School Uniforms vs. Streetwear

Article written by: Angela L. Serrette
Posted on: August 22, 2009

Growing up, we all wanted to feel as if we belonged.  Whether it was family, a school team, close friends, community center, family reunion etc. we like being with those that we have something in common with.   This desire shows in our appearance when we want to dress like others in order to associate with them.  Our choice of attire also expresses what we are influenced by and what our beliefs are.

But at what point should our influences be censored or guided in order to make sure our attention is not distracted?

The idea of school uniforms vs. streetwear for school is an excellent example to discuss.

School uniforms were meant to encourage scholastic unity amongst peers. A sense of “belonging” would be magnified in schools since everyone dressed the same way. Secondly there would be no “wardrobe competition” which would hopefully allow students to focus more on their studies. Is this working in the urban communities? Time will tell.

Streetwear was seen as a fashion distraction and encouraged “appearance competition”. In some cases what you wore was the highlight of the day, not what you learned.

The idea of uniforms was to bring more focus on education and less attention on street fashion.  The concept of bringing the “collegiate type world” into the inner city schools was also an attempt to prepare our youth for the next grade, next steps into college and the workforce.  In regard to clothing expenses, school uniforms were a big savings over streetwear-which changes every season.  

Is the concept good?  Yes.  But having well educated teachers and concerned parents is also a must.  So while our children look more collegiate, we still need teachers with a passion for excellence that have the skills to hold the student’s attention and make them desire to learn more. We still need parents to take an active role in the child’s education and pick up where teachers leave off after school is closed. Changing the student’s appearance and focus away from fashion is the first step.  Excellent educators and proactive parents are the ultimate in a child’s success.

Of course there are plenty of kids who wore street clothes, did well in school and went on to become productive individuals.  Many will argue what the child wears is irrelevant. But there is a deeper concern.  The image the child has of him/herself daily and their focus are key ingredients to their self confidence and self esteem and willingness to stand out from the others-in a positive way.  At the same time it is normal to have a feeling of belonging.  A proper balance is needed.

School uniforms allows an entire student body to look out into the school yard, on a school bus, field trip, lunchroom and see their fellow classmates and magnify the sense of unity on a grander scale.  Getting our kids to focus on education during school hours rather than street fashion is the right direction.

Of course there are also those who will argue there’s nothing wrong with being an individual… which is true providing it is not a distraction to the real purpose of coming to school which is to learn and gain productive skills for the real world.

Think about it.  Is the concept for school uniforms any different than uniforms worn by fire fighters, doctors, nurses, policemen, clergy, professional sports, college team sports, catholic school, crossing guards, etc.?

School uniforms during school hours doesn’t hurt, if anything it helps our children focus less on fashion competition and hopefully focus more on history, math and science.  Of course having elite educators sincerely teaching our children is a must.   After all they are our future.

Of course we can always compromise: The street wear can be left for after school and the weekends-after the homework is done.