School Uniforms: Good, Bad, or Ugggleeee?

I never really liked them to be perfectly honest but the overall idea is good. In theory, it makes kids equal and, therefore, not feel upset if someone else in their class wears ridiculously overpriced designer top or whatever.

That's the theory, though. I think it comes down to how well the uniform code is enforced in schools. I just left high school last year and my school was shockingly bad at enforcing it and there were always the groups of "popular" boys and girls who managed to get away with it. Everyone had to wear ties at our school and, believe or not, the "popular" kids would even pick on the kids who who their ties like proper ties, and not like scarves.

So yeah. Imho, good idea but ultimately comes down to how it's enforced.

IAMWRITER said:

Everyone had to wear ties at our school and, believe or not, the "popular" kids would even pick on the kids who who their ties like proper ties, and not like scarves.

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How in the heck do you wear a tie like a scarf?

I like it the way my Episcopal school did it the year before they started requiring uniforms. They set out all the pieces of the uniform and parents got to decide if their kids would wear that or not. You could wear the uniform one day and not the next, for that matter.

It was done as a phase-in towards full uniforms by design, but I like it as a policy itself. In a big school, you'd have enough kids made to wear them that I doubt it would be a sign of popularity or wealth. It depends on the local culture, I'm sure, but I'm familiar with popular kids' or wealthy parents where some are very strict, some aren't, etc. so there'd be a range there.

kuwisdelu said:

How in the heck do you wear a tie like a scarf?

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By not bothering to actually tie the tie, ha! It was actually fairly common to see around the place...

Putputt said:

I went to a Catholic girls school, so we had to wear a uniform. I was okay with it up until my boobs developed, then the uniform suddenly turned into a hideous thing which made me look all squashy and weird. It was just unflattering in so many ways. But the girls who had smaller boobs and had straighter silhouettes looked really good in the uniform, and so there was still judgment going on -- Who wears the uniform best/worst?

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This is what I was trying to say. Putputt said it better.

I'd say that there are both positive and negative aspects for wearing uniforms or not wearing them. I, personally, didn't have to wear uniforms in school and I wouldn't want my children (whenever I have children that is) to wear them either. Fashion (coming from someone that usually wears hoodies) can be a great way to express a person's personality and feel like an individual especially during the teenage years. Although, uniforms can also equalize students at the same time. I'm just glad that I didn't have to wear a uniform (definitely not the skirt and blazer type).

Uniforms do take away from the time wasted in the mornings wondering what to wear, and level the playing field between the social classes. I wish I had five copies of one outfit to wear to work. It is definitely a time-saver.

C.bronco said:

I wish I had five copies of one outfit to wear to work. It is definitely a time-saver.

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This is a solvable problem with a simple solution.

C.bronco said:

Uniforms do take away from the time wasted in the mornings wondering what to wear, and level the playing field between the social classes. I wish I had five copies of one outfit to wear to work. It is definitely a time-saver.

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I loved having a uniform for all of these reasons... I have a work uniform of sorts, but it's still more varied than the beautiful days of having 5 identical white shirts, two skirts or two pairs of trousers to choose from.

And yeah, people wearing uniforms find plenty of other ways to express their individuality.

Our public schools pretty much all have uniforms; individuality doesn't seem to be an issue.

My daughter just started high school, and she's got the blazer, skirt, straw hat, the whole nine yards. School swimsuit, school hair ribbon, school backpack, et al; even a special shirt for drama class. She looks smashing, and while I think she misses nail polish - she's gotten very creative with it - she takes pride in the uniform and what it stands for.

There's a big difference between having to do something and getting to do it. And I don't think there's one answer for everyone either; uniforms might be great for some, in some places, and completely wrong for others.

The same people who complain about school uniforms sometimes spend lots of cash to wear other people's logos - Yankees, Nike, Stussy, whatever. It's all belonging, but it would seem that it's just whose line you're toeing.

I'm pro-uniform. I wore one through high school and loved it. So easy in the morning. My school was strict about it - everyone had to follow the dress code, no exceptions, so I didn't have the "cool kids flaunt the rules" issues that other people have mentioned. Everybody was the same, so what you wore didn't matter - what you thought mattered. Shocking, I know.

My kids have uniforms now, and, as a parent, I still like it. Again, easy in the morning time, and no clothing competition. If they want to "express themselves," they can throw on their play clothes when they get home.

I wore a uniform for my entire school career after the age of 7. I got picked on for my clothes starting in KINDERGARTEN, so I loved uniforms after they were introduced and made mandatory in my state. We couldn't afford too many different clothes, much less the ~fashionable~ kind, so it was a huge relief to not have to worry about wearing the same thing all the time (I feel like this point is getting left out a bit - not just "I don't have name brand clothes" but like "I only own 5 shirts") and having people notice and/or tease me (lord knows I got teased enough for plenty of other things without having yet another item added to the list). It was easy and reassuring to know exactly what I was going to be wearing every day. It kept the wear-and-tear off my nicer clothes or the ones I would want to wear "out" places like the movies with my friends. When I was a teenager and earned a little spending money and wanted to express my sense of style I did it via chokers and bracelets/wristbands and black makeup and dyeing my hair darker. Worked fine.

edit - re: the expense - we bought me a few different shirts and a couple of skirts and a couple of pairs of pants and I wore the same uniform clothes all throughout my time at that particular school. The years when I was still growing, like middle school, we bought them larger and my mom let out the hems and whatnot as I got older and taller.

I used to absolutely hate the idea of school uniforms, but then I started working in public education and I cannot support the idea enough. My school system currently does not have school uniforms, but it should. The dress code is just vague enough that students can push the limits, and its frustrating to constantly tell our male students to tuck in their shirt and take off their hats. For female students, it often comes down to personal judgment as to whether or not what they are wearing is acceptable.

Uniforms would remove any possible ambiguity and minimize disputes between students and staff. It would need to be truly universal (pants and polo shirts for all students, male or female) to truly work, but it would certainly make my day easier.

My daughter isn't in school yet. I'm pretty sure we're going to home school her anyway, but if she did go to school, I would hope it would be a place with a uniform. Just makes everything easier.

Also, I wear a uniform every day, and there are no issues with individuality or anything. Being part of a team doesn't mean you can't be an individual.

KittenEV said:

I'm just glad that I didn't have to wear a uniform (definitely not the skirt and blazer type).

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The blazer is the one item of school uniform I still miss nearly 25 years on. (my second high school didn't have them). They have the most fab and useful pockets. I'd spend all week filling them up so my mum could spend ages at the weekend emptying them

But seriously, when wearing blazer I never lost a key, my glasses, always had a pen to hand etc. As an adult those items now have to go in a handbag which is considerably more of a faff.

Kids wearing uniforms take the problem out of what to wear to school each day. The only negative is the cost, since the parent still has to buy clothes for the child/teen to wear outside of school, and some uniforms can be costly. There's a Catholic school here that has a warm weather uniform, a cold weather uniform, and a gym uniform. And of course you need two of the warm and cold weather uniform sets--one to wear, one to wash.

stormie said:

Kids wearing uniforms take the problem out of what to wear to school each day. The only negative is the cost, since the parent still has to buy clothes for the child/teen to wear outside of school, and some uniforms can be costly. There's a Catholic school here that has a warm weather uniform, a cold weather uniform, and a gym uniform. And of course you need two of the warm and cold weather uniform sets--one to wear, one to wash.

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Yeah, folks having to still buy clothes for the kids to wear when not in school seems like it would be an issue. It sounds like that can make the uniform cost a complete additional cost.

If there are uniforms, I like them to be things available at Goodwill, seriously, and something that could be worn outside of school, too.

And I do hate it when they go so far as to regulate nail polish and silly stuff. That sounds like it's absolutely for conformity and nothing else, imho. I don't think conformity for conformity's sake is a good thing. It has to have other good reasons for me to understand why it's done.

I attended public school from K-12 and never had to wear a uniform. I'm sure I would have initially kicked up some kind of fuss if uniforms had been required ("Gee, Mom...do I hafta?") but probably would have sported the official threads without complaint after that.

Now, hair length is something else entirely. I attended high school in the late 1970s when a large majority of the boys had hair that was shoulder-length or longer -- myself included -- and I would have rebelled against getting a "buzz job" because buzz jobs were just so uncool back then. My hair is currently shoulder-length, so I guess I still sort of think buzz jobs are uncool.

My kids don't have uniforms, but my nephews did from grade 5 up. Plain or blue khakis and a polo in certain colors. Very simple, but totally attainable for many people. Old navy sells the components, new for 5-10/piece. Also, simple enough to find at thrift stores or in hand-me-down bins. I wish we had them in our schools!

We had a strict dress code in my high school. Girls could wear skirts or dresses, or pants with a blazer(no jeans). Boys could wear pants, shirt and a blazer. Girls had it a bit easier.

Sarita said:

My kids don't have uniforms, but my nephews did from grade 5 up. Plain or blue khakis and a polo in certain colors. Very simple, but totally attainable for many people. Old navy sells the components, new for 5-10/piece. Also, simple enough to find at thrift stores or in hand-me-down bins. I wish we had them in our schools!

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That's a better, more affordable way to buy uniforms. But there are schools (like the Catholic school near me) where you must buy through the company they choose and as stated on their website, "NO OTHER brand/style will be permitted." And that includes the shoes.

Oh and I forgot--the gym uniform also consists of special shorts, tee, and hoodie. That's in addition to the warm weather uniform and the cold weather uniform.

It costs in the hundreds for just one child. But then, the parents are paying about $5,000 annually for their child to attend. (That quote is for "assisted tuition.") So I guess if a parent can afford the tuition, they can afford several hundred more for the uniform.

But as I said above, I do like the idea of uniforms, as it takes the daily problem off of the child and the parent of what the child is going to wear each day, as well as the pressure of whose outfit is better.

I wish that my high school would have had a uniforms requirement since I couldn't afford the designer clothes that most of the wealthier kids wore. I was teased for my KMart clothes. It would have been so cool if we had all worn the same thing!

C.bronco said:

We had a strict dress code in my high school. Girls could wear skirts or dresses, or pants with a blazer(no jeans). Boys could wear pants, shirt and a blazer. Girls had it a bit easier.

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I wonder how the boys who wanted to wear skirts and dresses coped?