Many schools, at this this time, require their students to wear a standard uniform. Schools claim that uniforms make every student equal. But, what schools aren’t taking in to consideration is the large amount of students who want to be looked at as an individual. Wearing clothes that fit their style and personality can do just that.

First of all, everyone has their own style, that unique look that not many people can replicate. Many students find their clothing and accessories are a way to express their style and personality. Especially when you are younger you want everyone to know who you are and what you are all about. When everyone is wearing the same thing you can’t tell anything about one individual. It also gives students the impression that they do not have the right of self expression and the right to be themselves. Think to yourself, what if every painting was the same, the same design and colors, at first it would be interesting, but once you saw that same painting over and over, it would no longer be interesting and you wouldn’t want to further pursue this painting. This is what many students think of when they see others that they may not know, but because there is no sense of individuality, they may not be draw to get to know the person. As you can see, clothing and style can be a conversation starter and make someone drawn to another. For an example, a girl could have a certain style that another girl has and is drawn to, or a boy might wear a sports team shirt, if another person liked that sports team they could begin to have a conversation and end up friends.

Wearing uniforms can also hurt one’s self image. Almost all uniforms aren’t made with all body types in mind. But, they are chosen for all students to wear. Even though each student looks and is built differently. Everyone knows what kind of things look good on their body, and obviously, they would own those things and wear them so that they don’t look bad. For some, ill fitting clothing doesn’t affect them at all, but for others it may make them look at their bodies in a negative way. For example, some may think that their uniform pants make their legs look fat, or their shirts make them look frumpy. This would make them feel negatively about what they look like and would eventually cause them to have a bad self image. If they were allowed to wear something of their own that they thought made them look good, this would totally prevent bad self image and actually improve their confidence and self steam.

Others think that uniforms are a must have because of the effects they have on the students. For example, uniform keeps students from dressing provocatively, which can be a big distraction for other students when they are trying to get work done and learning. Also some students might wear shirts that promote drinking, smoking, drugs, and many other things that could affect them and other students negatively. If these issues were starting to be become a big problem, the school could just create a dress code for their uniforms, banning everything that is causing the teachers and other students a problem.

As you can see, not having a uniform allows students to show their individuality through clothes and also creates a great way for them to meet and befriend others. It also promotes self confidence and a great self image. Others might say that not wearing uniforms effects the students negatively, but these problems could easily be fixed.