There is a huge debate in today’s world regarding the requirement to wear school uniforms. People who favor the idea believe that it shows that everyone is equal, or it shows how professional the school is. People also like the idea because then you do not have to worry about dress code. But we need to focus on the opposite side. School uniforms do show strong attributes, but what about students wearing clothing of their own choice? When students get to choose their own outfits, it gives them the opportunity to live under their own rules and experience some freedom of their own. Having school uniforms will just put more pressure on top of the kids, cause them to spend more money, and it will drive the student’s crazy having to live under more rules. Giving the students the opportunity to choose their own style, while under dress code rules, will teach the students the choices they have to make when wearing clothes to school.

Discipline and bullying are not good excuses for imposing uniforms onto a student body and hindering their expressiveness and creation of their personal identities. Many students will agree that school dress code enforces discipline without stifling creativity and encouraging conformity. Putting each student in a uniform only encourages their mind to fall into the trap of believing they must be like every other person around them. Persuading children that the only way for discipline to be enforced and bullying to end is to be exactly the same is unhealthy. Even with uniforms, bullying would not and will not decrease. The bullying would only focus on insecurities of the receiver of the bullying. Each person fills out a uniform differently and could therefore be detrimental on a child’s confidence. Uniforms do not fix the problem of bullying, just hides it and turns it into something else. If bullying needs to be fixed, the focus should be on the root of the problem. Children need to learn how to make their own decisions and this will not happen if the only thing being promoted to them is conformity. They will not be able to mature and grow as individuals if they are not given responsibilities such as their choice in clothing every single day at school. As children feel trapped in their clothing in a place they are required to go to, mentalities will worsen and grades will plummet.

Not only does the implementation of school uniforms promote conformity rather than individual expression, it is also economically detrimental. While some may think that school uniforms equalize students in impoverished neighborhoods by creating a standard wardrobe, they fail to recognize the cost of uniforms. In many areas around the country, especially in the more economically challenged areas, parents depend on free public school and can not afford to pay for extra fees such as school uniforms. In one study by the Children's Commision on Poverty, it was reported that “95% of parents on low incomes reported difficulties meeting school-related costs,” such as school uniforms. Uniforms add a financial stress to both themselves and their children. The result of this can lead to financial trouble and a lack of motivation to attend school. In addition to this, the entire purpose of making students feel more economically equal by having everyone dress the same is actually hypocritical in itself. By having required uniforms in poorer neighborhoods, the socio-economic divisions among neighborhoods are emphasized. Also, by having uniforms a person will still be able to see the difference between a new uniform and an older more worn out one. In other words, some families will be able to buy new uniforms for their children while others will not. This distinction between a crisp new uniform and an old tattered one will be easy to tell. The result is a feeling of embarrassment in some students, thus the goal of making students feel equal by having everyone dress the same is defeated because not everyone will be dressed “equally.”

School uniforms are a big debate in today’s society which won’t go away completely as much as everyone tries. Although allowing students to have some freedom in their choices will benefit everyone, having students wear uniforms for “stopping bullying”, being “cheaper” and “conformity” still won’t be able to completely stop the problems they are trying to address.  Reducing individuality with uniforms will, if anything, have the student rebel more to have some type of voice, dig deeper into a child’s insecurities by the way they wear their uniform, or how kept it is. Students being able to dress the way they want, with some rules still put in place, would make more sense.  Having some limits on styles, to help families with low incomes be able to express uniqueness while limiting expenses, would make sense.   Not requiring uniforms would allow students to not think that they have to be like everyone else but rather be themselves in an ever-changing society.  For all these reasons I believe requiring school uniforms is not the correct direction for schools to take.