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I don't know about other countries, but in Australia students of both Primary and Secondary Schools have to wear uniforms. Some schools are more strict than others, but when it comes to being as petty as wearing the same clothing as everyone else, do you find uniforms redundant? Opressive? Redundantly Opressive? Or necessary?

I've either worn uniforms or had a strict dress code for all my life. I don't think they're that bad! And plus, you get out-of-uniform days!

I mean, you don't change your outfit five times during the course of the morning, you can't be laughed at for what you're wearing, and it's not like you're wearing a nun's habit!

I used to think (back when I just had the strict dress code) that I would never want to wear a uniform because I wouldn't be able to have expression. It's just school...you don't have to wear it to the movies or anything.

Plus, even if the code is strict, you can still add stuff! I've worn hair bows, hoop earrings, all sorts of cool stuff with my uniforms! Heck, I wear high heels most of the time at my current uniform school.

Even when the school gets very strict (I've been there, too), it's not that bad.

I like anticupid16's view on the subject. I never went to a school where uniforms were required, but I don't think it's oppressive to have kids wear them. I mean come on, there have to be other ways to express yourself at school outside of what you have to wear while you're at school. I've never really understood the whole "I'm seriously expressing myself through clothing" thing, because I don't place much importance on clothes outside of making sure they are clean and keep me warm in winter/cool in summer. There are other things I'd rather occupy my time/thoughts with.

Are the uniforms very expensive? I forgot to mention it, but the main reason I don't think uniforms are a good idea is that I've heard they cost a lot of money, and you need more than one pair so you don't have to do laundry every day. When you attend public school and some people cannot even pay a $5 lab donation to have science labs, uniforms would be an impossibility.

@ Satin: I very much agree that a uniform for a choir group or sports team looks very nice, but I think having the whole student body wear the uniform is a little excessive.

@Kailye

Uniforms really aren't that expensive. There are always, and I do mean always, either used uniform stores, sales, or just friendly people in the school willing to sell you cheap used uniforms.

And really, they aren't that hard to grow into if you get them large. You hem the skirt, and you can keep wearing it from fourth to tenth grade (believe me, almost everyone I know has done that).

I'm from a pretty...poor family (nice way to put it sweatdrop ) and believe me, it's not too easy to spend a lot of money on clothes. When I was in non-uniform school, I had to keep going school shopping!
Now that I'm in uniform schools, the uniforms have followed me through my last three growth spurts.

Oh no, I've always had the option of shorts or pants, I just prefer the skirts. And, most of us wear shorts under the skirts. Of course, and the current school I attend, there's "Chapel Wear" which is the skirt, and that's on Tuesdays, but other days we have shorts. Where I live, pants are impractical. Welcome to Hawaii! Haha.

Yep. And when it rains....like it did today....Sioga, you saw that day you walked home with me, haha. I like them, though. They're cuter than some I've had in the past. Actually, what I've discovered is the older the skirt gets, the more you wash it, it gets softer! Haha.