OPPapers.com

School Uniforms

What if you woke up every morning to find your clothes laid out for you? That is what life is like for students who attend schools with mandatory uniforms. High schools in America should not be forced to wear a mandatory uniform, after all is this not the land of the free? Forcing students to wear a uniform restricts that student’s sense of individuality and kills all self-expression.
The world is not made up of one color, smell, or feeling and that is what makes it so beautiful. Each living thing on earth has the ability to express themselves as individuals. Imagine what an eight-hour day of school looks like threw the eyes of students that must wear a uniform to school. Imagine five days a week of eight hour days, floating away in a sea of white shirts and navy pants. Everyone a duplicate of the last. Seems like something from the “Twilight Zone”, doesn’t it?   School uniforms revoke the right to express yourself for students, and some of those students feel forced to find other ways to standout, sometimes including violence. Junior high and high school is a prime time for self-discovery. It is the time in life where students are “trying on” different things. Many students use clothes to show, or prove, their individuality. Teenagers are at an age where they are trying to establish their identity. They might try sports, music, or even join the drama crowd. Naturally, the student would start to hang out with their new friends. They might be influenced by what they are into to dress a certain way. These are all natural ways we get to know ourselves better. These kinds of things will start to etch what we will become someday. It helps us to develop our own sense of style, inside and out. Being able to express who we are is crucial to a student’s mental development.
" …uniforms attempt to force every student into one mold. They see standard dress as another way for public educators to remove student individuality where they should be embracing and celebrating...