Why We Shouldn’t have to have School Uniforms.

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err,”

—Gandhi.

I believe that students should not have to wear uniforms. Uniforms take away our individuality. Confidence is much harder to achieve while wearing a uniform. Wearing them can get distracting during the day. Some schools say uniforms make us united as a school, but I don’t think they do anything but bother students. Simple rules instead of a uniform could easily be put in place.

Instead of having uniforms I believe we should just have simple guidelines as to what we can and can’t wear. Part of being in school is learning to become responsible. How is telling us exactly what to wear teaching us responsibility. We should be able to know how we can and cannot dress without having the privilege completely taken away. Following the guidelines would help to make us responsible because when we get ready to have a career, our clothing will most likely not be completely decided for us. We will have to follow guidelines for that particular company. Having guidelines for how we dress will also help teach us to follow simple directions. With different rules in place we can reclaim our individuality.

When wearing uniforms, it is a struggle to be an individual. Teachers are always saying how important it is to just be ourselves and not worry about what others might think. Having a uniform takes that away from us, and this may lead students to try to find other ways to be different. They might begin to act out so they stick out from the crowd. Without uniforms we can show everyone who we are through our clothes. Opinions shouldn’t be based solely on clothing of course, but clothing is a fun and easy way to show who are. Being different is huge part of being in school and I think we should be able to have the privilege of wearing what we want. It can also give us more confidence.

Confidence is a huge part of life especially for teens. Uniforms look different on everyone. Some people may feel they don’t look good in their school’s uniform. This feeling makes them worry all day long about what everyone else is thinking of them. Having confidence can be of great importance. 

Uniforms can be quite distracting during the day because of all the restrictions. During the day you constantly have to worry about having your shirt tucked in and keeping everything according to code. While worrying about tests you are also constantly worrying about getting caught with uniform violations. After enough uniform violations there will of course be consequences such as a detention. I personally am not always thinking about what I should be, but instead checking my uniform over and over to make sure not to get in trouble. Students have enough stress in their lives; why add more?

A teacher might say it is too distracting to where what you want because everyone will be complimenting each other’s outfit, but it is worth it to have children more comfortable. With so much stress about getting good grades and getting everything done on time, we shouldn’t have to deal with the stress of uniforms. Students already have so many things taken away from them during school hours, individuality and confidence shouldn’t have to be hidden by uniforms. Having a few dress code guidelines is quite an easy fix to these issues. I believe that students should not have to wear uniforms.