An article by Grace Chen states “...uniforms stifle a student’s need for self-expression. By denying students the opportunity to fully express their unique personality through the clothing they select, individualism is unable to develop to its fullest capacity.” The quote above means, that because of uniforms, children act more like everyone else, they are all dressed the same. The same article goes on to talk about how it could potentially harm them in the real world, them not knowing how it works. Strict uniform codes, make students less unique and less likely to express themselves.
Many pro dress code arguments do not fully provide all factors affecting changes in violence in the school, violating the integrity of the evidence - like this statement by Sociology Professor David Brunsma, “Uniform policies may indirectly affect school environment and student outcomes by providing a visible and public symbol of commitment to school improvement and reform. They are not the sole factor responsible for the numerous behavioral and academic outcomes attributed to them.” The evidence on school uniforms working is shaky. It is similar to the stress created by uniforms - they could even be counterproductive. It is typical - the stricter the authority, the more rebellious the teenager.
Is Enforcing Dress Codes for Students Beneficial? All people have experienced having a dress code at some point in their life. Whether at school, church or even work, dress codes have been a controversial topic for many people. As far as schools, according to an article by the Eric Education Government, “Opinions abound on what students should wear to class. Some see student dress as a safety issue; others see it as a student-rights issue” (Wendell).
In the article “Appearances are Destructive”, Mark Mathabane states that a good educational system benefits from dress codes. He bases this on his personal experience with his sisters and the research he has done around the states showing that it’s a country-wide problem. What’s the problem exactly? The problem is that according to Mathabane, “Students seem to pay more attention to what’s on their bodies than in their minds.” He means that America by not enforcing dress codes, lets the students turn the school into a competition of who has the better or more expensive clothing.
Dress codes may help but are they overly excessive. Dress codes make attitudes better, and have a better learning environment. They also make students want to learn more than they do. On the other side they are taking away students rights, and do not allow students to express themselves. The dress codes go against the laws of the United States.
The article was published on July 10, 2007, on “The Daily Mail website”. A student’s behavior is related to many different aspect, wearing a uniform can disturb a pupil inside and outside school. Uniforms can reduce bullying especially in school. One of the struggles could be kids that criticize each other because they look different or they dress “terrible”.
In the article, Arguments Against School Uniforms, it says “ policies(dress codes) place limitations on freedom of expression…” This quote explains why most kids think dress codes are living nightmares. When all students look the same, it doesn’t let them express who they really are. Whenever kids wear what they want, they can express their personality through what they wear. On the contrary, the only problem about not having dress codes is that some kids bully each other for what they wear, which is totally unacceptable.
Throughout the years the debate over school dress has been a hot topic, while dress codes are nothing new, they have been a growing issue that past few decades. According to Laura Birkett on the Toronto Star, “For as long as there have been teenagers, there have been adults aghast at their habits... often expressed by their wardrobe” (“Students Protest Dress Codes” IN7). Dress codes pose to have no actual effect on students in today's world. Birkett also explained that with a dress code or without it kids will do what they want and will still, most likely, grow up to me respectable adults in the working class (“Students Protest Dress Codes” IN7). Dress codes have been proven unnecessary and therefore, have no positive benefits for students.
Having a dress code helps students resist peer pressure. “Principals of schools that have uniforms policies in place believe that students stay more disciplined and focused in their studies and feel less peer pressure.” (NAESP). It helps to prevent bullying because lots of kids get bullied by what they wear or what kind of shoes they have. When some students get bullied by what they wear they get peer pressured into wearing stuff and doing stuff there not comfortable with.
There are three major positions on this issue. The first position is that student dress codes are necessary to produce a safe and productive environment for students, which will facilitate high achievement. The second position goes even farther, and says that dress codes should mandate uniforms for all students, claiming that the uniforms will make students focus more while removing concerns about fashion differences that would otherwise harm their self-esteem. Last, there is the position that school uniforms are unnecessary, and that they pose an unfair cost burden to families and restrict students' constitutional rights to free expression. Each side has some evidence in its favor, but ultimately the lack of hard statistics on costs and grading effects from dress codes make it apparent that more research is necessary to figure out what position has the best support for
In the essay, “Schoolwear Association Research Reveals Uniforms Can Be a Powerful Tool,” the printwear and promotion point to a study done by the Schoolwear Association disagrees and points out that having school uniforms will lower bullying caused by where they are from and economic class. They that,”83% of teachers thought "a good school uniform... could prevent bullying based on appearance or economic background. "(Schoolwear Association ). What this means is having school uniforms can lower bullying. While there is some truth to this argument, it is wrong because only teachers think of this and not parents who are the ones who have to pay for uniforms.
Over the years more and more schools are adopting some form of a dress code, these dress codes are often implemented to focus more on education rather than fashion which has led to a lack of creative freedom, it is assumed that boys cannot control themselves, boys dress codes are more lenient than girls dress codes, and so many other problems. All of these problems come from three major issues regarding dress code, which is sexism, dress codes are considered more important than education, and the overall affects dress codes have on students. According to Merriam Webster, dress code is formally or socially imposed standards of dress. Dress codes cause a number of problems in schools throughout the world and all of these problems stem from the fact that school systems use dress codes in order to make the focus more on education. In the end dress codes end up doing quite the opposite.
Dress code is very common in places such as offices, workplaces, and schools. Having a dress code in offices and workplaces isn’t a problem because it makes the workers dress appropriate and represent the company. Although people can argue that dress code in schools does the same thing as workplaces and offices, there is a lot of controversy. Dress code and uniform policies in schools hasn’t always been a problem, because clothing used to be simple and plain. As time has gone on, numbers have been dramatically increasing.
However, for the opposing side students should have the rights to wear clothings to express their inner feelings or their different personalities(2A).” No , students should be allowed to choose clothing in styles that match their personalities. If they are forced to wear uniforms, they can not express themselves”(5C). “Yes, because kids get bullied because of their clothes.
First, by invoking a sense of professionalism, students would learn valuable lessons that are implemented in the working world. Secondly, students would be more inclined to express themselves through other ways not limited to fashion. Finally, dress codes can erase the economic and social differences among students, and invoke a sense of equality. While uniforms in high schools promise many benefits, we should not expect that they are a solution for every problem. However, dress codes in schools can go a long way toward supporting students’ achievement by providing a learning environment that encourages
