By N. Morah
Most students genuinely despise school uniforms and dress codes. School dress codes can be difficult, unnecessary and unfair. School uniforms are boring, uncomfortable, and ugly. This year, students all across America have protested their school’s dress codes and uniforms into extinction, and for good reason. Why should we, as students, be policed on the clothes we wear in the environment we spend the most time in? School is basically a second home, attendance is mandatory, and we’re not getting paid to be here. We should be able to dress as we feel comfortable.
School dress codes, I feel, are insanely outdated. We as students should be able to be comfortable in our learning environment. Many officials say the reasons for dress codes are safety and focus, but this argument simply doesn’t make sense. Safety does not ride on a crop-top. As for focus, it feels as if that’s deeply rooted in the over-sexualization of basic clothing. There’s nothing inherently distracting about ripped jeans or tank tops and that is what kids our age wear all the time so it’s nothing new or surprising. We come to the same place every day for eight hours and, for the majority of that time, we sit in lectures wearing uncomfortable uniforms, being observed by adults that are being paid to make sure we take in as much information as we can in the safest environment possible. Wouldn’t our learning benefit from a more comfortable environment?
Another fellow student at Sci High, A. Wheat, said this about dress codes: “I feel like the dress code is outdated. A lot of the things we wear every day are not allowed in school. Having an appropriate length shirt or shorts is understandable because we do understand we are in school. However, we’ve seen each other in these clothes that are banned from school, with our families, and even in church. I also feel like it is specifically directed towards females because we aren’t allowed to wear things such as shorts and tank tops while the boys can wear close to whatever they want. We would like to be able to dress comfortably and not have to go shopping just because the school is having a dress down. We want to be a part of school spirit without it costing us.”
A great thing she touches on, and which has been dissected for a long time, is the presentation bias there is when it comes to the dress code. People who normally present themselves in a more stereotypically feminine way are given a harder time when it comes to dress codes. Many of the things in the “Womens’” section in clothing stores are against most school dress codes. Imagine being given a school spirit week, a full week with the opportunity to dress down and have fun after a very unfortunate school year, just to find out that nothing in your closet is school appropriate according to the school dress code. Imagine having to buy clothes just to enjoy school activities.
We are still human beings, young adults, trying to figure out who we are and where we fit in in the world. One of the first ways you learn to express yourself is through clothes. The last couple of years that we’ve had to live through have genuinely tired everyone out, as if school itself wasn’t tiring enough. We’ve had to get used to virtual learning, live through a pandemic, live through what was basically a civil rights movement, evacuate for a hurricane mid-first semester, and we’ve lost a lot of our breaks. We are tired, yet still expected to perform at 100%, to get good grades, and to worry about college and jobs. Right now, wearing a nice outfit to school and being able to fully express yourself is close to the only motivation we have left. Creativity and individuality are extremely important in today’s society and it is often neglected area. Some schools don’t even allow students to have colored hair, ‘dramatic’ makeup, or facial piercings. The few things that set us apart from each other, like speech, style, taste, and ideas are washed away. These things, especially now, are things that we should embrace and encourage. There are great minds in these high schools. Minds that could create the answer to climate change. While we’re still developing and learning, we should be able to express ourselves as much as possible.
The elimination of school uniforms would also increase social capacity. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress. It would be a lot easier to make long-lasting friendships with people in school by recognizing a character on their t-shirt. A more laid-back environment would encourage kids to communicate more and participate in class as well. That first Friday Sci High had dress down, I felt something different and my friends felt it too. It was extremely nice to see everyone comfortable in their clothes. That day was easy compared to all the others – not because of a lightened workload, but because the people around me were comfortable. I doubt we’ll ditch uniforms or dress codes completely, but after the couple of years we’ve had, I definitely think dressing down more often or a less strict dress code is deserved.
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