Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments School Restrictions on Dress...a Lamentation.

My own observation is that most kids wear uniforms to school even when they're not required. They conform to the dressing norms of their particular social groups. Uniforms just simplify the process.

I think uniforms are a great idea.

We have none in our public schools here, unless it's a "traditional" public school. Since my kids go to a regular public school rather than traditional or private, they've never worn uniforms.

We haven't had any problems so far - DD10 has a fabulous eye for coordinates and is still sensitive enough to want to avoid being inappropriate, and DS8 is pretty laid back and prefers it if I choose his clothes.

Last year a notice came home reminding parents that certain things are unacceptable, such as flip flops, spaghetti straps and exposed midriffs. I think this was from some of the grade 7s "finding their style" lol. This year it doesn't seem to have been a problem.

Ah, if only our outside appearance automatically reflected what is really inside...it would be so much easier a decision at election time, right?


That is just too cute! I suspect she was completely misunderstood and toned things down to fit in. Sad.

Mini Boden has some cool summer tees this year he'd like, I bet.

My boys are going to a middle school next year that requires uniforms. My hipster/long-haired wild child isn't looking forward to it. But I actually think it will help him define himself outside of the clothes he wears. He's incredibly funny and quick-witted, and has a definite hipster teenage vibe (that he's had since 1st grade), but this will force him to convey who he is verbally and intellectually, rather than with the clothes he sometimes uses as props.

Oh, like "The Plastics" in Mean Girls? Good for her.

The hair thing with DS is still in flux. He's just now experimenting with combing "his style", which usually consists of heavily watered down bangs and combed up backside.

Whatever floats your boat, kid.

My daughter dresses in themes, too ( but she's only in K). She'll be a kind of plant with the right colors, etc, or she'll make up some character, or be one of her heroes like Elphaba or someone, but mixed with a different situation for the character.

I appreciate how uniforms simplify things, but I'm mostly fine with a well-enforced dress code (for things like beer tees and vulgar print, which yes I've had to have kids turn inside out) but mostly I think hair and stuff should be free from rules. The idea of forbidding color (like in news stories) is just kind of wacky to me. But then again I'm in California.

I was on a committee at a local high school for a couple of years. The kids at the school had to wear white, black, or grey. Nothing else was (or is) acceptable. This was because two rival gangs in the school had particular color schemes, and stuff could get bad if kids were wearing each group's wrong colors.

Even their shoelaces had to be black, grey, or white.

You clearly are in the wrong (or rather the right) part of California, then.

Gang colors are/were an issue in this part of the state, although our district's dress code has not been made as stringent as the high school Val was involved with.