Oh. Oh good, School Uniforms. I don't really see the problem with those.

I don't either, I think they serve a good purpose.

It saves mental energy and builda discipline imo

I completely agree. It's one thing a kid doesn't have to think about, they just do.

Nothing wrong with a school uniform.

I don't think there's anything wrong with them, either.

I went to Catholic school for years. My only gripe is that uniform stores can be fifedoms of their own and used to upcharge a lot.

Ah! Yes, I didn't think about that. Honestly, in New York, there were a number of places that sold school uniforms. The prices were competitive so they couldn't price gouge. But, I can definitely see it being ridiculous having to spend a lot of money on an outfit that the school mandates.

My worry is always about the cost of the uniforms. If the uniforms are cheap and not breaking the bank, it's alright.

Luckily in New York, lots of different places sell school uniforms, so they're pretty reasonable, thankfully. But yeah, that could be a deal breaker if they were being sold at astronomical prices.

It's like boy scouts and girl scouts too, the uniform makes them part of a group, maybe some tribalism going there, but at least they are part of something, and you are right, if everyone dresses the same, you look for other things that make people unique, like their personality

Exactly! I was in the Girl Scouts and you're right, when we all wore our uniforms, it made us feel like we were a part of a team. We got to know each other personably, too. Without prejudgments, we had to ask questions and get to know the girl beneath the sash. ^_^

Sounds like a good time ^^

Well, if you discount the sailor scout fetishes, et cetera...

And next week we will see your entire female cast in school uniforms.

Why wait? https://www.furaffinity.net/search/.....lmm+schoolgirl

Sweet! I'm not the only one who has figured out compound queries (they parse like some old database calls). I was a little surprised to see Loona in there but no bad...

*shakes head*

Well fortunately in Japan, the actual uniform for girls is nothing like the one you see all too often in anime.

I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed...

Its easy to find photos of young women in those outfits you fine in anime, but those are all models posing for the fetish, the actual uniforms are much more conservative, which for me is a good thing since they are all just teens.

(nodnods) Understandable.

I agree with one small restriction. A former girlfriend went to Catholic school; The entire uniform required dry cleaning. It seemed the clothes practically dissolved in water (50+ years ago)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0zEX8h17eA

Oh, that's just ridiculous! At that point, they should have been paying the students to represent the school by wearing those water-soluble clothes.

Hee, hee! The uniforms were supplied out of a... dry cleaning establishment...

...you've got to be kidding me!! 0_o;

Nope! Like I said, 50+ years ago (we're both well into our 60s). There weren't many controls back then, and no X or Farcebook. I went to a public school (although most of the teachers and all of the principal's office were Catholic) and even they got away with murder until a new PTA straightened things out in the late 1970s (the principal retired at 51).

School uniforms tend to be more of a pain for poorer families to upkeep.

Really? How do you mean?

Poor families already have trouble buying "nice" clothes that fit their child. To have to get a specific thing and possibly needing to replace it if damaged (as opposed to just an off the rack t-shirt or jeans) gets prohibitive.

I can see both pros and cons to school uniforms. I think a lot depends on the desired effects on the students (and families and community).

I can certainly agree with that.

You made a very exact point: kids are gonna be kids. And we know how cruel kids can be. As someone who went through 8 years of grade school wearing uniforms, I'm against them. They really don't do all that much to prevent kids from being made fun of because kids will look for any reason to mock and belittle other kids. Despite everyone wearing essentially the exact same uniforms, the bullies found reasons to insult and humiliate: the shirts with the little alligator on them were a status symbol so kids who wore shirts without them were inferior; kids who wore corduroy pants were made fun of by the kids with smooth slacks (I don't even know if corduroys are still a thing but they were in the 80s); belt vs. no belt and what style it was; shoes weren't part of the uniform so that was a free-for-all with Nikes and Adidas being the status symbol; plus there were accessory things like jackets, winter hats/gloves/boots, their outfit for gym class, their underwear when changing for gym class, etc. And that's just on the boys' side of things. I can only imagine the girls still had to deal with the same crap (if it went on among the girls I didn't pay any attention to it). On top of that there was whether or not someone wore glasses, what style of glasses they were, what someone's hairstyle was like, and every little bit of personal appearance. So it did stifle individuality while not preventing bullying over things the kids had no control over because they still had to wear what their parents bought them regardless of finances and affordability. The bigger kids, popular kids, kids in the "in crowd" clique will find any reason to make life hell for other kids, and in my experience back then the teachers and administrators simply could not be bothered to do anything about it.

What it requires is the adults in the lives of every kid--parents, relatives, teachers, school admins--actually giving a damn to teach kids how to be kind and civilized to each other, to feel compassion and empathy for others, teach them that while we're all different and unique we're all very much the same, and to step in and put a stop to it when some kids are assholes towards other kids, plus caring enough to uplift and encourage those who are feeling down on themselves and have poor self esteem because of bullying. Kids who are bullied and picked on need to know they can trust the adults when they go to them for help and trust something will be done about it. If they go to the teacher, principal, or even their own parents to get help from bullying and they are ignored or told to toughen up and stop being such a crybaby, I can't think of a deeper sense of being alone in the world.

I definitely agree that there must be a part played by both the teachers and parents. The school uniforms can't be required to do all of the work, the adults have to be...the adults in the room. If they see children being bullied by other children, they have a JOB to do and need to do it! If they don't, then they need to be held accountable. Children need supervision and guidance. If you leave them alone to their own devices, disaster is an inevitability!

As for the uniforms., I actually mean that the students wear the same thing. All of the shirts are the same, so no logo on the garment to distinguish the quality from one child to another. The trousers are the same, definitively slacks or corduroy, but not either/or. In New York, the kids that wear uniforms are identical. They give the parents a sheet with the requirements and they have a manufacturer suggestion beside the item. So, the parents get clothes that are identical to the clothes of the other students. Or, some schools just have uniforms that are sold directly from the school, so there is no variation at all. It's sort of like when you buy gym uniforms. But, yeah, I definitely agree that the benefits of wearing uniforms are all for naught if the teachers and parents don't play an active role in the lives and day-to-day activities of the children.

In my grade school the boys had to wear light blue shirts (short or long sleeve) and black or navy blue pants. The girls had to wear a green plaid dress/jumper with white shirt under it (short or long sleeves). It was left up to the parents to find such items in whatever store they wanted to shop in and it didn't matter what brand anything was as long as it fit the criteria. Hence, some shirts having a small logo on the pocket and others without. That little variation could have been avoided if everything was provided by the school so there was no brand choice, but there would still be myriad other things kids could use as a target for mockery. When we got to high school we could wear whatever we wanted as long as it fit within certain rules.

Yeah, I never wore a uniform at school and 3 year old nephew is the first one of my nephews or nieces to wear one. I didn't personally have problems growing up, but I did see other children picked on and ostracized because of how poor they were as evidence by their clothes and general hygiene. Teachers and parents need to be active in the lives of all children, especially the ones that need a little more help. It just makes me a little sad.

The farthest back I can remember me wearing school uniforms (that wasn't my Air Force JROTC uniform in high school...yeah, I did all four years of that) was back in elementary school. I think it was either my fourth or fifth grade year we started wearing them, but I don't think we wore them all year. Maybe for like some school function or something similar. They weren't anything to write home about. I mean, they were easy to obtain as they were just a single-colored polo shirt and pair of slacks (I can't remember what kind of shoes, though). I was fine with it for the most part. Didn't stop my wily ways back then, of course, but no issues on my part.

Right, that's how I generally what I see with children that wear school uniforms. Their clothes don't stop them from being who they are.

If schools go that route, they need to be affordable and easy to care for. Nothing dryclean only, no blazers, no ties, etc. That runs into money.

And related to Marmelmm's point, uniforms for older kids/teens especially need to steer clear of the fetish fuel route. A lot of schools up here have ditched skirts for uniforms because of that (and because they tended to be worn higher up the legs than intended).

Right, affordability should be among the top 3 priorities with uniforms, but also appropriateness! You can’t dress a child in something that turns them into a pervert’s fantasy. I do think skirts are cute, but I also think that girls should be able to choose not to wear them.

Pretty mixed on the subject. On one hand, I feel it stifles creativity and as a kid I would have likely hated them, on the other hand, thinking back and growing up in one of the poor neighborhoods and attending a public elementary school that also had some very rich neighborhoods, it would have been nice not to be made fun of for my *not* name brand clothing, or being called 'the Kmart blue light special' kid. So I see the arguments for both sides.

I guess in the end if I had a kid and their school did have uniforms, I be a little uncomfortable with the idea but would ultimately accept it.

I used to think that uniforms stifled creativity, too, but eventually I noticed that kids don't really care what they wear as long as they are comfortable. They care more about what other kids wear and that is either due to admiration, envy, or ridicule. They are just as creative with a uniform or in a T-shirt & jeans. As long as they are able to be comfortable in whatever they are in, that's the most important thing. Giving kids uniforms just gives them one less thing to think about and one less thing to evaluate them on. It makes it easier for the child's personality to shine on its own.

I generally approve of uniforms at school, so long as they aren't forced to wear or remove things that heavily affect their comfort. Thankfully such rules that relate to gender or culture seem to have become a little more thoughtful over time.

I completely agree. Children cannot learn efficiently if they are not comfortable.

Personally speaking, and, while I hated uniforms when I was in school, I also understand the reasons for its existance, especially here in Mexico, when using uniforms is mandatory by law until high school. The kids needs to learn some kind of discipline and they have to learn that there were places when they have to adjust to their rules, and NOT the other way around.

Unfortunately, I agree that enforcing this in very diverse countries like the States would be a nightmare. This is more easier to enforce in more culturally or homogeneous countries like East Asian countries and Latin America.

That's a very good point. I don't think we could accept mandatory uniforms on a federal level here in the United States. People would flip out, regardless of how beneficial it would potentially be. And I do think it would be beneficial. I think the pros outweigh the cons of having children wear uniforms to school, especially in primary school.