Between fashion outfit and school uniform

CEBU, Philippines — It’s true that uniform obscures personal identity. It also stifles personal fashion sense. There’s little room for one to visually stand out from the others.

Certain colors that tend to brighten up one’s day will not have the chance to play on one’s outfit. Fashion accessories that may work to enhance one’s look – and, thus, strengthen her self-confidence – will no longer work. In general, uniform makes one look just like the others.

In many schools, even makeup is not allowed on girl students, as well as high heels and too ornate hairstyles. And boys cannot go beyond a certain length of hair, even if just half an inch longer would have made them look like those young TV matinee idols. Footwear is specified down to the very type and color.

The prescription of school uniform is based on several grounds. Its advocates say that uniforms quickly offer a sense of belonging, equality and can aid academic concentration. School authorities believe that “a distinctive uniform is a positive factor in the behavior and academic success of students inside and out of the classroom.”

Perhaps most importantly, a uniform means students don’t have to worry about peer pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same, worrying about what one looks like isn’t so important. There is no competition about being dressed in the latest trend, which could be a financial pressure on students and their parents.

Peer pressure can be a major cause of anxiety for the majority of young people, and a shared dress code can help relieve this. Those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds may not have to feel inferior when all students are dressed in the same way. Uniform is an equalizing factor.

A study conducted in the United Kingdom has found that wearing a uniform removes points of difference between students, thus unifying the student body and providing greater focus for academic work. In fact, many students chose to remain in their uniform outside of school to complete homework, to remain in the working mindset. Curiously, the students’ performance slackens during non-uniform days, because it feels like these are not serious school days.

Wearing a uniform is a badge of pride, creates an identity for a school, and is an important part of being a school student. Beyond one’s school life, uniform shows that one is part of a company or organization. Wearing uniform with pride means that one belongs to a cause bigger than himself or herself.

It’s true that school uniform does not allow students to be their individual selves, as it makes them part of the whole. But it also teaches students to dress smartly and take pride in their appearance. Uniforms help students to prepare for when they leave school and may have to dress smartly or wear a uniform in their professional life.

More than providing a cost-effective and easy method for parents to clothe their schoolchildren from Monday to Friday, school uniform is part of the whole training at school, to make students feel they’re part of a group and have the same rights and responsibilities as their peers.

While a uniform might not be what one would wear in his or her own time, it takes away the pressure of what to wear during the morning rush for the school day. School uniform isn’t primarily meant to be fashionable, it has another purpose – after all, going to school is not a walk on the ramp.