School uniforms | Teen Ink

School uniforms

August 27, 2009
By Anonymous

Parents always talk about how If schools had uniforms, everything would be so much eisier. You wouldn't get caught up on looks and would learn the skills you need. I disagree with this, I think that school uniforms would put a restriction on our creativity. We dress the way we do for a certain reason.
Clothes give us expression and the ability to use color and patterns. The first impression we get of people is usually clothes, facial expression and language. If we all wear the same thing we don't get to really see what people are like on the inside. Usually girly girls wear pink and frilly things. Skaters wear baggy pants and goth usually wear black. Clothes don't distract us form learning the studies we need to, it simply lets us inspire our imaginations and lights up our worlds.
putting school uniforms into order would probably make us rebell against it and we would only be able to express our creativity in things like art and music. Because of the current economic situation most art and music programs are being cut from schools because there is simply not eneough money to support them.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 240 comments.


on Apr. 22 2014 at 7:11 am
TanazMasaba GOLD, Dhaka, Other
16 articles 10 photos 214 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's Heaven on Earth."













---William W. Purkey

I used to be in a school where uniforms are required and YES it is a pain sometimes and I honestly can't remember how much I've nagged and complained about it...but now that i don't have to wear a uniform I kinda miss it cause like bum bum said--i have to be more conscious of what Im wearing and how it looks on me now. As for the dirty uniform part--well thats all the more reason to keep your clothes clean right? So basically its also indirectly helping you develop a good habit :)

on Apr. 4 2014 at 11:58 am
katdaffin BRONZE, Houston, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
So it goes. - Vonnegut

I respect your opinion, however, uniforms are not intended to stifle creativity, rather they are intended to erase the class distinctions that they create. For example, if uniforms were not required and students could dress freely, it may become a source of judgment between students. Students who don't "dress right" or wear the same pieces of clothings many times during the week because they HAVE no other clothes would be subject to the judgment and ridicule of other students. Schools aren't trying to oppress you, they're merely trying to make the school environment as stress-free as possible. 

on Mar. 28 2014 at 11:31 pm
izzy_0314 BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Real bands save fans, real fans save bands. -Michael Clifford

That's really interesting actually.

on Mar. 28 2014 at 11:30 pm
izzy_0314 BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Real bands save fans, real fans save bands. -Michael Clifford

I agree with how there are self-expression, however, in today's society, first impressions are mostly based off your clothes/appearance. If you go off stereotypes, uniforms give off the vibe of being rich and snotty. While I don't believe in stereotypes and look past them, I would much rather not give off a vibe to others that is considered a "negative" vibe.

on Mar. 28 2014 at 11:24 pm
izzy_0314 BRONZE, Hartland, Wisconsin
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Real bands save fans, real fans save bands. -Michael Clifford

Haha I usually wear uniforms for Halloween and stuff. Totally agree though.

on Feb. 10 2014 at 9:19 pm
But, what if your uniforms happen to be dirty or not clean much and you have to wear it again tomorrow and the next day without remembering to wash it properly? Wouldn't people judge for it too then?  Always having to be required to wear school uniforms is not really good. Most people don't like it and they complain everytime rather than studying and concentrating and stuff. So, think about it.

Namama36 said...
on Jan. 24 2014 at 1:29 am
Namama36, Summer Looms , Idaho
0 articles 0 photos 35 comments

Favorite Quote:
I am bold, expressive and unique. Nationis Coniunge!

Okay, pleated navy blue, calf length skirt, fitted peter pan collar pigtails, knee high sock and mary janes. Uniforms make me feel a little sexy.

bum bum said...
on Dec. 1 2013 at 9:07 pm
To be honest, I want to be in a school with uniforms. I'm always worried about my clothes and how appropriate I look to other students. I'm always afraid of being judged on what I wear, which makes me spend 30 minutes just to find the right clothes to wear. This has been a huge problem for me, because I don't have much money for clothing.

on Nov. 14 2013 at 1:10 am
jollygreengiant47 BRONZE, Clovis, California
4 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
Gross! -Napoleon Dynamite

And I'm Judy!!-Judy from the Finger legs

While uniforms may restrict some sense of self-expression, I think it can also be very beneficial. Uniforms keep students on a relatively even platform in terms of clothing. There are other ways of self-expression. 

on Oct. 24 2013 at 5:44 pm
InTheAsylum SILVER, Henrico, Virginia
6 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
Writing with a white crayon on white paper is like loving someone who doesn't like you back....It marks but, always invisible

I recently got uniforms at my school and we spend more time complaining to our teachers and peers then actually learning. 

JECD145 said...
on Jul. 8 2013 at 6:04 pm
This may sound weird, but the purpose of school uniforms is actually for safety reasons. God forbid an intruder manages to get into a school and he's wearing a distinct outfit. It will be easier to spot among the students because they'll all be wearing the same thing and the intruder will be the odd one out. I know it sounds dumb, but it's true. At least in NYC it is.

on Jul. 4 2013 at 12:49 pm
DanielleSK BRONZE, Toronto, Other
1 article 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I think a lot, but I don't say much."- Anne Frank

My school wears uniforms, and at first, I really wasn't okay with it. I wanted to be able to dress as I please, not wear the exact same thing everyone else is wearing. But as soon as school started, I realized that it was so much easier to wake up knowing exactly what I was going to wear rather than stay up late, and go through my wardrobe. We are very much able to express our personalities through our clothing, but then again, you have to think about conventionality. Sure, everybody else might be wearing the same thing, but when you're late in the morning and in a rush to get to school, uniforms are the only practical option. Plus, there are other ways to express yourself.

AliMotamedi said...
on May. 18 2013 at 1:32 am
AliMotamedi, Ampang, Other
0 articles 0 photos 21 comments
you are right, the first thing we notice in a person is their clothing. but since we all know this we all dress to impress others, and not our own needs. and there is no creativity when you think something that someone else made looks good on you. it would be creative if you got up and designed your own clothes for the day every morning. Uniforms alow us to see everyone as an equal in a way. this way we have more ways to express ourselves and not be judgmental towards other because of what they are wearing to school!

mz_arewa said...
on Apr. 29 2013 at 4:57 pm
i grew up outside america and i wore uniforms in my high school...and i have been around americans that went to high school without uniforms and the differnce is clear. most of them have identiy problem, they don't know where they belong aand the cool student feel supeior over everyone. but i just have a sense of equality because i grew up believeing everyone has the same rights no one was better than the other. and we are all just privileged to have what we have

on Apr. 1 2013 at 2:24 am
pulledheartstring, San Jose, California
0 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. -- Mahatma Gandhi

I'm fine with both, but I think it's a huge assumption for us to think that skaters wear these kinds of clothes and girly girls wear certain other kinds... For instance there are some people who may be put in situations where they cannot wear the clothes they like due to financial issues, family issues, and much more. I don't think clothes should always define a way a person expresses himself; there are multiple ways than just polishing up appearances to express personal ways. Clothes may be another thing to worry about as some people below have stated as well.

on Mar. 25 2013 at 5:43 pm
iWriteForFood SILVER, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
9 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Logic will get you from point A to point B. Imagination will take you everywhere." ~Albert Einstein

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I see the uniforms argument going both ways. However, on the point of bullying. I go to a private school, and while we don't have uniforms, per se, we do have a fairly strict dress code (shirts with collars, certain colored pants, etc.) We get school pride days most fridays, and dress down days every once in a while. I have gone to the same school for my whole life, and in the 11 years I've been there, it's very rarely that I see someone bullied because of what they wear. Occasionally a comment is made about the appropriateness of an outfit or something like that, but what else do you expect? It's high school.

Westsider said...
on Oct. 11 2012 at 2:35 pm
Life is a lot easier with uniforms. But I do wish that they weren’t so strict on us with all that. We should be allowed to change it up a bit. ive been wearing uniform for 3 years going into 4 years. it has saved me money, well my parents money. We do also get dress downs once in a while so i think t  

on Oct. 11 2012 at 2:30 pm
I agree. Even though it would make it easier to choose what to wear in the morning, you don’t get to be yourself. For example, in my school, we have A LOT of restrictions. We can’t wear different colored undershirts or different shoes. I think it’s just ridiculous and should be able to wear what we want to wear.  

Kittengoo GOLD said...
on Oct. 8 2012 at 12:54 pm
Kittengoo GOLD, Sioux City, Iowa
18 articles 3 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and let life wonder how you did it.

I'm someone who's gone to uniform schools all my life. The school I go to now has a polo shirt and jeans, capris, or khakis of your choice. And I love that. I mean, sure, those polos make every one of us girs look flat chested and every guy flabby, but it's better than having yet ANOTHER stress point in high school. We already have enough of those. And you can express yourself just fine. I do tiger stripes on my eyes some days, or gigantic dangley earrings. I wear 50 jelly bracelets on each arm. I wear animal rings, thigh-high converse, and scarves for belts. Guys don't really get that opportunity, so it stinks for them, but girls have plenty of ways to express themselves. Everybody knows what my style is. Of course, there are schools like my old school, in which the girls had to wear plaid skirts below the knee and polos. If we didn't wear belts-- detention. If we didn't tuck in our shirts-- detention. If we wore sneakers instead of the uniform regulation black leather shoes-- detention. THAT was restrictive. That school would never have let me get the pink streaks in my hair. It all depends on the school. If schools remembered that the only point of a uniform is to keep it modest and remove bullying because of clothes, it would be fine, but some schools become uniform-psychos, and THAT isn't cool.

on Sep. 14 2012 at 7:12 pm
SpecialsForLife BRONZE, Silt, Colorado
2 articles 9 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
Straight Americans need... an education of the heart and soul. They must understand - to begin with - how it can feel to spend years denying your own deepest truths, to sit silently through classes, meals, and church services while people you love toss off remarks that brutalize your soul. ~Bruce Bawer, The Advocate, 28 April 1998

I think the opinion about uniforms goes both ways. The parents like them because there's less bullying. The kids don't because they have to wear the same thing all the time. My school doesn't have uniforms, but we have a VERY strict dress code..