School and Oppression?

[Pandora Inkheart]

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?

 

[Tsiklop]

I find your text a bit hard to read.

 

[super_squirrel_sasori]

i dont like uniforms! i can't be myself......

 

[Kaiyle Brightblade]

Please use a different color.

I've never worn a uniform, but I don't think they are necessary. Let kids express themselves harmlessly through fashion so they don't find more shocking ways to try to "stand out" or get back at their parents.  

[anticupid16]

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.  

[Amarah Couture]

I think uniforms are a bad thing. People need to be able to express themselves through clothes, unless they're just going to be hurting someone or how/who someone is. (example- racist shirts)
I think a dress code should be mandatory, and watched, but not over the top.

 

[cajunvoodoo]

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.  

[Azusanga]

I <3 uniforms. I wrote my persuasive essay for English on why our school should get uniforms.

As Burn Notice pointed out: People look alike because they signify power. The more people dress alike, the more are in that band. If you have a large enough group of people in red shirts and black pants with gold headbands, you're more likely to be warned and wary of that group.

It also looks better in a group photo.
~~
For our choir, our required dress for concerts is white on top, black on bottom. In these uniforms, we look like an impressive group of people. In 3rd&4th grade, when we could dress as we wished? Just a mass of people on the risers. Not organized, but just a random mass.  

[Kaiyle Brightblade]

anticupid16

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.

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.  

[5HUE0GHXZ]

It's a method of discipline. As a child, you need to be brainwashed into thinking that what you do is a reflection of not just yourself but the part of society that you belong to as well. You need to be taught that there are certain rules that you will be forced to follow to fit into society, even if it's something as simple as a proper dress code. From a more practical point of view, wearing a uniform says that you are part of a group. It's like a pass or a ticket for entry, as well as an identifier when you're outside of school. Military uniforms, emergency services uniforms (police, fire-fighters), sports team jerseys, choirs, and even something like business suits follow the same philosophy too.

This is just one way of looking at it; there are a lot of other reasons for them too. If you think that they're so oppressive, just be glad you don't live in North Korea.

 

[anticupid16]

@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.  

[Kaiyle Brightblade]

Okay, thats pretty cool. Do all girls have to wear a skirt? All throughout school I took great pride in being a masculine girl, and found skirts to be very impractical. I would have refused to wear a skirt, no matter how much trouble I got in. I think there should be an option for girls to wear pants or shorts.  

[anticupid16]

Kaiyle Brightblade

Okay, thats pretty cool. Do all girls have to wear a skirt? All throughout school I took great pride in being a masculine girl, and found skirts to be very impractical. I would have refused to wear a skirt, no matter how much trouble I got in. I think there should be an option for girls to wear pants or shorts.

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.  

[Sioga]

I kind of like uniforms, but of course, I have been wearing them my entire school life. Private school all the way for my family.

But like anticupid16 said, my family isn't that rich, and so I only get new clothes when I really need them. Heck, if I cleaned out all the clothes that I have that don't fit me anymore, I wouldn't have enough outfits to get me through the week!

I don't mind the skirt, I just wish that it wasn't that irritating fabric that it always is. The shirts are irritating too. I would like it better if they had them made in a more comfortable fabric.  

[anticupid16]

Sioga

I kind of like uniforms, but of course, I have been wearing them my entire school life. Private school all the way for my family.

But like anticupid16 said, my family isn't that rich, and so I only get new clothes when I really need them. Heck, if I cleaned out all the clothes that I have that don't fit me anymore, I wouldn't have enough outfits to get me through the week!

I don't mind the skirt, I just wish that it wasn't that irritating fabric that it always is. The shirts are irritating too. I would like it better if they had them made in a more comfortable fabric.

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.