this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2023
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[–] thehatfox@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's about time we abandoned school uniforms altogether, it's a burden on both parents and teachers.

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 13 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm in two minds about school uniform. I don't like the concept in general, but in my own personal experience, I was glad we did have it. We didn't have much money, and my mum was really strict about western clothes. I would have been picked on for not having any designer clothes/branded trainers (good old 90s) and wearing Indian clothes.

We didn't have those stupid logo rules though. As long as it was the right colour and we had a school badge attached to the jumper, it was fine.

[–] Lazylazycat@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I grew up poor and I got picked on for wearing baggy, second-hand uniforms. I would have been so much more comfortable in my own clothes.

[–] NotAPenguin@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

School uniforms aren't a thing outside rich people schools here in Denmark.
In all the schools I went to no one gave a shit which brand of clothes you wore and no one was picked on for being poor.

OTOH Denmark has a functioning social security system unlike UK

[–] tal@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Same here in the US -- I can't recall anyone people being picked on for clothes, though I'm sure it must have happened.

People sure did get picked on for other things, though.

[–] Jolan@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Most bully's just find something else to bully you about, if not your clothes it's your hair, if not your hair it's the way you walk etc. Bullying can't be solved by trying to make the victims 'normal'. The problem lies with the bully's not the victims.

[–] Player2@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

An alternative is to just have a more strict dress code (eg black shirt, no logo) rather than specific items sold directly by the school.

[–] Lmaydev@programming.dev 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

The idea is break the class divide so rich people don't have better clothes etc. and also create a sense of belonging. Which I don't totally disagree with.

But due to cost that's exactly what happens as poorer people buy second hand.

I would be happy if each school picked from a selection of colours and then you could buy them from anywhere creating decent competition for sales.

[–] thehatfox@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can't say I've ever seen uniforms do anything to combat the class divide. Better of kids had clean, well fitting uniforms and poorer kids had ill fitting hand-me-downs full of holes. Then there is bags, pencil cases, football boots and all the other bits and bobs that go along with school. If anything it's a just a myth that certain people keep telling themselves to pretend the class divide doesn't matter in education.

[–] Lmaydev@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think really it's to prepare them for wearing a uniform at work more than anything really.

As you say it doesn't really help the class divide at all.

[–] thehatfox@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Which is itself a bit anachronistic now. Dress codes are much more casual in today's workplaces, especially for more modern companies. Even those that do have uniforms are often a lot simpler.

[–] tal@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think that if kids voted on whether to have a uniform, you'd find that very few schools would have one.

I think that the reason that the state doesn't mandate uniforms in general life for adults on the same grounds is because the adults have a say in the matter and wouldn't tolerate it.