Uniforms Understood | Teen Ink

Uniforms Understood MAG

By Anonymous

     When I read “Uniforms Understood” by Katie L., it made me realize how lucky I am to go to a school without uniforms. I would hate to have to look the same as all the kids in my school. I think that my style explains who I am, and if we had to wear a uniform, I would not be able to show that.

I like to express my mood through what I wear. If I wake up and feel like I just want to be comfy, then I wear my favorite sweats. If I feel like it’s my day to shine, I try to look my best. What people wear can say a lot about them, and I think that uniforms take that away. I hope that schools will reconsider the whole uniform idea and realize that many kids do not want them and they should go.


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This article has 11 comments.


ohwhale said...
on Oct. 20 2016 at 1:19 pm
hahahaha that was gr8

on Jan. 8 2014 at 9:55 pm
IfLifeGivesYouLemons PLATINUM, Sacramento, California
37 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment. I told them they didn't understand life

I understand your point, but I do disagree with you. Everything we do is our personality, and if we are forced to change any aspect of ourselves, it is changing who we are.   If I had gone to a uniform school, I likely would have never discovered my passion for historical fashion and sewing, and that would truly be a shame. My clothing defines me, because clothing is what I do. I don't believe that anything should be repressed by other people, whether it be clothing, speech, or anything, because everything about ourselves is who we are. 

on Apr. 24 2011 at 12:45 am
P03tryPunk BRONZE, Delray Beach, Florida
3 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet. -Plato

I've gone to public school without uniforms and now I go to a private school with uniforms...I've got to say I like that I could wear whatever I wanted...Our school uniforms are not comfortable or flattering for girls...our shorts stand up by themseves when you put them on the floor and they make us look like guys...our crotch is several inches below where it actually is...but i do like the fact that I don't have to worry about what I have to wear in the morning but at my school it is hard to express my personality because in my school you can't wear excentric colors and everything ahs to be neat and orderly...we have dress down days (4 days a year) where we buy a pass ($5-$10) and we can wear Basically anything we want...that's when we can see what people are really like...I personally would rather have No Uniforms...because the very definition of the word "uniform" means same...when we're all dressed the same and forced to act the same there is no cuch thing as indivuduality...and in society that is a necessity...as is diversity

Irrelevant said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 2:49 pm
I strongly agree with this. I went to a public school with uniforms for about 6 years. I hated it. I felt uncomfortable. I see the point in uniforms, they eliminate taunting and things like that, but I'd still like to express myself. My mother doesn't like them because you're just duplicating your wardrobe with clothes you'd only wear at school. That part seems...absurd.

on Dec. 13 2010 at 3:55 am
Striping.in.the.rain BRONZE, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky
1 article 6 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I don't heart you, I circle you. Because a heart can break, but a circle goes on forever."

I live on a military installation. I have for three years and we wear a 'uniform' which is just any color polo, khaki, black, or navy no denim or leather pants, and a belt. It's super strict. I'd love to wear actual uniforms like plaid skirts with blazers. The dress code that we have now, we have to go out of our way, buy brand new khakis and polos that we'd only wear to school and nowhere else with money we don't even have, and will out grow by next school year. I always have to wear the same pair of pants to school because we can't afford to buy another pair, and people are starting to notice and I'm really worried. 

So, I both agree and disagree. If we had an actual uniform like they have in most private schools, I wouldn't mind, but if we had a casual dress code, I could add in a little variety with the three jeans and five shirts I own.

But we are just stuck in the middle. Semi-private/public. Our superintendent doesn't care about us. She thinks it will make us more together and have no cliques. But people catagorize themselves anyway they can. You can't help it. 

But with the ugly clothes I own, I think I actually prefer the uniforms. 


Peque said...
on Oct. 21 2010 at 9:36 pm
I go to a school with uniforms, and no matter what, you can always tell a person;s style with it.  There is no such thing as looking alike because we all choose the way the uniforms hang, drape, appear, and our hair, accesories, and make up.

Eirenne said...
on Aug. 25 2010 at 3:49 pm
No disrespect, but I disagree. I have worn uniforms for most of my schooling, but I have also gone to schools without uniforms. I like uniforms better because I think that when everyone's wearing a uniform, we can be defined more by our personality, not just our clothing.

destinee said...
on Mar. 24 2010 at 4:23 pm
I actually disagree. Having worn a school uniform most of my life, I find them quite comfortable and simple. Just recently I joined a public school, and I see clothes often defining people's social status. I didn't see that with uniforms. Also, it saves a lot of time in the morning if you know what you're going to wear everyday.

on Mar. 2 2010 at 7:32 pm
Zazawish777 GOLD, KC, MO, Missouri
16 articles 2 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
life isn't passing me by, it's trying to run me over!

i totally go with you. we have a mood and we want to show it. we should not let uniforms stand in our way!. ans i do not get why we need uniforms what good are they?

on Feb. 8 2010 at 4:33 pm
atue-awesomeness. BRONZE, Nashville, Tennessee
4 articles 0 photos 5 comments
I kind of agree with what you are saying. I know how it feels like to wake up one morning and feel like you want to wear sweat pants all day long. I have had uniforms at my school since my freshmen year in high school. Like many others, I was opposed to wearing school uniforms because I was afraid of blending in and not being able to stand out. But after a few months I realized that many of my peers actually looked more professional in the standard school attire. Even though we had limitations on what we could and could not wear I saw that there were many unique ways to dress up the uniform. I find having the uniform at my school as a positive reinforcement because it trains us for upcoming job professions. Most of my peers will not have the right to choose what they want to wear at work and will have to abide by the dress code guidelines. From my view the dress code has reduced class room disruptions and it has also helped the student body mature.

on Feb. 8 2010 at 6:24 am
KatherineRose SILVER, Philadelphia, Other
9 articles 1 photo 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with

I totally agree. I personally take my sense of style very seriously, and while I find some school uniforms in books or movies completely adorable, uniforms conform people to fit their standards. They dimish creativy for those who are less artistic in other areas, and takes away such a vibrant form of self expression.