School Uniforms: Good Or Bad

School Uniforms: Good or Bad? Kelly Wiles Picture this: walking into a school and seeing that America's youth is not being judged by what they are wearing: whether their style is "cool" or not. "Uniforms are to the suburbs wildly" (Ferrandino, Newsweek). Whether students approve or not, uniforms are spreading across the nation. There are many advantages to this school clothing restraint. They help students as well as parents resist peer pressure. They also prevent gang members from wearing gang accessories on campus. Uniforms even eliminate the distractions of designer wear so students can focus on their work. What more could you ask for? Not only do friends pressure students, but peer pressure also affects parents. For example: Parents feel bad when their children ask them for a shirt they saw somebody else wearing, but they have to say no because they don't have the time and/or money. Then they have to take the guilt. With uniforms, all they have to do is go to a store and grab the color uniform that is required. They don't have to take an hour trying to choose the style or color they want. Uniforms help student who don't own "stylish" clothing. Lots of people are not into the "preppy" look. They are what our generation calls "anti-crombie & fitch." "Maybe some of those people just want to be able to agree on a style that everyone likes" (King, Newsweek). A lot of people can't afford these uniforms. That is why some schools will donate their uniforms. That way, everybody can wear them without a hassle. What about the bigger problems? Gangs.

Uniforms have a great impact on gangs at school. "Uniforms decrease violence and theft" (Hoffman, Time For Kids). Many people ask how they do so. And they say that uniforms are just clothes. Well, lots of people wear clothes with big pockets. Pockets which they could easily slip things that do not belong to them into. Then there is the violence issue. Lets say that a student, Jimmy, decides he is going to wear blue and