Throughout
middle school and high school, I was forced to wear a uniform. There were
consequences of violating this uniform code. If a shirt was not tucked in or a
belt was not being worn, one would have to pay a fee or even serve a detention.
It bothered me that the uniforms all had to be bought from the same store which
was obviously more expensive than places like Target or Wall-Mart. I never
particularly enjoyed wearing a uniform because it was uncomfortable and
everyone looked the same, yet at the same time it was easier to wake up every
day knowing what to wear. Enforcing a uniform is a way of silencing anyone from
standing out and looking different. I would not have viewed it as silencing if
everyone could buy their uniform from anywhere and if there were no
consequences of forgetting to tuck in your shirt.
I do not think silencing creativity of choice
of clothing is anywhere as severe as silencing a person’s tongue or ideas, but
it definitely has become a common debate. Anywhere creativity of anything is being
held back, people feel like they do not have control and they feel silenced.
There was one day where I had to pay $10 for forgetting to tuck in my shirt
after a gym class. They did not give me warnings or give me a chance to
explain. I was silenced. Uniforms have become very common for many schools,
where students are silenced from creativity and forced to deal with it.
Ten dollars for forgetting to tuck your shirt in!? That's crazy. My high school and elementary schools had dress codes as well, but it was nowhere near as punitive as yours. I can only imagine how badly they would have fined the class clown who never tucked his shirt in.
ReplyDeleteOn the opposite side of silencing, I think that while clothes can be a form of expression, making a uniform can allow not the clothes to speak for the student, but instead their actions and words. In some cases it can help kids feel good about belonging to a group.
Danielle, I also had to wear a uniform all the way up until college. Personally I didn't mind it, because it just meant not having to think about what to wear to class, but I can completely understand your argument. At my high school there used to be fines for not complying with the uniform code, but some students who didn't care about the money basically just paid everyday to be out of uniform, so the administration changed the punishment. The only really good argument I've heard for uniforms is that in some inner-city areas students would find ways around the rules to dress to indicate that they were in a certain gang. When wearing a uniform prevents things like this, I would argue that it is an appropriate form of silencing.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought about this until you mentioned it now. I like your opinion about wearing uniform. I actually like to wear uniform though. Just like you said, it makes everyone the same, no matter of the origin, culture, and color. Everyone is known as one united family.
ReplyDeleteIn your instance it definitely seems like the uniforms are used to silence student because of the strictness employed in your school. I had a uniform most of my life and everyone was fairly lenient or they would just nicely tell you to stop your undershirt from showing or take of you sweatshirt. The benefit of having a uniform is still there in that it brings more equality and student do not have to worry about who is more fashionable.
ReplyDeleteMy entire family, except for my brother, sister and me, went to the private school in our hometown. They all had to wear uniforms, but I never had to. They hated it also because they would have to pay the same fines and serve detentions if something was wrong with the way they dressed or if they were even chewing gum!! I understand the concept of choosing to wear uniforms, but there is little kids can do now to show their individuality. Therefore, as long as safety isn't an issue with what people wear, I say forget the uniforms!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I would have never thought that wearing uniforms was another way of being silent and not having the right to speak! Great interpretation! This blog was definitely interesting and I enjoyed it.
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