mimk6

Blue jeans would create problems from kids who can spend a fortune on them to those who wear them hanging off like gang attire. Blue jeans are a part of the problem in the first place.

HisGraceFillsMe

^You could say the same about any kind of pants. Jeans are just widely worn (because they are generally cheap/comfortable) so you see it more with jeans.

romanigypsyeyes

Plus designer jeans are more available at second hand shops.

Honestly though, I've met very, very few people who legitimately care about your clothing brand. Maybe I've been lucky, but I think that's grossly over-hyped.

midosin

My public school in Delaware is implementing a school uniform for my senior year and onwards. My school is known for not having the brightest or the best students in the district and apparently the new uniform is meant to push the school onwards and upwards. Of course several kids made a big fuss about the uniforms and claimed that the uniforms went against their rights (which is funny as absolutely no kids from the school showed up to the PTSA vote, at least I think it was PTSA). Most likely, next year there will be those who try to organize others to dress against the new dress code in protest and this plan will fail (maybe due to some fearing punishment or some simply forgetting) and the school uniform policy will be stronger than ever. I personally don't like that my school is implementing new uniforms but it will be a relief to not worry about what others think about my clothes. Honestly it isn't really too much of a bother other than the minimal cost involved. I think the fact that no student showed up to the vote to determine whether the new policy should be implimented or not shows that it won't be disputed all that much.

emeraldkity4

I do like school tee shirts on field trips.
As a frequent chaperone, it was hard keeping track of the kids, and having them all in the same brightly colored shirt would have sure simplified things.
Unfortunately, the other parents didn't thinkso.

I also don't think that my D could have tolerated uniforms even if she could have picked out the material.
This was a girl who as a baby couldn't be held when she nursed, couldn't stand cloth diapers or Hanna Andersson clothing. She wore a tank top and vest because she couldn't stand anything on her arms. She wore baggy shorts, because she couldn't stand anything on her legs. She really wanted to play soccer but couldn't tolerate the shin guards, so she dropped it and played basketball instead. ( she did start soccer in 6th gd & wore the same shin guards through highschool)

I also agree that polo shirts are not very flattering to very many people. You have to be pretty slim so that they hang right, but too skinny and that doesn't look good either.

My oldest did wear a uniform during her CityYear.
Furnished by timberland, nice boots & khakis, red or white tees & polos, red jackets.
She only wore it for one year, but absolutely refuses to wear khakis, since.

terenc

Unfortunately, clothing does play a part, in my opinion, in the formation of cliques and social groups. People, and especially teens, don't dress as who they are. they dress as who they want to be.

Accordingly, you will see different styles of dress among different cliques. The hyper-masculine hip-hop group will dress one way, the skaters will dress another way, the geeks will dress one way, the sports guys will dress another way. I actually think that in this sense there is less homogeneity in clothing styles among males than for females.

Uniforms are a crude way of trying to dissolve the boundaries between social groups. Social groups will still exist even if uniforms are implemented. However, they may serve to dissolve some of the visual segregation that goes on.

Because the desire to dress a certain way is typically influenced by the media, advertising, music videos, and peers, being able to dress the way you want does not do anything to actually help "self-expression." Paradoxically, it hurts self-expression. Because now the pressure to dress the way the "cool" or "popular" guys/girls do takes over and only furthers to power that advertising, the media, etc. has over everyone at a school. A teen who sees that all the cool and popular guys are wearing Nike shoes will start to want those shoes too, because they make him look cool, or fly, or have "swag," or whatever other slang word out there.

I recently graduated public high school in an affluent area, by the way.

ucbalumnus

A lot of off-the-rack clothing can be hard to get in a good fit for someone (child or adult) with "unusual" body dimensions (for the target market of the clothing).

eyemamom

My kids have never not worn uniforms. My son swears he'll never wear khakis or polos again. This year he had to wear a blazer and tie. I've always liked them and the new school uniform is actually cute for the girls. They require specific clothes including socks and sperry shoes. They even enforce it, which is the downfall of most public schools. My d admits mornings are much easier. They always have a uniform exchange where you turn in clothes you've outgrown.

abasket

^^^Same. My two oldest went to public high school and had dress codes - both will never wear a polo again!

On the other hand, D2 is attending private school with uniforms. They dumped polls her freshman year in favor of button up striped oxfords which she HATES. she would pay a fee daily to have the option of a polo!

We always want what we don't have.

engineer4life

I have to respond to this post by CuriousJane

I understand what she is saying, but this is not the correct way of saying it. What she is meaning is

It equalizes things in a school with a vast range of expenditures.

Many families with high income do not purchase expensive brand name clothes (some families do), and many families with low income do purchase expensive brand name clothes (some families don't). It all depends on how much that particular family values expensive name brand clothes.

dietz199

Catholic school kid here, K -12th, uniforms all years. DD - Catholic HS with uniforms, K-8th with a 'modesty' dress code. I am still so thankful for the uniform years, as is DD. Both of us had the plaid skirt, but DD had many more choices in tops and also had the option of a uniform sweat pant.

While I was in HS we'd take an annual vote - free dress every Friday, or get rid of the uniforms or, free dress during finals etc. Each and every time the secret ballot was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the uniforms.

DD grade school had a dress code - no bare midriffs on girls, shorts needed to be of a certain length, no baggy pant pants or offensive language on shirts. All was well until middle school, and then it began...can't wear the same thing two days in a row, need to have certain styles, brands etc. Getting dressed in the mornings was an exercise in insecurity. Then, HS and uniforms...3 minutes in the a.m. big decision - wear the skirt or the sweats...all girls so.. no makeup or fluffing. D now will tell you it was such relief and brought a sense of freedom and a lack of anxiety. And, yup, each time the uniform was put up to a vote...overwhelmingly the girls wanted to keep the skirt and sweats.

DS - also at a Catholic HS they have a dress code, no cut offs, no offensive T-shirts, pants have to be the appropriate size for the body upon which they will be draped, no - we do not want to see your undies! They have about a dozen dress up days...collared shirt, tie dress pants and a jacket.

So...here is one big vote in favor of a uniform or dress code. And, for the record, yes, on those dress up days, behavior does magically change...even if only for a few hours until the ties come off, the button down shirts are removed and the underneath tee's are pulled out of the waist band and worn over the dress slacks (p.s. - you can wear your black Converse and get away with it - no dress shoes needed).

Wellspring

There is no question that some parents (and students) welcome uniforms. And in a private school obviously one buys in for a lot of policies, uniforms being just one. I don't welcome uniforms-- as a parent, I don't think they're easier or more convenient. I have never had an argument or even a discussion with either kid about what they should wear or not wear, so uniforms would not solve that problem because it doesn't exist. Both kids went to inner city public high schools and never, to my knowledge, gave a minute's thought to what anyone else was wearing. The original post, I believe, was about uniforms in public schools. Should uniforms be imposed on students in public schools? Well maybe, if they want to wear them or their parents want them to wear them but only if those who don't want to wear them can opt out.

barrons

That defeats the entire purpose. No opting out allowed.

garciac

I think uniforms are good especially with tie kakis and button downs. Our school has that as its dress code and i really believe it make you act and study harder. I do better when im dressed for success rather than in a tee and shorts. I even wear it to my sat and act tests an i am in now way a prepster lol

emeraldkity4

I agree it is a whole new ball of wax concerning uniforms in public schools.
Youngest attended inner city public, no dress code as far as I know. A large contingent of students "redesigned" their clothes, including D, and individual expression was celebrated.
Older d attended secular private school. Also no dress code, although from a few of the outfits perhaps some guidelines would have been in order.

But both schools had pretty successful students, it would be interesting to see if there is correlation between uniforms and students improvement or if other implementations make a larger difference.