School Uniforms Revisited

The only school uniform that was cool

 Having studied at a convent school for the 10 formative years of my life, I can confirm one assumption that most people have about us: WE’RE PRETTY UPTIGHT. Sufficiently oiled, neatly braided, black ribboned, cotton hair-band held hair; striped ankle-length socks in  buckled leather shoes and a blue pinafore plus collar buttoned-shirt (minus the tie because they have become ‘dangerous’ these days) were very much a part of my school uniform. Oh, and uniform didn’t just come with an impeccably long list of do’s but also an equally large numbers of don’ts. For instance: no piercings, no hair color,  no fancy hairstyles, no wrist watch, no long/painted nails, no makeup (not even the lip balm!), no henna-decorated palms, no flashy jewellery, no, no, NO!

However, what I also remember from these days of draconian rule is how I had my ears pierced thrice because each time I got it done, some teacher would catch hold of me and have the small, simple looking diamond stud adorning the ‘unconventional’ part of my upper earlobe removed.

The unreasonable, imposing authority of school management versus rebellion of the free-spirited, young minds: isn’t this the classic battle that most of us faced during the good old school days? This is particularly true when uniforms coincide with teenage.

According to psychologist Erik Erikson’s 8 stage theory of psychosocial development, adolescence is the time period in which most of us experience identity crisis—we want to find out who we truly are as an individual and announce it to the world. One important means through which we express ourselves to others is through clothing; after all, we are what we wear! Although not the Holy Grail of identity establishment, my attire can speak a million stories. It is a powerful means of stating the beliefs I uphold, the social groups I belong to, the goals I’ve set for myself, the interests I would like to pursue, the economic background I come from—in short, it says WHO I AM: introverted, extroverted, artistic, entrepreneurial, athletic, nerd, jock, fashionista or any of the innumerable adjectives I relate to! And school uniforms suppress this avenue of self expression.

A newspaper clipping from DNA dated 05/07/18.
The diktat was withdrawn a day after it was slammed across media.

Recently, MIT associated Vishwashanti Gurukul School of Pune, India issued guidelines asking its female students to wear only beige or white innerwear so that they don’t become a target of the school boys’ unsavory comments. This being outrageous and incorrect at several levels, also shows how restrained self expression can sometimes escalate to invasion of privacy in the name of school uniform.

It is often held that school uniforms instill a sense of professionalism and are meant to teach dressing etiquettes to children. However, a counter question that I raise is, can’t we learn this through trial and error as well? One might argue that there are other arenas outside the school where we are free to dress as we will. But, stop. Take a step back to reflect on how far that is true. We are first babied by our parents, then by our uniforms, later by the “everything, but...” of colleges and finally by the work-place-work-wear rules. Amidst all this, you may point out that you can still choose your outfit in your personal time in personal space.

However,

☝Question 1: Don’t we spend maximum time of our day moving through these dress-coded spaces?

✌Question 2: Isn’t our attire in public spaces too governed by unspoken cultural rules? For instance, how many heads turn around when we girls step out wearing shorts on a normal sunny day?

👌Question 3: Then, where is the choice really?

In one chapter of her book ‘The Art of Choosing’, Sheena Iyenger reiterates the story of her husband to underscore how we are all wary of being copycats. In 2009 when Apple released its iPhone 3, the whole of America was lined outside the official stores to buy this piece of brilliant technology. Her husband was hell bent on buying the black model because it would get less dirty but ended up buying the white one at the last minute. Why? All the people he knew were going to buy the black one and so he couldn’t simply be a copycat, even if it meant doing away with the utility purpose of the purchased product! Our instinct of being uniquely different from others is inherent. Relating this to our topic at hand, don’t you think that when schools force us to become a part of the homogenous blob of blue/red uniforms, they unknowingly appeal to our aversion to this copycat culture thereby defeating the utilitarian purpose of uniforms to bring in equality?

A strong argument on the pro-uniform side is that uniforms help sow school-pride and neatly erase the rich-poor divide. They essentially aim to create impartial school climate and prevent unnecessary distraction during the learning process. However, some psychologists are worried that school uniforms might lead to in-group favoritism. That is to say, while school uniforms may foster a sense of belongingness on the school grounds, they might lead to rivalry with students clad in other school uniforms who might be perceived as outsiders. Thus, we are to question whether the idea of creating an equally accepting atmosphere is to be limited within school premises only or are students to be taught to carry this ideal to the outside world too?

Also, we need to understand the difference between being authoritarian and authoritative. Authoritarian is when discipline is achieved through power and coercion that demands blind obedience whereas authoritative is when discipline is achieved through consistently strict acts with their purpose being explained. Most often than not, the school uniform policies tend to be authoritarian than otherwise. The problematic tussles surrounding this issue stem more from the teacher-student conflicts that ensue from teachers constantly policing stray hair surrounding the face and uniform hem not reaching the knees than from being asked to wear the uniform itself.

We like to believe that all of this ultimately affects students at a psychological level whereby they helplessly learn to hang their heads low into a “yes-ma’am” culture, suffer a blow at their self-confidence, stifle their uniqueness, simply follow the herd and over-conform. However, there is no concrete research evidence to support the same yet.

Besides, even though freedom of expression comes with its shining appeal, we need to understand that when you choose to wear ripped jeans to school because it signifies that you’re in your own skin, you can become a target of judgment and wrath of others. Very often in schools that are dress code-free, children are known to be bullied for how they look. You’re expected to meet the trending fashion norms irrespective of your comfort and preferences. Barack Obama has confessed to having a wardrobe full of gray and blue suits only so that he doesn’t have to spend time deciding what to wear. Research shows that making such trivial day to day decisions can also degrade our capacity to make bigger, important decisions.  Then again, we are forced to question, aren’t we better off in uniforms itself? In uniforms, you’re taught to value what is on the inside than on the outside. But the sad truth is that we are never fully accepted for the talents and beliefs that define our inner sense of being either.

Where does that leave us with the issue of uniforms? According to me, we are caught in a circular debate about whether school uniforms are good or bad without a definitive end.

What is YOUR say?