A message board at Care2 posed the question as to whether or not requiring uniforms in public school was a good idea. And I said:
While our youth should certainly be concentrating on scholastics rather than dressing like the latest celeb du jour, I do not believe in requiring uniforms in public school. It might be a good idea to have a dress code requiring basic casual clothes, including no skirts shorter than mid-thigh, no midriff-baring tops, pants that are not filled with holes and that cover the underwear. People should also be reprimanded for making snotty remarks about another's clothing. Not everybody can afford "name brand" fashions.
Conversely, my son attends a small private liberal arts high school. Some of the students come from wealthy families. (ours is not one and he could not attend if it weren't for the kind assistance of his grandparents.) But nobody ostracizes anyone else for not dressing in the latest fashions--in fact most of the students are not concerned with such things. At this school, bullying and harassing others is not tolerated. And I think that is the real difference, not requiring everyone to dress alike. Personally I've always been one to appreciate freedom of expression. Requiring school uniforms in public school seems like moving from one level of conformity to another to me.
Although I have to admit, it would serve the snobs right to take away their feeling of superiority simply because they have expensive clothes.
