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Should Students Be Required To Wear School Uniforms?

16, Burgess, Emily Clare

By Emily Clare BurgessPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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Should Students Be Required To Wear School Uniforms?
Photo by Phạm Duy Quang on Unsplash

School uniforms are a contentious issue in many schools. Students and many parents disagree with the enforcement of school uniform policies. Arguments in favor of school uniforms are that they lower the rate of bullying and discrimination, save parents money, and promote school spirit. Others argue that uniforms take away the right of self-express, hide more prominent issues, stifle creativity, and cause students to feel punished or singled out (particularly those who happen to be girls or non-binary). On balance, the arguments against school uniforms outweigh those in favor. Accordingly, school uniforms should not be mandatory in schools.

Recent studies show that school uniforms help in preventing bullying. Bullying occurs due to cultural differences of students. Different cultural groups have unique beliefs and values that are not shared with other groups. Socially awkward students feel more comfortable as they blend in with their peers. In addition, school uniforms give students a sense of shared identity with other students at the school.

School uniforms also help in saving parents money since standard uniforms are not as expensive as purchasing different outfits to wear every day. Wearing designer clothes everyday to school is extremely expensive, especially for parents who strain to make money for their children. Clothing can also cause bullying since more unfortunate students get teased because they cannot afford to wear expensive name brand clothing. By wearing uniforms, social status and the bullying of less fortunate students is not as much of an issue.

School uniforms additionally promote school spirit since everyone is wearing the same school colors and can recognize other students from their school, thus inspiring a spirit of unity and school pride. This spirit is evident when students are participating in school activities such as sports and academic competitions outside of school.

Although uniforms could help lower the rate of bullying, they could also take away students’ self-expression and stifle their creativity. If you ask the average child who attends a school with uniforms, you’ll receive statements like this: “I don’t like it because I have to wear the same thing every day” and “You really can’t express yourself when wearing your uniform.” It becomes even worse when students are required to follow a specific uniform code. At the same time, in most schools with uniforms, teachers do not need to follow the uniform policies. This results in students resenting teachers and thinking, ”Why do I need to wear a uniform when my teacher does not?” Also, if a student is unsure of their place on the gender spectrum or is experimenting with different forms of gender presentation, school uniforms can present a real challenge.

Another downside of school uniforms is that they are uncomfortable. They’re often made from canvas materials designed to be tough. Many students complain that they are scratchy and rough on their skin. Therefore, most students don’t want to wear their school uniform clothing unless they are going to school and change immediately once they get home. This means parents have to maintain two sets of clothes for their students, thus adding to the cost. Further, parents of students moving to a new school has to spend a significant amount of money up front to purchase the uniforms. This angers both students and parents because students don’t have a variety of choices on what to wear to school each day.

Another downside to school uniforms is that many parents and students perceive them as sexist. If a uniform requires girls to wear skirts and pants are not allowed, some students and parents may object, thus leading to conflict with the school administration.

School uniforms cause resentment of students towards the school and administration. A majority of students do not want to wear the uniforms, and as a result, behavioral problems around the school occur. If a school has a uniform policy, it generally tries to enforce that policy by monitoring students’ clothing and punishing students for violating uniform requirements.

Even schools that don’t require uniforms may police student clothing that’s deemed too revealing or offensive. Uniforms may add to the attention focused on student dress. This can make students feel that they’re being punished for their appearance. It could have negative effects on student self-esteem. It could also have a negative impact on behavior. And if students are sent home for uniform violations, they will miss valuable learning time. School uniforms, therefore, could cause resentment of students towards the school and administration and should not be mandatory in school.

School uniforms also can act as a concealer for more important issues. There are those who believe that the uniform is meant to try and solve much more significant problems like bullying and school attendance. The clothing that students wear has a small impact and the more important issues should get addressed at a higher notice though, rather than blaming them on on uniforms.

If a school has a uniform policy, it generally tries to enforce that policy by monitoring students’ clothing and punishing students for violating uniform requirements.

Even schools that don’t require uniforms may police student clothing that’s deemed too revealing or offensive. Uniforms may add to the attention focused on student dress. This can make students feel that they’re being punished for their appearance. It could have negative effects on student self-esteem. It could also have a negative impact on behavior. And if students are sent home for uniform violations, they will miss valuable learning time. School uniforms, therefore, could cause resentment of students towards the school and administration and should not be mandatory in school.

School uniforms should not be mandatory in schools because, although they could lower the rate of bullying and discrimination, they also can cause more significant problems such as stifling creativity, and causing students to feel punished or singled out. Because students' self-expression on clothing generally does not disrupt class, uniforms are an inefficient and unnecessary system that requires school officials to be worried about what everyone is wearing. Instead, school officials should only be concerned with clothing that is actually disruptive, such as ones with drug advertisements or other overly inappropriate, showy, or scandalous clothing pieces.

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About the Creator

Emily Clare Burgess

Heyo…just a young girl with big dreams trying to make a difference in the world. Please have a wonderful day!

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