Restrictions for "Peace of Mind"

Modern School Uniform

  Dress codes are not uncommon in the world of today, or yesterday either for that matter. Uniforms serve many purposes whether it be to represent a certain set of ideals or to serve as a sort of "gateway" to unifying the group of people who choose to wear "said" clothing.

     In the article Hooters Translates in China, by Craig Simons, it is mentioned that the uniform for the popular restaurant Hooters is used to represent a name and set of ideals. In China, the symbol of Hooters represents the promise of America and the powerful reach of Western civilization in general.

     However, in terms of school uniforms they are used more to uphold and promote the moral standards of society. By mandating that young girls and boys wear age appropriate clothing it promotes a sense of humility and sensibility that a growing number of younger generations without dress codes are missing out on.


Popular Brand = Popular Kids

     In an online article primarily focusing on the pros and cons of school uniforms, it mentions that by applying the dress code policy they are in fact helping the younger generation make lasting relationships based on character and intelligence rather than image and name brands.

     A few pros provided by said website are that overall attendance in school improves. There is a decrease in the peer pressure brought on to wear trendier brands. School uniforms can be recycled and reused. And possibly the most important of all, school intruders can be more easily identified.

Teens with INK

     A few cons provided by the same article states that while there is no pressure to wear expensive brands, a child's creative ability could be subdued in a bad way. However, it also states that a child's individuality will always find a way to shine through, only if there is a dress code then it could possibly lead to more drastic body modifications such as piercings and tattoos. And most importantly (in this case) it could be a bit of a burden on lower income families that have more than one child in a uniform mandated school.


     Although there is no concrete proof that dress code is better than free dress more schools are now beginning to enforce it. USA Today states that "more than half of public schools now enforce dress code." They say there is a sixty percent growth in the requirement for uniforms even though the research on whether or not it encourages a safer growth environment is inconclusive.

   On a personal note, I have attended both a school with as well as without a dress code and have experienced both environments to the fullest extent. I feel that dress code was more helpful in focusing on studies. While there were still kids who brought expensive purses and backpacks to school to showcase to the rest of us it was a pretty similar crowd, all of us dressed almost exactly the same. However, in high school we were allowed to pick our own clothes and that could at times cause a bit of a distraction. Kids were forced to separate into cliques based on how they dressed, and at times it was a little more difficult to socialize with people who I didn't dress similar to. I feel like the use of a dress code gave us all a similar plight to complain to each other about that set us all on the same platform providing us with at least one thing to connect over and expand from. Dress restrictions provided us with a sense of connection that might have been lost otherwise.