Uniforms should be mandatory in schools

Uniforms should be mandatory in schools

Uniforms aren’t just a set of clothes students wear to school every day of their miserable education filled lives. They are so much more than that. They lend a feeling of belonging, of pride – after all, what is an American astronaut without his trademark baggy white suit with its American flag proudly brandished on his left arm? They promote and encourage equality – everyone will have to learn to rock the same outfit – and they allow students to focus more on the education aspect of school rather than the distracting social aspect. This essay will convince you beyond doubt that school uniforms should be mandatory.

School uniforms are the simple and yet immensely effective solution to the vicious social hierarchies in schools caused by differing financial advantages of the student body. By forcing each student to dress equally it effectually levels the playing field. Imagine going to a school where every single student wore something different. The wealthier students would be dressed to the nines, while the more financially disadvantaged students might be clothed in a plainer, less flashy fashion. The wealthier students may begin to discriminate against students who cannot afford what they can, teasing or bullying them as a result of their newfound superiority. When everyone dresses exactly the same, no one can discriminate using clothing as an excuse; it promotes a healthy equality to the student body. The clear cut fact that uniforms enforce equality within the students is strong standing proof that uniforms should be mandatory in schools.

Everybody wants to feel like they belong somewhere, whether it be in the workplace, at home, or in school. Wearing a uniform everyday with the crest of a school logo sewed onto their shirt could be all students need to feel like they belong. When everybody wears the same clothes, with the same logos, it would allow the students to feel proud to be part of a community, a family. Say a student at home was constantly neglected by her unloving, workaholic parents. Donning her uniform every morning for school may be her achingly blissful escape, to the second family that gives her a sense of belonging and pride. If attending school was just a daily routine of being bullied and outcast because of her lack of fashion sense, what would that say for her life expectancy? Uniforms can give students a feeling of community and unity, that they belong somewhere. Who wouldn’t want that? – Which further secures the point that uniforms should be mandatory in schools.

School uniforms give students back the many precious minutes of their lives they lose getting dressed in the morning. Instead of spending ten minutes to pick out what they want to wear to school today, it only takes a minute to throw on their school uniform. For example, say a student woke up late one morning, and in their dilemma for the optimum outfit, they arrived late for class, missing half of a crucial English lesson. This problem would not have occurred had school uniforms been mandatory (uniforms leave little room for wardrobe malfunctions.) In addition, school uniforms not only allow students to save time in the mornings getting dressed, but subconsciously put them in a fresh and ready state of mind to learn. And when the student got to class, they would not be constantly distracted with their tinkling pearl necklace or hanging drawstrings of their hoodie. Students would be of a much more focused temperament, and would find it easier to learn.

Coming to a full revolution, this essay has demonstrated the need for school uniforms to be mandatory. The overarching facts that uniforms bring a sense of belonging and pride, promote and encourage equality, and allow students to focus on the educational aspect of school rather than the social aspects, prove beyond a doubt that uniforms should be mandatory.