Do Dress Codes in School Mean Equality?

Gucci. Prada. Polo. Abercrombie. J. Crew. Old Navy. Adidas. Mud. Levi. Arizona. K-mart. There are many different lines of clothing today. To a teenager, what one wears determines their social standing (how "cool" or popular you are). Clothing has been used to depict belonging to a certain social class, gang, or clique. While clothing should not be a distraction, teens may find it difficult to concentrate on schoolwork, sports, and after-school jobs when they are trying to keep up with the latest fashions and to determine what it is they can wear to remain popular for at least one more day. Stricter dress codes and uniforms are a solution to this problem.

Dress codes and uniforms are not an infringement upon the rights of any individual. Rather, they guarantee that the rights of everyone are preserved within a school setting. If everyone dressed similarly or exactly the same there would not be a division between students of the well-dresses, popular people and the not so well-dressed, unpopular people, who are teased. This would also relieve teens of the pressures they face every morning, while trying to get dressed for school. At school, students would be able to concentrate on what was being taught rather than what everyone else is wearing.

While uniforms are the ideal solution, strict dress codes can help. Restrictions on how short a skirt may be, how baggy one's pants are, or whether or not an individual may wear a baseball cap in the classroom, keep speculation and segregation based on clothing low. There is less competition within the classroom allowing the student to learn in a less hostile, more relaxed environment. Dress cosed and uniforms are definitely necessary and beneficial.