the idea of school uniforms. I understand the benefit of helping children who do not have as much money or traditional fashion sense to appear like the other children and avoid ridicule, but I do not think that this positive outweighs the negative aspects. Firstly, I truly think that fashion helps people express who they are; each decision about an article of clothing that a person puts on is made by choice, and the composite is that person’s way of introducing themselves to the world that day. Although many people overlook the importance of this on a daily basis, it is an important process for a person to go through, and it can be a very creative and freeing experience even if the person does not think about it too in depth. Secondly, from personal experience I think that any ridicule that a person may receive can often help them to grow as a person. Learning to channel that negative energy from an outside source into positive energy within yourself is an important life lesson, and it can make people stronger than they were before. It may be difficult at the time for a child to understand this—I know it was for me at the time (see my post entitled “…And Who Hurt You?”)—but ultimately the experience can help them to learn that it doesn’t really matter what other people think about them as long as they feel good about themselves. This type of confidence is an important thing to have in life, and if clothing can help students to get to that point in any way at all, it should not be restricted in a school setting.

Although I do not agree with the concept of school uniforms, I do believe every elementary and high school institutions should uphold a certain dress code. Some things, like hats or midriff-baring shirts, are simply inappropriate for school and could easily cause distractions among other students. But ultimately, I believe that using your clothing to express who you are is an important process at this age, since this is precisely when people start to become individuals and find their own stride in life. I don’t see any real benefit from restricting people’s personal style. Uniforms make everyone look the same, but people are definitely not all the same, so they should get to express this through their clothing.