Honestly, the more this channel shows, the more I realize that this was possibly the best choice for a fourth channel. Im definitely excited for whats to come.
I went to an all-girls Catholic school with uniforms, and I can tell you it's not just the brands of the uniform elements that influenced social standing in the students, but the way you wore it - how much is your shirt tucked in, how much is your collar popped, how many shirt buttons are undone? In a sense that was a way for students to express themselves, but it was pretty limited and "othered" some of us who didn't like that style. Essentially do you remember that Fairly Odd Parents episode where they all turned into grey blobs, but some of them still considered themselves "greyer and blobbier" than the rest? Yeah, that.
I'm my school there was a complex system about how the pin on the skort is worn and what it meant. All I remember is that no pin meant you're pregnant.
At my school it was the “how much do you roll your skirt?” 😂 mind you- rolling the skirt was against the uniform. I was definitely “other” in the eyes of some students, but overall I think my school was pretty non cliquey. But that may also be that I just didn’t care.
As a working class Brit, I would also love to point out that my school didn’t have the stipulation clothing had to fit, so my mom bought me oversized shirts, jumpers and blazers to grow into and only my skirts tended to fit so I was still bullied for being ‘poor’
My biggest issues i had with uniforms in school were; teachers/staff disagreeing on uniform policies and changing them too often, and the fact that you also needed a gym uniform for PE, and got graded on whether or not you wore the right gym clothes (which is better than doing PE in a regular school uniform i guess, but not by much)
I wore uniforms in elementary and middle school. 1. No one bought 5-6 uniforms, they bought perhaps 2-4 and washed them constantly. 2. While the school did sell the uniform themselves, you were allowed to buy whatever solid color collar shirt (white, navy or light blue) and solid color slacks (dark blue or black) Taking those variables into account you can totally thrift shop and save Note: I commented early, so point 2 is moot.
I agree here. In our school, wednes was wash day so could wear civilian clothes so you can buy 2 or 3 then jst wash them on wednes. Also there are tailoring shops that can make the school uniforms and even cheaper if you supply the fabric then just pay for the labor. Also if u have older siblings go to that school then hand me downs are still possible.
When I was middle and elementary school, we also bought 2-3 uniforms and washed them a lot. Sadly the clothes were so specific everyone had to go to this one store that had such expensive prices.
also, if you live with older brothers or older sister, families with lower revenue can also weasley their uniforms and pass them down to cut the overall price of uniform
I go to school with a uniform, and one of the most annoying things about uniforms was that girls were forced to wear skirts, even if it was really cold, the girls were freezing their legs off. Also I end up never buying 6 outfits- I just have 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts and a separate pair for fridays. No one buys 6 outfits.
well, why would one have more of any piece of outfit? back when i went to school, i'd only buy one shirt and trousers, with a coat for winter. went in them every day.
@@ribosomerockeryou need to wash your clothes, and multiple washes a week cost money. Same goes for using a dryer, which is straight up uncommon outside of the US anyway.
@@Illamdalt That is mean and terrible, I think someone's parents should make a report about this to the headteacher. In winter, our school allows us to wear a black jumper underneath our blazer.
12:20 Agreed. When I went to schools with uniform policy, it honestly did not change much about bullying and wealth gap- it's just that kids were able to detect wealth/poverty in other ways. From brand name school bags (and whether you bought a new backpack every year or not), to winter coats, gym shoes, school lunches, what you did on the weekends, etc. It didn't matter if it was a school with a specific uniform store, vs having a general wardrobe guideline like khakis + navy blue polo, if there's a wealth gap then it'll be figured out eventually. Poor kids that had to wash the same 2 shirts also definitely stood out from rich kids who had 7 to rotate, as the poor kids had shirts that were rattier looking and more yellowed.
I shared this with my parents because we’ve been having this argument since I was in middle school. I wore uniforms from K-Sophomore year of HS. Always hated them and in my experience, yes all you said MatPat is the case. Just because you’re all wearing the same thing it doesn’t automatically promote acceptance. Kids will always find something else to pick on.
I went to a K-12 school where uniforms were required, and everyone I talked to hated them or at least disliked them. Students absolutely found ways to differentiate class, such as designer shoes, bags, headbands, and jewelry. There was still appearance-based bullying, and many girls’ self-esteem suffered because the uniforms were ill-fitting. The uniforms had to be a particular brand, and we would be punished by teachers if we were wearing the incorrect brand, so it was also very expensive. There was a uniform resale shop at the school, but it was in a room off of the main hallway and being seen going into it could be a point for bullying. Personally, I also took a while to develop my sense of style after being out of school, because I never got to develop it while in school.
We are unconscious when we are asleep or fainted. When we are unconscious, we have no thoughts, no emotions, and cannot see the world. When we are conscious, we know everything. Consciousness is thoughts, emotions, and everything in the world. This consciousness is one. Will consciousness be split in two? Consciousness is not divisible. Do you feel two consciousnesses when talking to a friend? Consciousness is felt only as one. Consciousness is one. I am Conscious and I am the World. Gospel of Thomas "For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one." Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live." "For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness." Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?" Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." A [person said] to him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me." He said to the person, "Mister, who made me a divider?" He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I'm not a divider, am I?"
@White Rabbit War? What do you mean by that? I was just saying that your previous comment was off-topic and contributed nothing to the conversation. Not saying you can’t do that, but why would you comment that on a video about school uniforms on a comment on said topic?
Realistically, there's also the factor that seeing someone else who has the same style as you or has merch from a fandom you like makes it easier to make friends, form bonds, and generally be more social. It's a lot easier to judge if someone could be a potential friend if I see them wearing a Game Theory backpack or shirt, rather than a uniform.
Exactly. I went to a school with uniforms and had no idea that a girl I saw every week day liked the same video game series as me until I saw her out of uniform one day. I wasn’t really socially outgoing and while I did get a great education I wonder if perhaps without uniforms if maybe I could have connected a bit more socially.
That's how I made my first friend in middle school. He was wearing a Naruto T-shirt, I also like anime. Although i don't watch Naruto, we bonded over that.
I have a game theory backpack and that's why my now friends stopped me in the hallway to become friends with me. Made going into high school that much easier.
I went to school in England with uniforms, and there was still teasing or bullying over uniform, specifically bags and more importantly, skirts. If you wore a skirt, it would be down to the ankles (or as my friends dubbed it: the nun skirt). To avoid the nun skirt, skirt-wearers would roll up the skirts at the waist, which often made them way too short and would also result in a punishment. Skirt wearers would get made fun of for both the nun skirt and the rolled up skirt.
Our skirts would get rolled up but we had waist to knee skirts. No one got in trouble over it because no one wanted yo fight with the girls in my school
Fun fact, the funding for the studies showing uniforms having positive effects on grades come directly from the companies that make or sell the uniforms. It would be like Hershey funding a study to see if chocolate is better for you then vanilla. What do your think the results of that study are going to be?
Funding a study doesn't mean they're performing the study. Just like if Hershey funded that study, they can't control the findings, that isn't how studies work, and why we have peer review.
Thank you for mentioning the cultural aspect of uniforms because this video shows a very Western perspective on the subject. As an Asian who was educated in catholic schools my whole life, I can attest that no parent or student (except maybe the bougie ones, which make up a tiny percentage of the population) ever questions the need for uniforms. To us, they're convenient, cost-effective, and conducive for learning.
I’m in the UK and I love my uniform. There’s a pretty strong correlation between students who don’t care about their academic performance and their dislike of school uniforms haha. Most of the criticisms of our uniforms I’ve heard just seem very forced to me.
I'm Asian and went to school in Malaysia. The system was so hyperfocused on making everyone fit the very tight regulartions for uniforms (not just the clothing but also things like the colours of your hairties) that I feel like it got in the way of actual learning.
I was never bothered about wearing a school uniform. In the UK most schools have a uniform, only changing when it gets to college level. That being said, when I did my first year of A level I was allowed to wear my own leather jacket instead of a blazer and I immediately felt more myself than I had in the other 5 years of regular high school
Fun fact, my school uniform shirt was literally see through! Therefore me and all the other girls at my school couldn’t take off our jumpers in the spring and summer. We also had to wear a tracksuit once a week for P.E however some kids couldn’t afford both, It was easy to tell who was who…
I found out that my school uniform shirt was see-through when a classmate complimented the Tweetie Bird picture on my training bra. I was thankful that I was wearing a bra at all at the age of 10, but otherwise horrified.
As a brit, working-class kids still got bullied with uniforms. Schools didn't require kids to have clothes that fitted, so some parents would by oversized clothes to last longer, or a younger child would wear their older sibling's old uniform. Other students would notice and bully them for being poor because of it. (in private schools ive even witnessed some kids being bullied for wearing uniform items from cheaper stores?? it was insane) Richer kids could also flaunt their wealth in other ways - their school bags, makeup, accessories, shoe/trainer brands, etc, and they'd always make sure to let everyone know about it.. i guess when you're all wearing a uniform, it's the smallest things that begin to matter - but then again, it's Britain, and we have a major classism issue
When we had uniforms my school actually basically exploded because of it. So many students couldn't afford more than one uniform, so they'd start to smell from not having facilities to wash them daily. I knew one kid in particular and his family could only afford to go to the laundromat once every *month* so he was horribly bullied by other kids. I always got picked on for only having one pair of uniform reg shoes, while wealthy kids would have basically the same shoe but in all three allowsled colors and as many brands as possible. It was ridiculous and my own personal grades went from a 3.9gpa to a 3.3gpa The school got rid of it after just two years thankfully
From the UK, my school was somewhat strict where we were not allowed any jewelry, you couldn't wear a bobble/hair tie that wasn't black or green, you were not allowed to take anything off, and shoes had to be black. My uniform cost £150 for every outfit However, in College, nobody cared about what a person wore. There were a few comments during the first week or two but after that nobody mentioned anything. Great to see a video about uniforms!!
Another thing to consider is that by allowing kids to choose their fashion it also helps those kids find others who share their interests. Wear an anime shirt one day and you can find a couple of other kids who also like anime as well and next thing you know you've made friends. Uniforms prevent that natural socialization, thus reinforcing the isolation that a lot of kids can feel.
@@Mikumo91 Understandable. I was bullied horrendously, sadly a school uniform wouldn’t have prevented it. Solving bullying will take more than just forcing kids to wear the same clothes and call it a day.
@@Ashtari I know. I wrote my thesis about bullying because of all the trauma I went through and hoped it would help me heal if I understand the topic better. Bullies will find a target regardless, so yeah, uniforms alone can't solve the problem, but I still think I would have preferred to have one.
Tshirts could have made that easier, but we did it via our coats/backpacks/stationary/lunchboxes. Having to wear a uniform didn't stop us from expressing ourselves, it just meant we mostly couldn't do it via our clothing.
The thoughts “I would get bullied if I wear this anime shirt so I shouldn’t wear it” would be much more prevalent than “I might make a few friends if I wear it”
So my high-school experience was pretty interesting, I'm south african and a Muslim. Girls uniform generally consisted of skirts, stocking and shirts and bc I'm Muslim i was allowed to wear thin pants instead of stockings. There's also other uniform for sport activities that some kids wore a lot for example a track suit. Honestly I prefer the uniform cause it was given freely to kids in need cause of older siblings or past students and it also prevented bullying cause of clothes
Gotta add my info as someone who was in a school that required uniforms. I went to a school that was too focused on the school uniform. What was required of me: button up/polo that are the colors of black, white, red or navy blue with one one color and no logo or design. Tan, black or navy blue slacks with the shirt tucked in and, finally, a belt. One day, I woke up late and had to rush out the door. Well, as I'm running late, I can't find my belt. It reaches a point where I can either keep searching for my belt or I can go to school without one and hope no one notices. I decided going to school was more important so I go without a belt. I got through 3 of the 5 periods of the day when I got caught. Not by my own teacher mind you, by some random teacher whose classroom I had to walk past. They stop me and ask me why I don't have a belt. I explain that I couldn't find it that morning. What does this teacher do? THEY TAKE ME TO THE FRONT OFFICE WHERE I AM KEPT UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY! The uniform was considered SO IMPORTANT to this SCHOOL that the fact that I was missing a BELT meant that I WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO TO CLASS! I WASNT ALLOWED TO BE EDUCATED AT MY SCHOOL THAT DAY BECAUSE I WAS MISSING A PIECE OF LEATHER AROUND MY WAIST! The fact that the uniform took precedence over my education is ridiculous.
Yeah, like, who are you hurting if you don't wear a specific unimportant piece of accessory for just one school day? The school image? No passerby is going to pay that much attention to students. If anything,the teacher is just trying to exert their authority over you as a way to cope with their miserable underpaid life. The sad truth is, not all teachers join schools out of passion to teach. Some are forced and unhappy with it, so they try to make the most out of their authority like some police officers or army sergeants.
as a Dutchman, here in the Netherlands we don't have school uniforms aside from the really expensive private schools *perhaps.* As a victim of bullying myself, clothing doesn't really matter. Bullies are always going for the lowest-hanging fruit, the most obvious 'issue' you have. For me, that was my hair colour (dark, blazing red, aka the rarest hair colour in the world) and my ADHD. If your appearance is not abnormal, they will focus on your behaviour. A boy in my class in middle school was bullied because he would bite his pens to the point of them spilling ink all over him... *constantly.* A girl in a side class of mine in high school was bullied because of her voice and the way she styled her hair.
i can't imagine getting bullied for having something that is genuinely unique and beautiful. actually I can, because jealousy is a helluva drug. seriously, dark red hair? man's walking around with blood hair and puny mortals are just seething with envy at their own pathetic lack of power. but I digress. in my personal opinion, red hair is the most attractive color of hair. if it weren't for all that stigma about redheads having no soul, their rizz would be so powerful that none on earth could resist it.
yeah, 99% of korean middle schools and highschools have school uniforms but serious bullying still happen and things like expensive padded coats gain popularity even with school uniforms
What i really like about uniforms is how you don't actually have to get six. I'm currently going to high school and i have just two + the gym uniform, and i just wash the three on the weekends. With uniforms, no one notices i'm repeating outfits, while if i used normal clothes i would maybe repeat an outfit since i don't have a ton of clothes and get bullied.
yes!! we had three colors (red, light blue, & navy blue) for tops we could wear and two (navy blue & khaki) for pants/skirts…tbf i was little so no one cared a whole lot but it was so easy to just rotate them especially because i lived in a low income household so we didn’t have much to work with
Although, due to the cost, unlike with t-shirts from the clearance section of Primark, you can't get six, and for some families, especially with the electricity bill crisis here in Britain, you might only be able to wash said uni at the weekend. So everyone can see how your one or two sets of uniform get muddier and muddier throughout the week. The bullying is just as bad
I did a similar thing but without a uniform. I only had 2 pairs of jeans 1 light and 1 medium. I would wear different shirts and It just looked like I had a few similar color jeans.
Thank you for mentioning the costs of the uniforms. Once I was talking to my mom and uniforms I used to have to wear came up. She told me that she never liked the uniforms because of the cost and the fact that I still needed clothes outside of school. She said it was like I had two different wardrobes she had to keep up with, and I couldn't simply get my older brother's hand me downs because even though I was younger, I was bigger, and couldn't fit his clothes.
No one in my entire school career actually had 6 school uniforms. You had either 2 or 3. You can wear the same outfit for 3-4 days y’know. Imagine the amount of laundry you’d have to do if you put on a fresh uniform everyday?
@Void Nexus same, we buy several school uniforms for every year and we cycle them every day. Besides, we do laundry every day anyways cuz we're a big family and we have the appropriate appliances and hired help for the job
Biggest problem with uniforms was always the lack of inclusion for anyone above Medium sizes, if you had to custom order a bigger size it wound up costing you more money than just the normal uniforms and they usually looked/felt terrible regardless
Been watching you since 2013 and this is by far my favorite video. As a lower income student who had to wear a uniform, I can 100% confirm I would wear parts of it on everyday outfits. My polo to the grocery store, my shorts to get my hair cut, etc. this video is super insightful and well researched and I love how it addresses the issues of the uniform monopoly without being divisive. Great job theorist team!
Another aspect I would be interested in you revisiting if you ever do revisit this episode is the cost of uniforms in other countries. Here in the states, schools requiring a uniform is not particularly common, meaning that there is a much smaller market for such things. Aside from just the cultural differences between the US and Japan might affect how uniforms impact communal behavior, I would be curious to see how the prominence of school uniforms in Japan has affected their market for them and the price of uniforms within the country.
Agreed! Most schools here in Hong Kong have school uniforms; honestly, I don't find the uniforms wrong or bad! There may be times when it feels restricted or tight, but it is also the perfect choice to wear your PE uniform to go out shopping. Hope Matpat make a theory on different cultures, and various school uniforms!
Yes! As an Australian, pretty much all schools have uniforms, however the cost of them varies significantly between private and public schools. In public schools, you can pretty much get away with a cheap polo shirt and pants/dress in the relevant school colours. Walk into any Big W or Kmart and you’ll find an area in the kids clothing section full of the local primary school’s colours. Private schools are more like what’s discussed in this video - private schools with strict uniforms you must buy from their vendor.
In South Africa, school uniforms are in every school i know of, and most schools have special shirts that should only be worn on fridays, which are only sold by the school, at a higher price than it probably should be, and every few years they change the design in order to make even more money. Also, when i was in matric (South Africa's equivalent to the US's high school senior) each of us had to buy a custom pullover with our name on the front, which we can only use for that year. and these pullovers are much more expensive than the pullovers and jerseys (sweaters in the US) the lower grades buy
@@gnu740 I have seen an increase in public schools require the school logo on money articles of clothing eg tshirt and pants dress plus the skirts being a specific plaid that you cannot find elsewhere
My experience in Australia is that uniforms helped to hide the wealth gap because theres only one uniform store that most schools source their uniforms from and for a reasonably cheap price. We'd all style it differently too which is pretty cool. There were school beanies, scarfs, coats, short and long sleeves, pants and shorts, untucked or tucked.
Australian as well and found the same. You definitely couldn't tell who had money and who did. As for cost I think his numbers are off. I don't agree with having to buy 6 uniforms. Even now, as a parent, the uniform shop suggested I buy only one winter pinafore and two shirts for my daughter. Also I'm guessing second hand uniforms are a lot more common here. My daughter's school offers second hand uniforms for a gold coin donation and the quality is checked before they're sold.
Aussie aswell, I doubt anyone bought 6 uniforms, and yeh it helped hide the wealth gap, but I don't really know anyone that really cared how much your clothes cost.
Ayo fellow aussies, my experience going from a public to a small private school was that you could only really tell the difference the private. My lord the rich kids at my school would always flauunt it with jewellery & watches & other expensive accessories (even though none of them were allowed in the rules). Overall though I really liked my uniform, it was pretty & decently comfy. Plus I suspect the aesthetics side is why so many yanks without uniforms like the outfits they see in anime so much, idk for sure tho :/
not all schools are like that, the suburb my school is in has all the other local school uniforms in a store but not mine, and theyre bloody expensive, with it being around $50 for a pair of pants that dont even fit me properly that I need to alter. they have also banned beanies, and have minimal accessories to pick from
You didn't mention it, but schools can also force out low income families but requiring a more expensive uniform. I know this is pretty common in the UK, but I also experienced it in a private school in Canada.
Not from my experience. I migrated to uk from poland and we barely had any money so we got a fund for my uniform. Changed schools, had to buy new one each year lol (we already had money then).
From my experience the school usually makes a program or fund in order to help out the low income families. I understand this isn't the case for everywhere though.
There are plenty of funds for uniform, from councils or schools themselves, in the UK to help lower income family. Uniform swap shops are rapidly opening all over the country since most uniforms are outgrown whilst still in fantastic condition
The points on individuality vs unity is amazing. I’m from England and all schools have a required uniform (excluding a handful of outliers), and the difference is baffling. When I left and went to college, my wardrobe exploded. I was finally able to ditch my blazer and tie, drop the smart shoes, and finally express myself. I went from a blazer to denim jacket, shirts to tie dye and crop tops, I even got a pan flag belt to replace the black belt I had before to properly express myself. I always recommend schools to remove uniforms in general. My confidence soared when I left school, and I partially thank being able to wear my own outfit for that.
The year I graduated, pants were finally introduced as an alternative part of the female uniform. Only issue: instead of just grey dress pants like the male uniform that you could get for $15 at multiple stores around here, it had to be a specific pant with the school logo printed on it that cost $90. Second-hand ones now go for at least double the price of male uniform pants, usually more.
I had several friends in high school that had attended schools that required uniforms for jr high/elementary. Most of the girls I knew hated that they had to wear it because they believed they were sexualized even worse by men in public. On the way to and from, lunch breaks etc they’d get so many comments and cat calls from men. While I know this happens regardless of the uniforms, they believed the “school girl” look made it worse and they’d get very targeted comments relating to the uniforms. And a few of my friends found it very difficult having to wear skirts when they identified less with feminine clothes but there was no option allowed for them to wear pants.
as a mostly closeted trans guy, not being able to wear pants in school is horrible i hate it so much. whenever i get into a new school, i'm not wearing a skirt even if i get in trouble for it. it's not that i hate skirts (i quite like wearing them, actually) but in public they just make me uncomfortable and remind me more of the fact i look like a girl.
Japan actually made Female Only carts for trains for that reason alone cause look up "School Boy" vs "School Girl" you'll see the sexualization in girls hard. Japan has a porn genre just on taking photos underneath girls skirts. Even though they know that School uniform = underage girl. They don't care. It's vile. The women in Japan reported that they have less catcalls and touching once out of the uniform
Dude, I hated my school uniform. I always got dorkier looking clothes than my peers and I was ALWAYS insecure about the other girls who looked better in the uniform. I was so skinny in grade school and my uniform always fit me funky. I feel like being able to express yourself through clothing and wearing clothing you’re confident in may help girls and boys build confidence even before puberty.
True But I actually think it’s the opposite especially if you’re poor and you cannot afford clothes I feel like it protects you from being bullied in the way because everybody’s dressed the same with just a hint of expression to them the thing is most schools don’t allow you to add expression to you maybe some bright colored shoes or maybe a bowl in your hair or a necklace if you’re a guy or whatever that’s where I disagree but I definitely would prefer uniform for those who are poor
I agree, I went to a secondary school which had a uniform but the attached sixth form didn’t have a uniform, I was beyond lacking confidence in secondary, but as soon as I could choose what I wanted to wear and had enjoyment in showing my personality through my outfits, I was on top of the world, but then again, I dropped out ultimately, but that’s for other reasons
Here in Argentina we essentially use lab coats as uniform, you can wear whatever you like under it but you have to wear the lab coat above it. As far uniforms go, I think it's not that bad, it's only one very simple piece of cloth so you can get one pretty cheap, it's used above your actual clothes so no need to wash it that often and since underneath you can wear whatever, you can go to school with really comfy clothes. It's also just a lab coat, there's little room for "my blue skirt is better than your blue skirt"
The cost of uniforms gets even worse when you take into account that lots of private schools call for both a summer and winter variant of their uniforms. On top of that the income gap between students becomes obvious the moment the uniforms begin to show wear and tear, the lower income students cant afford to replace their uniforms and all the other students will notice, speaking from experience. That's not even going into the pressure on low income parents to buy informs for more then one kid.
A relative of mine was the vice principal in a specific school, they told me the one reason they still have uniforms is because it's too dang profitable for the owner of the school. Elsewise they'd ditch it, but despite the OK price of their uniforms, the manufacturing cost is so dang cheap, it's practically a steal for the owner to enforce selling it to students.
Uniforms are all fun and games until the school tries to make you change a fundamental part of your personality. I grew out my hair because I had grown sick and tired of buzzcuts, while I went to a private middle school that had a standardized uniform. The school wasn't the most strict but during 8th grade my hair became "Unacceptable" to the school. I was repeatedly told that I had to cut my hair, but since I was leaving at the end of the year I never did. The schools can't even let students be unique within the confines of the uniform and try to stamp out all possible cases of individuality.
Thank you so much for bringing up this topic! Another point I wanna bring up is when I went to a school that had mandatory school uniforms, I never learned how to dress myself. When I moved to another country where school uniforms are basically unheard of, I had no idea what I liked and what to wear. I had no sense of style cause I never had a chance to develop my own. Which meant that I was the weird kid with bad fashion choices. It took me years to develop a personal style and years were I was teased and ignored. Uniforms ruin your chance to develop your own personal style.
Wow, again, we are talking about clothes. Uniform did not inhibit your "personal style". Many rebel while wearing uniform, or plan in advance their "personal style". Uniform actually allows you to think about this.
If a higher authority is telling to to wear the same BS everyday, and if you’re like me (and probably this user) you might wear the same outfit throughout your daily life or you might never get a chance to change out of that outfit that your school told you to wear to their “top-tier” school, you would never be able to come up with your own style.
I think part of the idea of uniforms is it makes it easier for the school. Less monitoring if the person's clothes are considered controversial, or too revealing. Less trouble from news and parents when someone is disciplined for being out of uniform vs Little MattPat was sent home because his Tshirt said 'Hail Seitan" and someone thought it was too controversial.
In the school I went to, the boys uniform was black trousers with a button-down shirt, a colour-coordinated tie you could only buy from the school and a blazer (either one made by the school, or another one with a patch ironed onto it) When it got hot in the summer, it was extremely difficult to cool down, especially in class because you had to keep your uniform on entirely. Luckily the sixth form had a slightly less strict policy. The requirement was you had to wear a 2-piece or 3-piece suit to school every day, and had to come in for the full day every day, even if you didn't have classes that day. Needless to say, there were the same difficulties with temperature. They also regulated what coats and bags you were allowed to have. For context, I went to school in England
13:52 "Choosing your own clothes is empowering. It gives you a sense of independence, and it helps you express you unique identity. Your favorite fandow, your preferred colors" My mother chose everything I wore because my grades were better then my older sister so they had 'Hope' for me to succeed. My mom chose clothing in the 'size' SHE wanted me to be, in the style SHE wanted me in, and in the colors SHE wanted them in. But when I got my own job and my own money, I donated most of that clothing and buaght my self clothing in MY favorite colors and MY favorite styles and MY right size when I gained a bit of weight I felt beautiful and empowered. I felt amazing being able to finally express myself the way I wanted.
I just wore the cheap stuff. Fashion? Ha! I literally wore the same jeans from freshman year of high school into college. Same 4-5 pairs. They were…so tight.
Im from Australia and the idea of having 6 different uniforms for everyday is crazy to me. I had maybe 1 dress, 1 pair of shorts and 2 shirts in primary school, and in highscool we just had our summer uniform and winter uniform, and you had to buy the specific uniform with the school logo on it; you cant find the uniforms anywhere other than the uniform shop so the uniforms are truly equal. There were also very strict rules about the type of shoes you wear, and you werent allowed nail polish or unnatural coloured hair dyes, or necklaces or bracelets or anything.
Yeah and often those uniform shops are heavily marked up so the school can make more profit. I remember paying $150+ for new uniforms, which is hardly fair to less well off families.
My thoughts exactly. I believe me getting two pairs of uniforms, including a button up shirt, skirt, socks and tie costed about $250. That’s only for my everyday uniform tho. Luckily I’m still able to wear my sports uniform I got all the way back in like- grade 7 🗿
I live in country with no school uniforms but i was in Australia for a student exchange and i had a uniform there. I had one dress, one skirt and blazer and 2 shirts if i remember correctly? I quickly had to catch up on the little differences you could make, how to do your tie and (un)tuck the shirt... I felt it makes students hide an important part of who they are in school.
I only had uniforms during my elementary years, but I like how they did it honestly. Instead of having a company that made them, they just said “white top, navy blue bottoms” and it game families a opportunity to by from places that matched their price range while still making all of us look pretty darn identical. I still prefer to be able to dress how I want, but props to my elementary school I guess 🤷
At first my family got around the recurring cost of our uniforms and PE kits with hand-me-downs, until our primary and high schools both got into the practice of changing their uniforms and kits ever so slightly every few years. Even when the change was as trivial as slightly tweaking the arrangement of the logo, teachers would drop detentions on you for daring to use the old uniforms, truly the most egregious of crimes(!) With 4 children going through school and each needing a uniform and PE kit, our parents were buying anywhere between 2 and 8 new school outfits every few years, with the old ones being made valueless so the most we could do was give them to charity. Unless those schools were getting pay cuts from the uniform suppliers' soaring profits, they were lying through their teeth about their uniforms being a cost-saving measure; it was all a disgusting waste of money that badly needed to be spent elsewhere.
I wore uniforms throughout my elementary school career. The uniforms were different depending on grade level (I went to a K-12 school) which meant we had to get new ones every year. They were hella expensive too for just the skirts and blouses, which didn't include the shoes, socks, ties and hair accessories we had to buy separately. My mom always complained about how much more expensive the uniforms were to regular school clothes, so the theory that issuing uniforms saves money is total bupkiss.
I feel that at my high school I go to now we have to buy shirts which are about $25 a shirt, and you need the least a few. However, at my school in 11th and 12th we have academies which requires new uniform as well, and are expensive. They are also trying to go to shorts that need to be embroidered with a V on the bottom, which is I think an extra $3-5.
I started at a NZ school recently this year after coming from America and I honestly believe that a uniform is okay as long as it’s done well. Our school uniform has many individualizing qualities so that students can still have a say in how they stole their outfits. For example, we have the base uniform of a shirt, skirt/shorts, socks, and black shoes (everything from the uniform is from the uniform shop except for the shoes). In addition to these required elements, there are also a few jackets to pick from that students can stile however they like. Although most girls wear the skirt with the shirt left out no jacket and ankle socks, i wear the shirt tucked into the skort, with the long navy socks and rain jacket. When it comes to the PE uniform, it’s just the shirt and shorts with the student’s choice of sports shoes. The shirts flip the other way around to show the whanau (family in Māori) colors, Honda like the houses from Harry Potter. In conclusion I don’t think uniforms are a bad thing as long as they’re done well. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. GOODBYE!
As an English student with disabilities, wearing uniform was extremely stressful. They acted like I'd killed a puppy when I said it would be better for me to not wear uniform. I ended up in a school that accepted my disabilities and let me wear comfortable clothes and I passed my grades, better than fine. All my life I was told I'd be a failure just because I couldn't wear school uniform and I believed them, now I'm older I'm baffled by why they put so much pressure on struggling child over something as silly as a uniform. I really hope the issue gets better for those with issues like mine.
i am dealing with a simeler thing, i have sensory issues and the uniform is constantly rubbing me the wrong way. it makes me uncomfortable and destracted as well as destressed, it sucks.im glad you got out of it
I wore school uniform growing up in China and I personally loved them, since they were comfy and I didn’t have to worry about picking clothes every morning. For this reason, a lot of us wore our school uniforms on the no-school days as well. It also did contribute to a sense of school pride, especially if you are taking the bus or subway, you kinda get a sense of whose school’s territory you are entering at each stop, judging by the uniforms of the students coming on board. Our uniforms were all made of the same materials, but we did personalize which item to wear and how they were worn, which was kinda fun. And again, they are super comfy. I still wear them as my pajamas lol.
I suspect China has a more 'community' focused culture vs the US emphasis on individuality? I think I'd be fine with a comfy uniform that can be mix and matched a bit, but only if it was part of my whole educational culture, not something just a few school age groups wear. I love that you still use the uniform for pajamas!
@@FairbrookWingates I personally don’t care if a uniform is comfortable or pretty cause I am just too lazy to pick an outfit everyday and yes I am from China
My kids go to a lower income, high minority elementary school that has a uniform and last year they floated the idea of eliminating them. The parents were overwhelmingly against it. The uniform is like 3-4 colors of polo and blue or khaki pants/shorts/skirts. I'm not sure how it is in higher levels but for us with kids under 10 it has made getting dressed way easier because there are very few options. This causes way less fights over clothing compared to days they don’t have to wear the uniform like weekends when they can wear whatever they want. It also has made shopping easier at least in the choice option as the only thing that can fuss about is which color to go with. My opinion may change as they get older but at least for now I’m glad we have the uniform requirement.
12:20 I completely agree with Steph. As someone who went to schools with a moderately strict Uniform Policy they don’t really help much in terms in the social aspect.Every grade I was in from Kindergarten to 12th grade had some form of uniforms with varying strictness on them.If Kids couldn’t flaunt the style they had with clothes it would be with sneakers,Bookbags or Phones. So lower income kids would still be ostracized by more wealthier kids.
I used to go to a school with a mandatory uniform. It started out as your typical formal attire, but after a couple of years and thanks to high student demand we got stuff like hoodies and polo shirts. Still, because of the fact that you go to school for most of your week, month, year, whatever, I practically didn’t have clothing for normal occasions.. because I simply didn’t need it.
I have actually been told at my school that the main reason why its mandatory to wear school uniforms and ID is to ensure that no one wears "inappropriate" or "distracting" clothes and also to ensure the school's safety so no stranger could enter the school unnoticed.
One of the schools I went to had a pretty awesome uniform. A half sleeve yellow and blue striped shirt with tie and a pencil skirt with a side slit all the way to my mid thigh. This is the most advanced uniform I ever had. Elsewhere, it was pleated skirts.
I’ve been looking forward to this one, I go to a school that wears uniforms and they’re very strict about it. We even get in trouble if we have the wrong socks. I just don’t completely understand the reasoning behind uniforms.
Seriously! My primary school was so strict with girls wearing skirts and short socks, even in -13°C! It was absolute torture!! This is why I'm glad I can at least wear pants in Secondary school..
@@M4t_P4tGT Same here, the uniforms are so expensive as well so it’s always so difficult to replace the skirts. Had a teacher tell me it was too short and to take out the hem, then a couple months later got told it was too long and that I had to buy a new one.
Another point against school uniform is that it doesnt offer a lot if options for students with sensory issues, such as autism. I grew up only wearing uniforms in schools ans I hated it, the textures were all wrong, they were too tight in some areas and too loose in others, and they were overall really uncomfortable and hard to wear. now that I'm in college I can wear what I want, and the lack of sensory issues makes it much easier for me to want to go to school, without a constant assault on my senses
This is a great point! As someone on the spectrum myself, I have often disliked the feeling of long-sleeve shirts and always go for loose-ish t-shirts. In the few cases I have had to dress formally, it has always been uncomfortable. I can hardly imagine having to wear that kind of formal wear every day regardless of weather while focusing on classes.
I also have autism and it's the opposite to me I'm so used to just wearing school uniform every day that i wouldn't wear in anything else but a shirt and dress legs. Even something like a difference texture sweater would make me very not comfortable
I can counter that argument with another neurodivergence. I have ADHD, and the three years that I went to a school without a uniform were much more stressful, because of the mental tax that entices putting together outfit, including remembering what pieces do you have, if they're clean at the m moment yo oh needed to wear it, etc. Whith uniform itb was easier: had 3 or 4 shirts and 2 skirts, didn't need to think o combinations, where did I put the clothes, etc. It freed a lot of RAM 🤷♀️
The body shaming part was too real. Teachers still find a way to sexualize and criticize my uniform because of my body type. I was also not the only girl who experienced that. I could be wearing the same thing for months, but ONE day I get in trouble for wearing that same garment
Wow, such teachers should not be allowed within a mile of a school! 🤢 If they seriously wanna say that a young female students poorly fitting school uniform is distracting to men, they should be referred to a therapist who specializes in treating pedophiles!
honestly like even with school uniforms in certain 1s it does not help that depending on your body type plus like lack of self expression and that kinda stuff
Also the class divide still shows in uniform. I totally agree with the accessories but cleanliness and old looking uniform stood out too. And the fitting as well! I had such bad body image I even got a doctor's note in order to not wear my blazer, as it was too big for me and made me look frumpy.
same, like my school doesn't have a specific outfit we have to wear every day, but even with all of the different options for tops/skirts, they all made me look so chunky, which definitely didn't help with how insecure i was
School uniforms have always been a sensitive subject for me, honestly that sounds like my own personal nightmare. I am a cross dresser have been since I was two I was quite literally born that way. While sure I was relentlessly bullied for it in elementary school and especially in middle school I don’t know what’s worse getting bullied because of what I wear or being forced to dress as someone I’m not
Honestly I was thinking similarly. As a trans guy, the idea of being forced to wear skirts is horrifying to me. I would hate it and feel so uncomfortable every day of the week.
In my old high school (in Australia) whenever a student asked why we had to wear uniforms we were told it was so teachers could identify who actually went to the school, because there were kids from other high schools who would sneak in. The uniforms didn’t always stop them though, I remember a kid from another local high school who borrowed his friends uniform to sneak in.
@@drdoctor9970 They would try to sneak in to vandalize and steal stuff. Because you were more likely to get caught if you did it in your own school, so why not mess with someone else's instead?
Hi, kid that snuck into school here, it was quite easy, went to the local Salvation Army, paid $2 for a jumper and walked in. Why simple I made friends during the summer holidays and they went to the other school, I would sneak in during lunch and hang out with them, only did it once or twice as it was too much effort.
@@drdoctor9970 Everyone is forcing children to shield their expressive sense of style by making them dress EXACTLY THE SAME. When did they NOT? And even if they didn’t, it’s a no-brainer
Another aspect iv seen from kids who grew up going to private schools, or the occasional public school with uniforms, is a struggle in making choices, especially when it comes to what's appropriate in clothing for different aspects of life.
No lie, as someone with an interest in education I subscribed to this channel specifically because this episode was mentioned in your channel launch trailer. So congrats on really effective marketing. Also congrats on hitting every point I was hoping that you'd bring up. Sadly schools focus far, FAR too much on appearance (in a lot of ways, as you mentioned) and far too little on student's well being. Amazing how educational institutions are so slow to actually try to learn anything isn't it?
As a student who wont grow past 5'1, i think schools should have uniforms, but make them OPTIONAL. so those who like not having to think about what to wear or about buying new clothes every day can wear them, but those of us who have a fashion sense and don't want it stunted by uniform can wear our own clothes, too.
@@IAmAnItalianPizza Why do they have Japs on TH-cam posting abo being a massive export of did you really just backspace that and juast left it there because you didn't feel like correcting the syntax??? Wow, oh, what is it. Why is there Japs on TH-cam posting top 10 things foreigners.. It's silly. I can type in here. I need a new account, new credentials every other day. There's no way to tell if the slave-masters have hidden my comments.
What about factoring the fact that most schools that implement uniforms aren't public schools, giving the added cost of tuition into overall cost? Public school costs: clothes, supplies, extracurricular activities Private schools: all of the above plus, uniforms and tuition. Final grade: uniformed : F-
In my experience (from Scotland) i’ve found that it’s still very easy for kids to attempt to flex their designer things with accessories such as earrings glasses and bags. My school uniform is very much just a white shirt with a tie and any black trousers/skirt, so for us uninform isn’t overly expensive but it does mean that it’s on the verge of having no uniform at all
From the Philippines where school uniforms on public schools aren't mandatory, but might as well be. I totally agree, and this is actually what I keep trying to say online. Uniforms are a financial burden, especially in our country where inflation is sky high. Uniforms won't make your math grades go up. And if there is something I learned personally, they don't help you look better. They just make you look like everyone else, which says a lot about the education system here.
I came from a private school in the Philippines and the uniforms were mandatory, almost everyone hated it. The boys could take their dress shirt off if they had a white shirt underneath and could get away with wearing black sports shoes but girls all had to have the belt and tie and the right shoes otherwise you'd get scolded.
Im from the Philippines too and idk if its just my school but the fabric for our regular uniform is thin and almost see through💀 like you can almost see the undergarments of the female students and the sando of the male students because the fabric was thin, not only that our pe uniforms pants are long and thick and make us sweat more
Could you do a theory on pointe shoes please? What they are, how they damage feet, and some ways to prevent that. Shoes are apart of fashion, so pointe shoes would be really interesting.
@@KittyWhite38 yeah but I want to learn more about the history of them and predictions on where they could go in the future. How to make them safer and more comfortable
I went to a school where the uniform was a white shirt and blue skirt/pants but the problem is just like Steph said some kids had expensive clothing while others just got there clothes from target or old navy.
Another problem with the Uniform statistics you didn't mention is selection bias. i.e. the places with Uniforms are often wealthier school districts, particularly private schools. Studies have long shown that students of wealthier parents tend to do better in school, while students from poorer families tend to do worse. So a lot of the statistics that make Uniforms look effective are really only showing that wealthier school districts do better than poorer school districts, something that we already know.
Thats becuase USA has less school uniform rate. Most school dont have uniform whereas if you look at other countries mostly asian. You can see that uniform is better. Depends on country.
@@bluesherbet2741 Absolutely! Country is almost certainly a factor, school uniforms are fairly rare in the U.S. so social perception of them is also different.
I always forget how different the uniform situation is in America. In Australia almost all schools have uniforms and this is just excepted. The don’t cost much and I’ve found you only need 2 (if you have a sport uniform that you get to wear on days with inter school sport) or 3 that you wash in the middle of the week. They are also just accepted and keep everyone uniform and equal. It also represents the school and creates some sense of unity that improves behaviour.
Thank you so much for making this video, Matt. It was increadibly validating and honestly a little emotional. In my middle school, we were required to wear uniforms. The principal and other high up staff tried to alleviate any variables by making literally EVERY aspect of the uniforms regulated. Shoes, belts, the embroidery of the logo, jewelry, nail polish. There was no outlet at all for individual expression. Despite all of this effort, the bullying at this school was ruthless. So ruthless that I began experiencing suicidal thoughts and self-harming at only 12 years old. When I got to high school, I no longer needed to wear a uniform and my well being and social life improved 10 fold. I was always a bit of an outcast, and being able to express myself with clothing and style was so important to me and still is to this day. My style is my personal favorite form of artistic expression, and I look back on those middle school days with such sadness. I really hope this message about the reality of uniforms starts to spread so more kids don’t end up like I did. ❤
i fully relate. went to a private school that required uniforms when i was in middle school, also. It wasn't too bad in my case, but it affected my self esteem getting yelled at for having my hair slightly too short, or socks slightly too low, or a dress even an inch too high. Idk if it means anything, but more than half my piers in school got diagnosed with anxiety at young ages and were extreme perfectionists. Like, I got in trouble for laughing before. And for crying. I was in 3rd grade, and I wasn't expected to laugh and cry? hmm I wonder why I tend to bottle my feelings. Hmmmmm
at 5:40 MatPat talks about buying 6 uniforms, I was flabbergasted! For all of high school I only bought 4 shirts and pants MAX! 6 per years??? What a waste!
As someone who grew up wearing school uniforms in Asia and then went to school in Germany where they are a no go, I've ended up in this weird position where I've experienced both and honestly cannot tell if one is truly worse or better than the other. Although, I personally do kinda prefer uniforms, but that might just be my nostalgia speaking.
As someone who goes to not only a school with a uniform (I live in Australia) but also a private Catholic one, I can say that the staff seem to care more about the students' jewelry, hair, and uniform more than they should. Even down to what socks you're wearing lmao. I remember I was yelled at (unnecessarily) to remove my magnet septum piercing, and I was drained trying not to cry for the next hour because of it lol
I got ridicule by both students and teachers because i can't get my skirt to able to follow my height. The skirt arnt cheap and it was my last year of middle school so my uniform have to be change soon anyway. I don't want my parent to waste money one it. I remember one of the teacher called me a long line of "hoe" becuase my skirt just didn't passed my knee.
i had to take my earrings out one week before i could change them, and even though my mother explained to the school that i couldnt do that, i was forced to, and now they arent healed properly. then i bought sleepers because i was allowed them, and had to take them out too, because apparently they were hoops, even though they were sold as sleepers. i also nearly got a detention for having my badges on my school tie in the wrong order.
A septum piercing doesn't really seem appropriate for school, but yelling is so....dramatic. I don't get teachers who go overboard and act mean like that -- do they think raising volume makes them seem more sensible somehow??? 🙃
I also go to a private Catholic school and on some days they are strict about the uniform. Like yours, they also checked what socks you were wearing. Like, why? If there are new parents coming to see the school I doubt they're going to check for everybody's socks. And I wear long trousers for my uniform, so no-one would see it unless I pulled up my pants.
I have an idea for a theory. Do outfits affect emotions. Will the sleeve length of an outfit make you more or less active (when I where short sleeves compared to long sleeves I feel more active). If you wear bright colors will those colors make you happier than darker color clothing. It probably varies person to person, but are there generally things that match up. Or back to the sleeves, maybe its less of the cloths and more of temperature. Or last idea the air like the more you cover up the less air your skin gets or something.
I always find that I feel more mature when I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt as opposed to a short sleeve. I also feel more athletic when I'm wearing leggings and a tank top.
One version of my schools uniform (Tie, Blazer, Jersey, Skirt, socks, shoes and one blouse) is $710 dollars. That's *one* version of our uniform, not including our P.E uniform, extra blouses, more than one pair of socks, etc etc. In a Family with 5 kids who all needed different sizes, we ended up in my youngest sisters first year spending $3,000 dollars on new uniform items. The fact that in the years where you're doing the most growing and physical developments you're wearing a uniform, where you need most likely at least one or two new items a year, not to mention shoe sizes, etc.
I'm a very individualistic American adult who's lived in Japan for 7 years, and I'm glad it was called out at the end how different the culture and uniform culture is--because the cultural value of them over here is so different, even though they just skate over a lot of the same issues you were mentioning at the end
I went to uniform schools from 6th-12th grade, so pretty much the entire creating of my fashion sense and identity… And when I went into college I realized how much I hated everything that I owned in my closet. Nothing felt like me.
I also had uniform throughout 6th-12th. I used to be very insecure and uncomfortable dressing up even when I tried my best. Eventually, I became very passionate about fashion and I’m very comfortable in my style now that I’m in college and wear things for myself. I don’t have to wear something nice everyday but I’m confident in what I wear when I do put something together. It just goes to show that there’s probably a lot of outside factors that effect how certain things turn out, more so than may be attributed.
I live in India and till 12th, we have uniform. The only times we were allowed to wear something else was if it was our birthday or the school was celebrating a festival and specifically asked us to dress casual, then we'd show up all dressed up. In one of the schools I went to, we were allowed to wear jeans only on Saturdays with our house tshirt. Other than that, strictly uniform.
Just to add some context: When I went to private school in Japan, we didn't have to go to the store and buy uniforms. We had to go to a certain store to get custom made for every single student so all of us had the same exact uniform down to the texture and quality. Even then, I would agree that uniforms didn't help us that much. The students that were considered the ugliest were always bullied, just like in America
I went to a private school, and the uniforms seemed to not be benefitting anything, potentially the opposite. We had to buy the uniforms from one specific store that would sell them for around $100, and would give you detention if you wore some not from the store. We had only a few outfits that we had to wear outside of school because we didn't have that many clothes outside of uniforms. They were bad quality and would rip and tear fairly easily, but we couldn't afford new ones so we had to deal with it. Instead of being bullied for what we wear, I was bullied for my size, still giving me self esteem issues to this day, and would actually cause me to miss school more often for fear of being bullied. So my opinion is that uniforms absolutely suck
I'm in an international private school, and they're sold for cheap. No one complains, and due to the IB system, different grades are given out based on individual performance where you choose the topic of your writing based on the unit. I'm not complaining, just mentioning that there are exceptions.
You go to private school you have to expect to wear a uniform. It’s part of the school’s way to make you stand out among other students who do not go to private school.
I went to a school with uniforms from kindergarten to eighth grade, which basically meant that for the majority of my childhood I had no room to experiment with clothes and style. Plus I was still teased for my physical appearance. When I got to high school I felt so insecure and out of place not knowing what to wear and what was considered normal. So I just decided not to try and bring as little attention to myself as possible so hopefully no one would judge me. No one really bullied me for it outright but I would constantly get looked over among friends outside of school. Like strangers would go out of their way to compliment everyone in our group but would ALWAYS ignore me. After awhile that starts to get to you. It made me develop an unhealthy need for validation about my appearance when I finally started dating. I ended up getting more confident and happy with my looks after I started experimenting more outside of school but I still rarely have the opportunity to dress how I’d like and it’s super frustrating. At least I get compliments when I put in effort sometimes though. :/
In Singapore where I come from , in Kindergarten and also in Primary School as well , we have to wear uniforms , and even when I transferred to a special needs school , I also have to wear a school uniform as well . We sadly cannot express ourselves in our own unique way .
One option we discussed in my high school on this subject (as students in a thought experiment) was using graduation gowns as a uniform. It would address the cost and standardization concerns as they are fairly inexpensive to start with and could easily be rented/swapped/traded (with a monthly/annual cleaning fee that would still be well below that $400 a year cost.) Plus, because they are kept at the school, students can still express their individuality in their existing clothes, because outside of classes they can still be seen.
Graduation gowns??? So if I’m getting it right, you want to come to school in casual clothes, put on the gowns only during classes and take them off later during breaks so students can “express themselves”. Sounds like your thought experiment was a joke all along
My school required uniforms from the one shop. Nobody dresses in more expensive clothes than others. Even shoes and bags were standardised. We also only had about two outfits each, not six. I loved having a uniform because I was lazy and it meant I didn't have to think about clothing every day.
i would love an episode breaking down elle woods- she’s such a powerful character, not giving up her individuality (and even succeeding because of it). i genuinely love this channel, and can’t wait for more episodes!
I feel like Elle Woods herself isn't enough to warrant a theory video though. I think it should be about fashion in modern "chick flicks" in genral like Legally Blonde and Mean Girls, and the reclamation of femininity with how the color pink is used
@@danieldonovan106 a breakdown of Elles fashion and style choices in to her home environment in Malibu against the foreign environment of Harvard and the nature in how moving her from one environment to the other one, making very few changes to the way she dresses and that hindering her could be an interesting theory in the way that we perceive and except style and those around us and the cultural identity of fashion especially in the way that it is used to discriminate against femininity and the so-called unprofessional nature of anything feminine, especially silhouette, fashion and colour.
For the third point, I 100% get Steph’s point. At my primary school, it was basically exactly what she said. But at my current high school, we buy everything from the school store and we also need dress shoes and no accessories even hair ties have to be the school colors.
6:13 As someone who wears uniforms, you honestly didn’t need 6 uniforms. I literally wear the same skirt every day and I have had it for four years. Most of my school uniforms are passed down from my sisters and their friends. Schools with uniforms tend to have some sort of buy back program.
For real. I wasnt even poor back when i was in middle school and high school and i didnt have more than three sets and that's ONLY for the summer uniforms. For winter uniforms it was just one set with one or two extra blouses.
One benefit is that as a teacher with students on field trip it is easy to see which students are yours - That's really important when you take large groups of school off campus (ie swimming or sports carnivals or museums or local art installations). It also means that anyone who should not be on the on the school grounds is easy to pick out. The uniforms also make it easy to identify and report students skipping school.
uuuuh wouldn't a student skipping school just grab a change of clothes? Did that when I skipped school a couple of times, and we have never had a uniform anyway
My school never had uniforms and that literally never was a problem on field trips, no strangers trying to sneak in or anything (only issue was some students making asses out of themselves) so I don’t entirely understand that logic
Are there really that many schools that can afford field trips? I was in school many years ago, and after grade school we didn't have any school trips, and in grade school it was maybe once per year.
I'm really glad that this fourth channel has been created. It's fantastic to see so many different types of content being offered, and I'm looking forward to what else this channel has in store. I'm sure there will be even more amazing things to come, and I'm excited to see what new ideas and shows will be available.
There are ways to get around the cost of uniforms. Unless the gear is printed or embroidered, you can buy most of your stuff at Target or Kmart (Australia). Pants, shirts, polo shirts, shoes and socks make up the vast majority of the cost of school uniforms. You only need to buy 1 blazer, 1 tie, 1 jumper, and 1 jacket. This reduces the cost significantly. If you're handy with a needle and thread, you can do the embroidery yourself.
When I heard that you need to buy at least 6 uniforms for each day, I was pretty shocked because I only have 2 and I switch in and out of those uniforms everyday. Guess US students are getting the more expensive route huh 😅
exactly, 6 blazers for no reason tf, and more importantly you need to buy a whole new set every 1-2 years. I always went for 2 outfits, I would either wash them everyday or every alternate day depending on how dirty they got, if I convert my currency to usd then 2 outfits and shoes would cost me about $75
Why you need to change clothes every day anyway? I wear the same pair of jeans for weeks, shirt depending on season (if it's winter, 2 weeks is fine, if summer, I change it every 2-3 days)
Even in countries like Japan, it’s important to consider that the sense of cultural community and likeness quickly becomes a toxic environment when any form of individuality becomes ostracized. It’s a very interesting thing to look into, and really goes to show that any extreme in either direction (hyper individualism or hyper communal mentality) may ultimately be a negative thing. Really makes me wish I had some of the resources I did in college to help me with my high school assignment of making an argument about school uniforms. My teacher told me I could argue either way if it was supported…but only let me use resources she provided, which all argued in favor of uniforms.
I went to a Catholic school that required uniforms from 2nd to 8th grade and I agree a lot with the points made in this video. It didn't really help me a lot academically or feel more of a sense of community with my peers. On the way home from school the bus would stop at the public junior high to pick up those kids and I was jealous of them because they got to wear whatever they wanted while I had to wear the same thing every single day. Then when I got home the first thing I'd do as soon as I walked through the door was change into regular clothes so I could feel normal. Then when I got to high school I was so relieved to be able to go to school and wear whatever I want. Our school had pretty causal uniforms compared to the stereotypical blazers that come to mind when you think of school uniforms (white, blue, or green polos and navy blue dress pants or shorts and green plaid skirts), but our school also had no uniform days. On those days you could wear whatever you wanted (within reason of course) and I always loved those days because they were the few times during the year when I felt like a normal kid going to school. They usually occurred once a month or on special holidays or days when we'd have class parties which came with some sort of theme (red and green for Christmas, green for St. Patrick's Day, red and pink for Valentine's Day, costumes for Halloween, red white and blue for patriotic holidays, and Cubs memorabilia when they won the World Series in 2016). Then when I was in 6th or 7th grade they introduced spirit shirts that took over the no uniform days. We had to wear them for all assemblies and field trips. There were only a handful of days that were true no uniform days. The spirit wear days were like half uniform days. You could wear whatever bottoms you wanted, but you still had to wear the shirt, and from what I recall no one liked those days because the shirts were ugly and itchy.
I work with a Catholic school that has a significant group on the lower end of the income scale. Our students have a casual uniform for Mon and Fri, semi formal for Tues and Thurs, and Formal for Wednesday Mass. The total cost was not as bad as listed in the video, and the clothing was more flexible for outside school.
You got to have no uniform days? In my middle school, we had dress Wednesday’s, which meant we had to wear the extra fancy uniforms that day and we weren’t aloud to take off our blazers
In Bangladesh most of school and college has uniform. But it's not strict at all. Both of government and private school school have decided to which colors and which type of clothing and shoes are allowed. Some school and college has uniform strict rules too. But only few school. Most of female students choose modest clothes over modern clothes expect some Elite areas of cites. Because our society are conservative. It's basically long shocks with lace ribbon tight in knee and full sleeve and a tie or neck scarf. Some muslim students choose neck scarf as choose neck scarf as head scarf. Because other type of head scarf are not allowed.
I remember in my non-uniformed elementary school, 2nd or 3rd grade maybe, the teacher actually gave us a survey about how we'd feel about switching to uniforms, and turned it into a persuasive writing prompt. Even then I thought it just seemed odd that they were asking us, and trying to find out what the data suggested as the better choice, finding zilch. Loved this episode because I've been waiting for the answer to this question for ~15 years! Also worth mentioning that I recently read an article about girls in Japan rebelling against uniform requirements because some are not even allowed to wear long socks with the knee length skirt, EVEN in freezing temperatures! Those poor kids :(
Just want to mention most schools, at least here in the UK, require a school PE (Gym) Kit or have strict rule about them where it has to be all black with no logos. On top of that most cost on average around £100 in the UK, since most schools require you to buy from specific stores that sell kits with the schools logo.
Honestly, as someone who was in a private school till 3rd grade. Uniforms didn't help at all. At that school, if something was even a tiny bit off with your uniform, you would get yelled at. So there we times I was more worried that everything was at the exact place it should be then what I was learning. So, yeah, they don't help at all, and I was bullied more there than I was when I moved to public school.
I half agree. My school has a uniform, but I kind of like it because I don’t have to worry about what to wear. I used to go to a school without uniforms, and it wasn’t bad, exactly, but sometimes I would get stressed about what to wear and become self-conscious, and I don’t have to worry about that anymore.
My school had the uniform policy in circulation when I attended, mainly because it was a private school. However, the uniforms only stayed valid for around 3 years, so the "hand me down policy" was not allowed. I remember hearing a lot of parents complain how they could not afford to have to pay how many $100's for uniforms every school year. I guess since the tuition was over 7 grand a year, they just assumed that we could all afford it. From what I've heard now, there has been a mass exodus from the school due to the price of maintaining there, so if anyone says uniforms are for bridging the gap between low and high income families, they're lying!
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Teaser] | 05-12-24](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P5Uto6e453w/mqdefault.jpg)
Honestly, the more this channel shows, the more I realize that this was possibly the best choice for a fourth channel. Im definitely excited for whats to come.
Honestly book or song theory was the one I was betting on.
@@justalittleguy4144 Unfortunately both of them were too difficult to do
@@justalittleguy4144 i was thinking it was gonna be space theory lmao
I mean Meme theory was taken by LIMC sadly...
@@ObsidianKingSlade well, you can insert that in film theory, even tho its a book, ehh-
I went to an all-girls Catholic school with uniforms, and I can tell you it's not just the brands of the uniform elements that influenced social standing in the students, but the way you wore it - how much is your shirt tucked in, how much is your collar popped, how many shirt buttons are undone? In a sense that was a way for students to express themselves, but it was pretty limited and "othered" some of us who didn't like that style.
Essentially do you remember that Fairly Odd Parents episode where they all turned into grey blobs, but some of them still considered themselves "greyer and blobbier" than the rest? Yeah, that.
what a callback lol
I love that analogy. Bravo.🎉
I'm my school there was a complex system about how the pin on the skort is worn and what it meant. All I remember is that no pin meant you're pregnant.
At my school it was the “how much do you roll your skirt?” 😂 mind you- rolling the skirt was against the uniform. I was definitely “other” in the eyes of some students, but overall I think my school was pretty non cliquey. But that may also be that I just didn’t care.
Awesome analogy. Great episode of Fairly Odd Parents!
As a working class Brit, I would also love to point out that my school didn’t have the stipulation clothing had to fit, so my mom bought me oversized shirts, jumpers and blazers to grow into and only my skirts tended to fit so I was still bullied for being ‘poor’
rip
At least save money
Yeah that is definitely a thing.....
EXACTLY! EITHER WAY WE STILL GET BULLIED
Cap
My biggest issues i had with uniforms in school were; teachers/staff disagreeing on uniform policies and changing them too often, and the fact that you also needed a gym uniform for PE, and got graded on whether or not you wore the right gym clothes (which is better than doing PE in a regular school uniform i guess, but not by much)
starting to feel lucky that u can just wear whatever for pe in my school even though they have a pe shirt
69th like!
I didn’t have a general uniform but I did have one for PE. I think it’s pretty common to have PE uniforms.
@@ganymedehedgehog371It’s pretty common in South Africa
I hated gym because I'd have to change out if my coat and tie into shorts and a t-shirt 🫤
I wore uniforms in elementary and middle school.
1. No one bought 5-6 uniforms, they bought perhaps 2-4 and washed them constantly.
2. While the school did sell the uniform themselves, you were allowed to buy whatever solid color collar shirt (white, navy or light blue) and solid color slacks (dark blue or black)
Taking those variables into account you can totally thrift shop and save
Note: I commented early, so point 2 is moot.
I agree here. In our school, wednes was wash day so could wear civilian clothes so you can buy 2 or 3 then jst wash them on wednes. Also there are tailoring shops that can make the school uniforms and even cheaper if you supply the fabric then just pay for the labor. Also if u have older siblings go to that school then hand me downs are still possible.
On Wednesdays here, we wear track clothing, and we use alternating school uniforms while we wash them.
When I was middle and elementary school, we also bought 2-3 uniforms and washed them a lot. Sadly the clothes were so specific everyone had to go to this one store that had such expensive prices.
Same but I would be told I’m wearing almost the same clothes every day
also, if you live with older brothers or older sister, families with lower revenue can also weasley their uniforms and pass them down to cut the overall price of uniform
I go to school with a uniform, and one of the most annoying things about uniforms was that girls were forced to wear skirts, even if it was really cold, the girls were freezing their legs off. Also I end up never buying 6 outfits- I just have 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts and a separate pair for fridays. No one buys 6 outfits.
well, why would one have more of any piece of outfit? back when i went to school, i'd only buy one shirt and trousers, with a coat for winter. went in them every day.
My school has everyone wearing suits and girls can have skirts if they want as well but the most annoying this is the tie.
@@ribosomerockeryou need to wash your clothes, and multiple washes a week cost money. Same goes for using a dryer, which is straight up uncommon outside of the US anyway.
@@Illamdalt That is mean and terrible, I think someone's parents should make a report about this to the headteacher. In winter, our school allows us to wear a black jumper underneath our blazer.
The Mention Of 6 Outfits for me made 0 sense, I did the exact same as you and just washed my trousers every 3-4 days.
12:20 Agreed. When I went to schools with uniform policy, it honestly did not change much about bullying and wealth gap- it's just that kids were able to detect wealth/poverty in other ways. From brand name school bags (and whether you bought a new backpack every year or not), to winter coats, gym shoes, school lunches, what you did on the weekends, etc. It didn't matter if it was a school with a specific uniform store, vs having a general wardrobe guideline like khakis + navy blue polo, if there's a wealth gap then it'll be figured out eventually. Poor kids that had to wash the same 2 shirts also definitely stood out from rich kids who had 7 to rotate, as the poor kids had shirts that were rattier looking and more yellowed.
You just pick it up from how they talk, or present themselves. Higher the income, the more npc/clean they seemed.
I shared this with my parents because we’ve been having this argument since I was in middle school. I wore uniforms from K-Sophomore year of HS. Always hated them and in my experience, yes all you said MatPat is the case. Just because you’re all wearing the same thing it doesn’t automatically promote acceptance. Kids will always find something else to pick on.
What were you're parents reactions?
I went to a K-12 school where uniforms were required, and everyone I talked to hated them or at least disliked them. Students absolutely found ways to differentiate class, such as designer shoes, bags, headbands, and jewelry. There was still appearance-based bullying, and many girls’ self-esteem suffered because the uniforms were ill-fitting. The uniforms had to be a particular brand, and we would be punished by teachers if we were wearing the incorrect brand, so it was also very expensive. There was a uniform resale shop at the school, but it was in a room off of the main hallway and being seen going into it could be a point for bullying. Personally, I also took a while to develop my sense of style after being out of school, because I never got to develop it while in school.
Develop your sense of style? Talk about vain, sheesh. J/k.
We are unconscious when we are asleep or fainted.
When we are unconscious, we have no thoughts, no emotions, and cannot see the world.
When we are conscious, we know everything. Consciousness is thoughts, emotions, and everything in the world.
This consciousness is one.
Will consciousness be split in two? Consciousness is not divisible.
Do you feel two consciousnesses when talking to a friend? Consciousness is felt only as one.
Consciousness is one. I am Conscious and I am the World.
Gospel of Thomas
"For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one."
Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live."
"For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness."
Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup?
Don't you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?"
Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained.
Split a piece of wood; I am there.
Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."
A [person said] to him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me."
He said to the person, "Mister, who made me a divider?"
He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I'm not a divider, am I?"
lol sucks for you. i could wear whatever i wanted
@@whiterabbit9938 when you don’t contribute anything to the conversation:
@White Rabbit War? What do you mean by that? I was just saying that your previous comment was off-topic and contributed nothing to the conversation. Not saying you can’t do that, but why would you comment that on a video about school uniforms on a comment on said topic?
Realistically, there's also the factor that seeing someone else who has the same style as you or has merch from a fandom you like makes it easier to make friends, form bonds, and generally be more social. It's a lot easier to judge if someone could be a potential friend if I see them wearing a Game Theory backpack or shirt, rather than a uniform.
this!
Exactly. I went to a school with uniforms and had no idea that a girl I saw every week day liked the same video game series as me until I saw her out of uniform one day. I wasn’t really socially outgoing and while I did get a great education I wonder if perhaps without uniforms if maybe I could have connected a bit more socially.
That's how I made my first friend in middle school. He was wearing a Naruto T-shirt, I also like anime. Although i don't watch Naruto, we bonded over that.
Exactly
I have a game theory backpack and that's why my now friends stopped me in the hallway to become friends with me. Made going into high school that much easier.
I went to school in England with uniforms, and there was still teasing or bullying over uniform, specifically bags and more importantly, skirts. If you wore a skirt, it would be down to the ankles (or as my friends dubbed it: the nun skirt). To avoid the nun skirt, skirt-wearers would roll up the skirts at the waist, which often made them way too short and would also result in a punishment. Skirt wearers would get made fun of for both the nun skirt and the rolled up skirt.
Haha yes, the girls in our school would also roll their skirts to make them shorter, which was an odd way to achieve status in an all girl school.
Yeah for some reason there are schools out there that think all men are gonna go crazy over a girl showing a shoulder or having a skirt.
Our skirts would get rolled up but we had waist to knee skirts. No one got in trouble over it because no one wanted yo fight with the girls in my school
Honestly I'd rather have been bullied at school because of my clothes than my disability.
Fun fact, the funding for the studies showing uniforms having positive effects on grades come directly from the companies that make or sell the uniforms. It would be like Hershey funding a study to see if chocolate is better for you then vanilla. What do your think the results of that study are going to be?
Not true tho . I dealt with mean girls at the school wearing uniforms
This is so true
Funding a study doesn't mean they're performing the study. Just like if Hershey funded that study, they can't control the findings, that isn't how studies work, and why we have peer review.
@@redeyesb.dragonite8562I think what they mean is that they can throw enough money to manipulate the end result of the study
@@marksman_1372Facts
Thank you for mentioning the cultural aspect of uniforms because this video shows a very Western perspective on the subject. As an Asian who was educated in catholic schools my whole life, I can attest that no parent or student (except maybe the bougie ones, which make up a tiny percentage of the population) ever questions the need for uniforms. To us, they're convenient, cost-effective, and conducive for learning.
As an Asian I agree!
I’m in the UK and I love my uniform. There’s a pretty strong correlation between students who don’t care about their academic performance and their dislike of school uniforms haha. Most of the criticisms of our uniforms I’ve heard just seem very forced to me.
I'm Asian and went to school in Malaysia. The system was so hyperfocused on making everyone fit the very tight regulartions for uniforms (not just the clothing but also things like the colours of your hairties) that I feel like it got in the way of actual learning.
o.o
Boujee
I was never bothered about wearing a school uniform. In the UK most schools have a uniform, only changing when it gets to college level. That being said, when I did my first year of A level I was allowed to wear my own leather jacket instead of a blazer and I immediately felt more myself than I had in the other 5 years of regular high school
5 years of highschool?
@@bloxburgsisters3172 yeah, in UK high school is year 7- year 11 inclusive
exactly whenever there were own clothes day i felt more confident and jus happier
Fun fact, my school uniform shirt was literally see through! Therefore me and all the other girls at my school couldn’t take off our jumpers in the spring and summer. We also had to wear a tracksuit once a week for P.E however some kids couldn’t afford both, It was easy to tell who was who…
@completevideohere Thx bro, I’ll make pizza tonight
@complete video here BOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Typical anime trope here
Nice
I found out that my school uniform shirt was see-through when a classmate complimented the Tweetie Bird picture on my training bra. I was thankful that I was wearing a bra at all at the age of 10, but otherwise horrified.
As a brit, working-class kids still got bullied with uniforms. Schools didn't require kids to have clothes that fitted, so some parents would by oversized clothes to last longer, or a younger child would wear their older sibling's old uniform. Other students would notice and bully them for being poor because of it. (in private schools ive even witnessed some kids being bullied for wearing uniform items from cheaper stores?? it was insane) Richer kids could also flaunt their wealth in other ways - their school bags, makeup, accessories, shoe/trainer brands, etc, and they'd always make sure to let everyone know about it.. i guess when you're all wearing a uniform, it's the smallest things that begin to matter - but then again, it's Britain, and we have a major classism issue
When we had uniforms my school actually basically exploded because of it. So many students couldn't afford more than one uniform, so they'd start to smell from not having facilities to wash them daily.
I knew one kid in particular and his family could only afford to go to the laundromat once every *month* so he was horribly bullied by other kids. I always got picked on for only having one pair of uniform reg shoes, while wealthy kids would have basically the same shoe but in all three allowsled colors and as many brands as possible.
It was ridiculous and my own personal grades went from a 3.9gpa to a 3.3gpa
The school got rid of it after just two years thankfully
Your school is at least sensible
From the UK, my school was somewhat strict where we were not allowed any jewelry, you couldn't wear a bobble/hair tie that wasn't black or green, you were not allowed to take anything off, and shoes had to be black. My uniform cost £150 for every outfit
However, in College, nobody cared about what a person wore. There were a few comments during the first week or two but after that nobody mentioned anything.
Great to see a video about uniforms!!
i agree! i’m in UK and in secondary we had to have strict uniform but in sixth form i can wear whatever :)
In the uk I have to wear white shoes and unfiform
It's ironic once you realize schools don't actually care about you, just their reputation.
That's not really strict. I think it's like that in every school here.
Dear god I don’t mind uniforms but then I remembered how much money my mother had to spend to get new ones and I had three other siblings
Another thing to consider is that by allowing kids to choose their fashion it also helps those kids find others who share their interests. Wear an anime shirt one day and you can find a couple of other kids who also like anime as well and next thing you know you've made friends. Uniforms prevent that natural socialization, thus reinforcing the isolation that a lot of kids can feel.
Or get yourself to become the target of the class as it happened to me. Let's just say, I hated every single moment of high school.
@@Mikumo91 Understandable. I was bullied horrendously, sadly a school uniform wouldn’t have prevented it.
Solving bullying will take more than just forcing kids to wear the same clothes and call it a day.
@@Ashtari I know. I wrote my thesis about bullying because of all the trauma I went through and hoped it would help me heal if I understand the topic better. Bullies will find a target regardless, so yeah, uniforms alone can't solve the problem, but I still think I would have preferred to have one.
Tshirts could have made that easier, but we did it via our coats/backpacks/stationary/lunchboxes.
Having to wear a uniform didn't stop us from expressing ourselves, it just meant we mostly couldn't do it via our clothing.
The thoughts “I would get bullied if I wear this anime shirt so I shouldn’t wear it” would be much more prevalent than “I might make a few friends if I wear it”
So my high-school experience was pretty interesting, I'm south african and a Muslim. Girls uniform generally consisted of skirts, stocking and shirts and bc I'm Muslim i was allowed to wear thin pants instead of stockings. There's also other uniform for sport activities that some kids wore a lot for example a track suit. Honestly I prefer the uniform cause it was given freely to kids in need cause of older siblings or past students and it also prevented bullying cause of clothes
Gotta add my info as someone who was in a school that required uniforms. I went to a school that was too focused on the school uniform. What was required of me: button up/polo that are the colors of black, white, red or navy blue with one one color and no logo or design. Tan, black or navy blue slacks with the shirt tucked in and, finally, a belt.
One day, I woke up late and had to rush out the door. Well, as I'm running late, I can't find my belt. It reaches a point where I can either keep searching for my belt or I can go to school without one and hope no one notices. I decided going to school was more important so I go without a belt. I got through 3 of the 5 periods of the day when I got caught. Not by my own teacher mind you, by some random teacher whose classroom I had to walk past. They stop me and ask me why I don't have a belt. I explain that I couldn't find it that morning. What does this teacher do? THEY TAKE ME TO THE FRONT OFFICE WHERE I AM KEPT UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY! The uniform was considered SO IMPORTANT to this SCHOOL that the fact that I was missing a BELT meant that I WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO TO CLASS! I WASNT ALLOWED TO BE EDUCATED AT MY SCHOOL THAT DAY BECAUSE I WAS MISSING A PIECE OF LEATHER AROUND MY WAIST! The fact that the uniform took precedence over my education is ridiculous.
Yeah, like, who are you hurting if you don't wear a specific unimportant piece of accessory for just one school day? The school image? No passerby is going to pay that much attention to students. If anything,the teacher is just trying to exert their authority over you as a way to cope with their miserable underpaid life. The sad truth is, not all teachers join schools out of passion to teach. Some are forced and unhappy with it, so they try to make the most out of their authority like some police officers or army sergeants.
as a Dutchman, here in the Netherlands we don't have school uniforms aside from the really expensive private schools *perhaps.*
As a victim of bullying myself, clothing doesn't really matter. Bullies are always going for the lowest-hanging fruit, the most obvious 'issue' you have. For me, that was my hair colour (dark, blazing red, aka the rarest hair colour in the world) and my ADHD. If your appearance is not abnormal, they will focus on your behaviour. A boy in my class in middle school was bullied because he would bite his pens to the point of them spilling ink all over him... *constantly.* A girl in a side class of mine in high school was bullied because of her voice and the way she styled her hair.
i can't imagine getting bullied for having something that is genuinely unique and beautiful. actually I can, because jealousy is a helluva drug. seriously, dark red hair? man's walking around with blood hair and puny mortals are just seething with envy at their own pathetic lack of power. but I digress. in my personal opinion, red hair is the most attractive color of hair. if it weren't for all that stigma about redheads having no soul, their rizz would be so powerful that none on earth could resist it.
yeah, 99% of korean middle schools and highschools have school uniforms but serious bullying still happen and things like expensive padded coats gain popularity even with school uniforms
What i really like about uniforms is how you don't actually have to get six. I'm currently going to high school and i have just two + the gym uniform, and i just wash the three on the weekends. With uniforms, no one notices i'm repeating outfits, while if i used normal clothes i would maybe repeat an outfit since i don't have a ton of clothes and get bullied.
yes!! we had three colors (red, light blue, & navy blue) for tops we could wear and two (navy blue & khaki) for pants/skirts…tbf i was little so no one cared a whole lot but it was so easy to just rotate them especially because i lived in a low income household so we didn’t have much to work with
i had three sets plus a PE uniform IIRC
Although, due to the cost, unlike with t-shirts from the clearance section of Primark, you can't get six, and for some families, especially with the electricity bill crisis here in Britain, you might only be able to wash said uni at the weekend. So everyone can see how your one or two sets of uniform get muddier and muddier throughout the week. The bullying is just as bad
I did a similar thing but without a uniform. I only had 2 pairs of jeans 1 light and 1 medium. I would wear different shirts and It just looked like I had a few similar color jeans.
lol i have like one set of uniform and no one notices, the only reason i get bullied is because im trans
Thank you for mentioning the costs of the uniforms. Once I was talking to my mom and uniforms I used to have to wear came up. She told me that she never liked the uniforms because of the cost and the fact that I still needed clothes outside of school. She said it was like I had two different wardrobes she had to keep up with, and I couldn't simply get my older brother's hand me downs because even though I was younger, I was bigger, and couldn't fit his clothes.
No one in my entire school career actually had 6 school uniforms. You had either 2 or 3. You can wear the same outfit for 3-4 days y’know. Imagine the amount of laundry you’d have to do if you put on a fresh uniform everyday?
Same!! I can't imagine buying 6 outfits 😭
such things do not exist on our household as we buy 5 ones for EACH year
@Void Nexus same, we buy several school uniforms for every year and we cycle them every day. Besides, we do laundry every day anyways cuz we're a big family and we have the appropriate appliances and hired help for the job
For my 4 years of high school I only had 5 shirts and 3 bottoms
Same here, I only have 1 outfit for a whole week
Biggest problem with uniforms was always the lack of inclusion for anyone above Medium sizes, if you had to custom order a bigger size it wound up costing you more money than just the normal uniforms and they usually looked/felt terrible regardless
What are medium sizes?
@@isakle8474 Medium
@@isakle8474 What do you think?
YES.
@@Moald l think that this would be a lot easier if you could just answer my question
Been watching you since 2013 and this is by far my favorite video. As a lower income student who had to wear a uniform, I can 100% confirm I would wear parts of it on everyday outfits. My polo to the grocery store, my shorts to get my hair cut, etc. this video is super insightful and well researched and I love how it addresses the issues of the uniform monopoly without being divisive. Great job theorist team!
Another aspect I would be interested in you revisiting if you ever do revisit this episode is the cost of uniforms in other countries. Here in the states, schools requiring a uniform is not particularly common, meaning that there is a much smaller market for such things. Aside from just the cultural differences between the US and Japan might affect how uniforms impact communal behavior, I would be curious to see how the prominence of school uniforms in Japan has affected their market for them and the price of uniforms within the country.
Agreed! Most schools here in Hong Kong have school uniforms; honestly, I don't find the uniforms wrong or bad! There may be times when it feels restricted or tight, but it is also the perfect choice to wear your PE uniform to go out shopping. Hope Matpat make a theory on different cultures, and various school uniforms!
Yes! As an Australian, pretty much all schools have uniforms, however the cost of them varies significantly between private and public schools. In public schools, you can pretty much get away with a cheap polo shirt and pants/dress in the relevant school colours. Walk into any Big W or Kmart and you’ll find an area in the kids clothing section full of the local primary school’s colours. Private schools are more like what’s discussed in this video - private schools with strict uniforms you must buy from their vendor.
In South Africa, school uniforms are in every school i know of, and most schools have special shirts that should only be worn on fridays, which are only sold by the school, at a higher price than it probably should be, and every few years they change the design in order to make even more money. Also, when i was in matric (South Africa's equivalent to the US's high school senior) each of us had to buy a custom pullover with our name on the front, which we can only use for that year. and these pullovers are much more expensive than the pullovers and jerseys (sweaters in the US) the lower grades buy
The uniforms are different per school and expensive. You should look up the price of an elementary school backpack in Japan. It's crazy.
@@gnu740 I have seen an increase in public schools require the school logo on money articles of clothing eg tshirt and pants dress plus the skirts being a specific plaid that you cannot find elsewhere
My experience in Australia is that uniforms helped to hide the wealth gap because theres only one uniform store that most schools source their uniforms from and for a reasonably cheap price. We'd all style it differently too which is pretty cool. There were school beanies, scarfs, coats, short and long sleeves, pants and shorts, untucked or tucked.
Australian as well and found the same. You definitely couldn't tell who had money and who did.
As for cost I think his numbers are off. I don't agree with having to buy 6 uniforms. Even now, as a parent, the uniform shop suggested I buy only one winter pinafore and two shirts for my daughter.
Also I'm guessing second hand uniforms are a lot more common here. My daughter's school offers second hand uniforms for a gold coin donation and the quality is checked before they're sold.
Aussie aswell, I doubt anyone bought 6 uniforms, and yeh it helped hide the wealth gap, but I don't really know anyone that really cared how much your clothes cost.
Ayo fellow aussies, my experience going from a public to a small private school was that you could only really tell the difference the private. My lord the rich kids at my school would always flauunt it with jewellery & watches & other expensive accessories (even though none of them were allowed in the rules).
Overall though I really liked my uniform, it was pretty & decently comfy. Plus I suspect the aesthetics side is why so many yanks without uniforms like the outfits they see in anime so much, idk for sure tho :/
not all schools are like that, the suburb my school is in has all the other local school uniforms in a store but not mine, and theyre bloody expensive, with it being around $50 for a pair of pants that dont even fit me properly that I need to alter. they have also banned beanies, and have minimal accessories to pick from
Yes exactly, he is talk about America but here In Australia it’s not that bad.
You didn't mention it, but schools can also force out low income families but requiring a more expensive uniform. I know this is pretty common in the UK, but I also experienced it in a private school in Canada.
Not from my experience. I migrated to uk from poland and we barely had any money so we got a fund for my uniform. Changed schools, had to buy new one each year lol (we already had money then).
From my experience the school usually makes a program or fund in order to help out the low income families. I understand this isn't the case for everywhere though.
There are plenty of funds for uniform, from councils or schools themselves, in the UK to help lower income family. Uniform swap shops are rapidly opening all over the country since most uniforms are outgrown whilst still in fantastic condition
Remember my mom buying my uniforms 3 sizes too big so she didn't have to buy it every single year
The points on individuality vs unity is amazing. I’m from England and all schools have a required uniform (excluding a handful of outliers), and the difference is baffling.
When I left and went to college, my wardrobe exploded. I was finally able to ditch my blazer and tie, drop the smart shoes, and finally express myself. I went from a blazer to denim jacket, shirts to tie dye and crop tops, I even got a pan flag belt to replace the black belt I had before to properly express myself.
I always recommend schools to remove uniforms in general. My confidence soared when I left school, and I partially thank being able to wear my own outfit for that.
The year I graduated, pants were finally introduced as an alternative part of the female uniform. Only issue: instead of just grey dress pants like the male uniform that you could get for $15 at multiple stores around here, it had to be a specific pant with the school logo printed on it that cost $90. Second-hand ones now go for at least double the price of male uniform pants, usually more.
$90!? Your school is an actual scam.
Wow
@griffy ye Clickbait spam bot. Don't click the link.
@@Nabie2 What even is the vid (I don’t wanna click it)
@@goldenwarrior1186 It's a video about making pizza quick, apparently? Had a very intense seeming intro and that's as far as I got
I had several friends in high school that had attended schools that required uniforms for jr high/elementary. Most of the girls I knew hated that they had to wear it because they believed they were sexualized even worse by men in public. On the way to and from, lunch breaks etc they’d get so many comments and cat calls from men. While I know this happens regardless of the uniforms, they believed the “school girl” look made it worse and they’d get very targeted comments relating to the uniforms. And a few of my friends found it very difficult having to wear skirts when they identified less with feminine clothes but there was no option allowed for them to wear pants.
E
@yo Clickbait spam bot. Don't click the link.
as a mostly closeted trans guy, not being able to wear pants in school is horrible i hate it so much. whenever i get into a new school, i'm not wearing a skirt even if i get in trouble for it. it's not that i hate skirts (i quite like wearing them, actually) but in public they just make me uncomfortable and remind me more of the fact i look like a girl.
Japan actually made Female Only carts for trains for that reason alone cause look up "School Boy" vs "School Girl" you'll see the sexualization in girls hard. Japan has a porn genre just on taking photos underneath girls skirts. Even though they know that School uniform = underage girl. They don't care. It's vile. The women in Japan reported that they have less catcalls and touching once out of the uniform
Dude, I hated my school uniform. I always got dorkier looking clothes than my peers and I was ALWAYS insecure about the other girls who looked better in the uniform. I was so skinny in grade school and my uniform always fit me funky. I feel like being able to express yourself through clothing and wearing clothing you’re confident in may help girls and boys build confidence even before puberty.
sorry for your loss
True But I actually think it’s the opposite especially if you’re poor and you cannot afford clothes I feel like it protects you from being bullied in the way because everybody’s dressed the same with just a hint of expression to them the thing is most schools don’t allow you to add expression to you maybe some bright colored shoes or maybe a bowl in your hair or a necklace if you’re a guy or whatever that’s where I disagree but I definitely would prefer uniform for those who are poor
I agree, I went to a secondary school which had a uniform but the attached sixth form didn’t have a uniform, I was beyond lacking confidence in secondary, but as soon as I could choose what I wanted to wear and had enjoyment in showing my personality through my outfits, I was on top of the world, but then again, I dropped out ultimately, but that’s for other reasons
@@Inkpinkierosie did you even watch the video
@@tiffanyamber6718disagree. I loved my school uniform.
Here in Argentina we essentially use lab coats as uniform, you can wear whatever you like under it but you have to wear the lab coat above it. As far uniforms go, I think it's not that bad, it's only one very simple piece of cloth so you can get one pretty cheap, it's used above your actual clothes so no need to wash it that often and since underneath you can wear whatever, you can go to school with really comfy clothes. It's also just a lab coat, there's little room for "my blue skirt is better than your blue skirt"
That actually sounds like a goo idea
The cost of uniforms gets even worse when you take into account that lots of private schools call for both a summer and winter variant of their uniforms. On top of that the income gap between students becomes obvious the moment the uniforms begin to show wear and tear, the lower income students cant afford to replace their uniforms and all the other students will notice, speaking from experience. That's not even going into the pressure on low income parents to buy informs for more then one kid.
A relative of mine was the vice principal in a specific school, they told me the one reason they still have uniforms is because it's too dang profitable for the owner of the school. Elsewise they'd ditch it, but despite the OK price of their uniforms, the manufacturing cost is so dang cheap, it's practically a steal for the owner to enforce selling it to students.
Uniforms are all fun and games until the school tries to make you change a fundamental part of your personality. I grew out my hair because I had grown sick and tired of buzzcuts, while I went to a private middle school that had a standardized uniform. The school wasn't the most strict but during 8th grade my hair became "Unacceptable" to the school. I was repeatedly told that I had to cut my hair, but since I was leaving at the end of the year I never did. The schools can't even let students be unique within the confines of the uniform and try to stamp out all possible cases of individuality.
Jesus, everyone responsible for policy at that school deserves to be jobless.
“Fundamental part of your personality” my man there’s a middle ground between having a buzz cut and having long hair.
@@sourorange yeah but what's the problem with the long hair?
This is why I'm a supporter of uniforms but not dresscodes
@@AidanXavier1 yeah exactly. also girls are allowed to grow their hair without restrictions.
Thank you so much for bringing up this topic! Another point I wanna bring up is when I went to a school that had mandatory school uniforms, I never learned how to dress myself. When I moved to another country where school uniforms are basically unheard of, I had no idea what I liked and what to wear. I had no sense of style cause I never had a chance to develop my own. Which meant that I was the weird kid with bad fashion choices. It took me years to develop a personal style and years were I was teased and ignored. Uniforms ruin your chance to develop your own personal style.
Wow, again, we are talking about clothes. Uniform did not inhibit your "personal style". Many rebel while wearing uniform, or plan in advance their "personal style". Uniform actually allows you to think about this.
If a higher authority is telling to to wear the same BS everyday, and if you’re like me (and probably this user) you might wear the same outfit throughout your daily life or you might never get a chance to change out of that outfit that your school told you to wear to their “top-tier” school, you would never be able to come up with your own style.
@lucasnandlal3121
I think part of the idea of uniforms is it makes it easier for the school. Less monitoring if the person's clothes are considered controversial, or too revealing. Less trouble from news and parents when someone is disciplined for being out of uniform vs Little MattPat was sent home because his Tshirt said 'Hail Seitan" and someone thought it was too controversial.
In the school I went to, the boys uniform was black trousers with a button-down shirt, a colour-coordinated tie you could only buy from the school and a blazer (either one made by the school, or another one with a patch ironed onto it)
When it got hot in the summer, it was extremely difficult to cool down, especially in class because you had to keep your uniform on entirely.
Luckily the sixth form had a slightly less strict policy. The requirement was you had to wear a 2-piece or 3-piece suit to school every day, and had to come in for the full day every day, even if you didn't have classes that day. Needless to say, there were the same difficulties with temperature.
They also regulated what coats and bags you were allowed to have.
For context, I went to school in England
Revealing lol. In the SU where ALL the girls were issued similar dresses - they just shortened them to make them mini.
Short skirts are revealing tho and I even had to wear them on cold days
@@Missmagazinebura fleece leggings. Or knitted leggings in the past.
@@annasolovyeva1013 white stockings
13:52 "Choosing your own clothes is empowering. It gives you a sense of independence, and it helps you express you unique identity. Your favorite fandow, your preferred colors"
My mother chose everything I wore because my grades were better then my older sister so they had 'Hope' for me to succeed. My mom chose clothing in the 'size' SHE wanted me to be, in the style SHE wanted me in, and in the colors SHE wanted them in. But when I got my own job and my own money, I donated most of that clothing and buaght my self clothing in MY favorite colors and MY favorite styles and MY right size when I gained a bit of weight I felt beautiful and empowered. I felt amazing being able to finally express myself the way I wanted.
All power to you, bro
@@ndyoyo1905 Thanks Bro
I just wore the cheap stuff. Fashion? Ha! I literally wore the same jeans from freshman year of high school into college. Same 4-5 pairs. They were…so tight.
Just wait till you can buy your own favorite type of pizza
@@amyx231 omg thats basically me
Im from Australia and the idea of having 6 different uniforms for everyday is crazy to me. I had maybe 1 dress, 1 pair of shorts and 2 shirts in primary school, and in highscool we just had our summer uniform and winter uniform, and you had to buy the specific uniform with the school logo on it; you cant find the uniforms anywhere other than the uniform shop so the uniforms are truly equal. There were also very strict rules about the type of shoes you wear, and you werent allowed nail polish or unnatural coloured hair dyes, or necklaces or bracelets or anything.
Yeah and often those uniform shops are heavily marked up so the school can make more profit. I remember paying $150+ for new uniforms, which is hardly fair to less well off families.
My thoughts exactly. I believe me getting two pairs of uniforms, including a button up shirt, skirt, socks and tie costed about $250. That’s only for my everyday uniform tho. Luckily I’m still able to wear my sports uniform I got all the way back in like- grade 7 🗿
I live in country with no school uniforms but i was in Australia for a student exchange and i had a uniform there. I had one dress, one skirt and blazer and 2 shirts if i remember correctly? I quickly had to catch up on the little differences you could make, how to do your tie and (un)tuck the shirt... I felt it makes students hide an important part of who they are in school.
It's the same in the UK, I have 1 blazer and 3-4 shirts and pairs of pants.
Same here and after lockdown my family just brought one uniform
I only had uniforms during my elementary years, but I like how they did it honestly. Instead of having a company that made them, they just said “white top, navy blue bottoms” and it game families a opportunity to by from places that matched their price range while still making all of us look pretty darn identical. I still prefer to be able to dress how I want, but props to my elementary school I guess 🤷
At first my family got around the recurring cost of our uniforms and PE kits with hand-me-downs, until our primary and high schools both got into the practice of changing their uniforms and kits ever so slightly every few years.
Even when the change was as trivial as slightly tweaking the arrangement of the logo, teachers would drop detentions on you for daring to use the old uniforms, truly the most egregious of crimes(!)
With 4 children going through school and each needing a uniform and PE kit, our parents were buying anywhere between 2 and 8 new school outfits every few years, with the old ones being made valueless so the most we could do was give them to charity.
Unless those schools were getting pay cuts from the uniform suppliers' soaring profits, they were lying through their teeth about their uniforms being a cost-saving measure; it was all a disgusting waste of money that badly needed to be spent elsewhere.
Yes, the uniform tweaks. My school also did that and it always made the uniform more ugly imo
I wore uniforms throughout my elementary school career. The uniforms were different depending on grade level (I went to a K-12 school) which meant we had to get new ones every year. They were hella expensive too for just the skirts and blouses, which didn't include the shoes, socks, ties and hair accessories we had to buy separately. My mom always complained about how much more expensive the uniforms were to regular school clothes, so the theory that issuing uniforms saves money is total bupkiss.
E
Absolutely this. T-shirs and jeans. You already own them.
It probably depends on the school.
I feel that at my high school I go to now we have to buy shirts which are about $25 a shirt, and you need the least a few. However, at my school in 11th and 12th we have academies which requires new uniform as well, and are expensive. They are also trying to go to shorts that need to be embroidered with a V on the bottom, which is I think an extra $3-5.
at my school you could get the whole school uniform for like $450
I started at a NZ school recently this year after coming from America and I honestly believe that a uniform is okay as long as it’s done well. Our school uniform has many individualizing qualities so that students can still have a say in how they stole their outfits. For example, we have the base uniform of a shirt, skirt/shorts, socks, and black shoes (everything from the uniform is from the uniform shop except for the shoes). In addition to these required elements, there are also a few jackets to pick from that students can stile however they like. Although most girls wear the skirt with the shirt left out no jacket and ankle socks, i wear the shirt tucked into the skort, with the long navy socks and rain jacket. When it comes to the PE uniform, it’s just the shirt and shorts with the student’s choice of sports shoes. The shirts flip the other way around to show the whanau (family in Māori) colors, Honda like the houses from Harry Potter. In conclusion I don’t think uniforms are a bad thing as long as they’re done well. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. GOODBYE!
One of the main reason we used uniforms in our school was “Avoiding gang colors” but guess what color our uniforms were, Red and Blue
🤣🤣🤣
*Bloods and Crips want to know your location.*
Irony at its finest.
😂
My uniform was also red and blue colours.
As an English student with disabilities, wearing uniform was extremely stressful. They acted like I'd killed a puppy when I said it would be better for me to not wear uniform. I ended up in a school that accepted my disabilities and let me wear comfortable clothes and I passed my grades, better than fine. All my life I was told I'd be a failure just because I couldn't wear school uniform and I believed them, now I'm older I'm baffled by why they put so much pressure on struggling child over something as silly as a uniform.
I really hope the issue gets better for those with issues like mine.
i am dealing with a simeler thing, i have sensory issues and the uniform is constantly rubbing me the wrong way. it makes me uncomfortable and destracted as well as destressed, it sucks.im glad you got out of it
you didnt kill a puppy?
Personally I'm indifferent to uniforms since I'm an Australian high school student and I've been wearing uniforms since kindergarten.
Well there's nothing wrong with killing a puppy.
@@uniformitydubliner9691 it seems like your morality compass is pointing the wrong way...
I wore school uniform growing up in China and I personally loved them, since they were comfy and I didn’t have to worry about picking clothes every morning. For this reason, a lot of us wore our school uniforms on the no-school days as well. It also did contribute to a sense of school pride, especially if you are taking the bus or subway, you kinda get a sense of whose school’s territory you are entering at each stop, judging by the uniforms of the students coming on board. Our uniforms were all made of the same materials, but we did personalize which item to wear and how they were worn, which was kinda fun. And again, they are super comfy. I still wear them as my pajamas lol.
Cool!
I suspect China has a more 'community' focused culture vs the US emphasis on individuality? I think I'd be fine with a comfy uniform that can be mix and matched a bit, but only if it was part of my whole educational culture, not something just a few school age groups wear.
I love that you still use the uniform for pajamas!
Being able to customize them is a huuuuge deal. I think I would have been okay with mine too if I could do that.
@@FairbrookWingates I personally don’t care if a uniform is comfortable or pretty cause I am just too lazy to pick an outfit everyday and yes I am from China
I wish my uniforms were like that, the country and school I attended had strict dress codes and it was extremely uncomfortable or looked decent :cc
My kids go to a lower income, high minority elementary school that has a uniform and last year they floated the idea of eliminating them. The parents were overwhelmingly against it. The uniform is like 3-4 colors of polo and blue or khaki pants/shorts/skirts. I'm not sure how it is in higher levels but for us with kids under 10 it has made getting dressed way easier because there are very few options. This causes way less fights over clothing compared to days they don’t have to wear the uniform like weekends when they can wear whatever they want. It also has made shopping easier at least in the choice option as the only thing that can fuss about is which color to go with. My opinion may change as they get older but at least for now I’m glad we have the uniform requirement.
12:20 I completely agree with Steph. As someone who went to schools with a moderately strict Uniform Policy they don’t really help much in terms in the social aspect.Every grade I was in from Kindergarten to 12th grade had some form of uniforms with varying strictness on them.If Kids couldn’t flaunt the style they had with clothes it would be with sneakers,Bookbags or Phones. So lower income kids would still be ostracized by more wealthier kids.
We weren't allowed sneakers or other vanity stuff, even if it was a very pricy school with only students from wealthy families.
I used to go to a school with a mandatory uniform. It started out as your typical formal attire, but after a couple of years and thanks to high student demand we got stuff like hoodies and polo shirts. Still, because of the fact that you go to school for most of your week, month, year, whatever, I practically didn’t have clothing for normal occasions.. because I simply didn’t need it.
I have actually been told at my school that the main reason why its mandatory to wear school uniforms and ID is to ensure that no one wears "inappropriate" or "distracting" clothes and also to ensure the school's safety so no stranger could enter the school unnoticed.
Do faculty wear uniforms too?
Then you just simply make a rule against that, if that’s the case? Such rules do exist in places
whats stopping a stranger from just getting their own uniform
@@Cat-ix6jy It's much harder to find loopholes around "you must wear this" over "you cannot wear this"
Is it weird that I wear 1 uniform everyday?
One of the schools I went to had a pretty awesome uniform. A half sleeve yellow and blue striped shirt with tie and a pencil skirt with a side slit all the way to my mid thigh. This is the most advanced uniform I ever had. Elsewhere, it was pleated skirts.
I’ve been looking forward to this one, I go to a school that wears uniforms and they’re very strict about it. We even get in trouble if we have the wrong socks. I just don’t completely understand the reasoning behind uniforms.
Even though I never went to a school that required uniforms I never understood the reasoning behind them in the first place
We would get a citation for having the wrong socks, shoes, jacket types, and even our skirts being too short/long
Same. If our socks were too short we would get in trouble
Seriously!
My primary school was so strict with girls wearing skirts and short socks, even in -13°C! It was absolute torture!!
This is why I'm glad I can at least wear pants in Secondary school..
@@M4t_P4tGT Same here, the uniforms are so expensive as well so it’s always so difficult to replace the skirts. Had a teacher tell me it was too short and to take out the hem, then a couple months later got told it was too long and that I had to buy a new one.
Another point against school uniform is that it doesnt offer a lot if options for students with sensory issues, such as autism. I grew up only wearing uniforms in schools ans I hated it, the textures were all wrong, they were too tight in some areas and too loose in others, and they were overall really uncomfortable and hard to wear. now that I'm in college I can wear what I want, and the lack of sensory issues makes it much easier for me to want to go to school, without a constant assault on my senses
This is a great point! As someone on the spectrum myself, I have often disliked the feeling of long-sleeve shirts and always go for loose-ish t-shirts. In the few cases I have had to dress formally, it has always been uncomfortable. I can hardly imagine having to wear that kind of formal wear every day regardless of weather while focusing on classes.
I also have autism and it's the opposite to me I'm so used to just wearing school uniform every day that i wouldn't wear in anything else but a shirt and dress legs. Even something like a difference texture sweater would make me very not comfortable
I can counter that argument with another neurodivergence. I have ADHD, and the three years that I went to a school without a uniform were much more stressful, because of the mental tax that entices putting together outfit, including remembering what pieces do you have, if they're clean at the m moment yo oh needed to wear it, etc.
Whith uniform itb was easier: had 3 or 4 shirts and 2 skirts, didn't need to think o combinations, where did I put the clothes, etc.
It freed a lot of RAM 🤷♀️
The body shaming part was too real. Teachers still find a way to sexualize and criticize my uniform because of my body type. I was also not the only girl who experienced that. I could be wearing the same thing for months, but ONE day I get in trouble for wearing that same garment
@griffy ye Clickbait spam bot. Don't click the link.
@@Nabie2 Just saying, u don’t have to comment this under every spam bot cuz it’s common sense
@@goldenwarrior1186 To be fair, I almost clicked the link.
Wow, such teachers should not be allowed within a mile of a school! 🤢
If they seriously wanna say that a young female students poorly fitting school uniform is distracting to men, they should be referred to a therapist who specializes in treating pedophiles!
honestly like even with school uniforms in certain 1s it does not help that depending on your body type
plus like
lack of self expression and that kinda stuff
Also the class divide still shows in uniform. I totally agree with the accessories but cleanliness and old looking uniform stood out too. And the fitting as well! I had such bad body image I even got a doctor's note in order to not wear my blazer, as it was too big for me and made me look frumpy.
same, like my school doesn't have a specific outfit we have to wear every day, but even with all of the different options for tops/skirts, they all made me look so chunky, which definitely didn't help with how insecure i was
And also, kids can be cruel. You might be looking just like them but there is still other factors that can show whether u are poor or not.
@@ValentinaReyMartinezThis is so true
School uniforms have always been a sensitive subject for me, honestly that sounds like my own personal nightmare. I am a cross dresser have been since I was two I was quite literally born that way. While sure I was relentlessly bullied for it in elementary school and especially in middle school I don’t know what’s worse getting bullied because of what I wear or being forced to dress as someone I’m not
So true uniforms don't let us express are selves.Especialy when you hate the school.
@@Princess_Blue380you’re not there to express yourself
Honestly I was thinking similarly. As a trans guy, the idea of being forced to wear skirts is horrifying to me. I would hate it and feel so uncomfortable every day of the week.
In my old high school (in Australia) whenever a student asked why we had to wear uniforms we were told it was so teachers could identify who actually went to the school, because there were kids from other high schools who would sneak in. The uniforms didn’t always stop them though, I remember a kid from another local high school who borrowed his friends uniform to sneak in.
why tf they trynna sneak into school??
wouldnt u be tryna sneak out?
That just means uniforms are idiotically pointless as well as a weapon for communists
@@drdoctor9970 They would try to sneak in to vandalize and steal stuff. Because you were more likely to get caught if you did it in your own school, so why not mess with someone else's instead?
Hi, kid that snuck into school here, it was quite easy, went to the local Salvation Army, paid $2 for a jumper and walked in. Why simple I made friends during the summer holidays and they went to the other school, I would sneak in during lunch and hang out with them, only did it once or twice as it was too much effort.
@@drdoctor9970 Everyone is forcing children to shield their expressive sense of style by making them dress EXACTLY THE SAME. When did they NOT?
And even if they didn’t, it’s a no-brainer
Another aspect iv seen from kids who grew up going to private schools, or the occasional public school with uniforms, is a struggle in making choices, especially when it comes to what's appropriate in clothing for different aspects of life.
No lie, as someone with an interest in education I subscribed to this channel specifically because this episode was mentioned in your channel launch trailer. So congrats on really effective marketing. Also congrats on hitting every point I was hoping that you'd bring up. Sadly schools focus far, FAR too much on appearance (in a lot of ways, as you mentioned) and far too little on student's well being. Amazing how educational institutions are so slow to actually try to learn anything isn't it?
As a student who wont grow past 5'1, i think schools should have uniforms, but make them OPTIONAL. so those who like not having to think about what to wear or about buying new clothes every day can wear them, but those of us who have a fashion sense and don't want it stunted by uniform can wear our own clothes, too.
@@JikanHeNoZouhan_NihongoDaigaku no, u.
Literally wtf is this, a bot??
@@IAmAnItalianPizza I can't read engish. あした雨が降ると思います。
@@IAmAnItalianPizza Why do they have Japs on TH-cam posting abo being a massive export of did you really just backspace that and juast left it there because you didn't feel like correcting the syntax??? Wow, oh, what is it. Why is there Japs on TH-cam posting top 10 things foreigners.. It's silly. I can type in here. I need a new account, new credentials every other day. There's no way to tell if the slave-masters have hidden my comments.
What about factoring the fact that most schools that implement uniforms aren't public schools, giving the added cost of tuition into overall cost?
Public school costs: clothes, supplies, extracurricular activities
Private schools: all of the above plus, uniforms and tuition.
Final grade: uniformed : F-
In my experience (from Scotland) i’ve found that it’s still very easy for kids to attempt to flex their designer things with accessories such as earrings glasses and bags. My school uniform is very much just a white shirt with a tie and any black trousers/skirt, so for us uninform isn’t overly expensive but it does mean that it’s on the verge of having no uniform at all
That's interesting, bc in my current school in Australia we have to have the same bag too.
From the Philippines where school uniforms on public schools aren't mandatory, but might as well be. I totally agree, and this is actually what I keep trying to say online. Uniforms are a financial burden, especially in our country where inflation is sky high. Uniforms won't make your math grades go up. And if there is something I learned personally, they don't help you look better. They just make you look like everyone else, which says a lot about the education system here.
As someone who also lives in the philippines I can't disagree with your statement
I came from a private school in the Philippines and the uniforms were mandatory, almost everyone hated it. The boys could take their dress shirt off if they had a white shirt underneath and could get away with wearing black sports shoes but girls all had to have the belt and tie and the right shoes otherwise you'd get scolded.
@@Ennui_v1 I've been there even if I'm in public school 😑
Im from the Philippines too and idk if its just my school but the fabric for our regular uniform is thin and almost see through💀 like you can almost see the undergarments of the female students and the sando of the male students because the fabric was thin, not only that our pe uniforms pants are long and thick and make us sweat more
@@Lunchbox15 that's what actually happened to me just today
Could you do a theory on pointe shoes please? What they are, how they damage feet, and some ways to prevent that. Shoes are apart of fashion, so pointe shoes would be really interesting.
Bot ^^
there are a lot of ballerinas already making vids like that
This would be such a cool topic!
Imagine having then as a school uniform
@@KittyWhite38 yeah but I want to learn more about the history of them and predictions on where they could go in the future. How to make them safer and more comfortable
I went to a school where the uniform was a white shirt and blue skirt/pants but the problem is just like Steph said some kids had expensive clothing while others just got there clothes from target or old navy.
Another problem with the Uniform statistics you didn't mention is selection bias. i.e. the places with Uniforms are often wealthier school districts, particularly private schools. Studies have long shown that students of wealthier parents tend to do better in school, while students from poorer families tend to do worse. So a lot of the statistics that make Uniforms look effective are really only showing that wealthier school districts do better than poorer school districts, something that we already know.
Thats becuase USA has less school uniform rate. Most school dont have uniform whereas if you look at other countries mostly asian. You can see that uniform is better. Depends on country.
I thought only private schools had uniforms until we moved to a place where the public school has uniforms😳
I'm in India and EVERY single school has uniforms, so maybe country is also a factor.
Here in china uniforms are very common.
@@bluesherbet2741 Absolutely! Country is almost certainly a factor, school uniforms are fairly rare in the U.S. so social perception of them is also different.
I always forget how different the uniform situation is in America. In Australia almost all schools have uniforms and this is just excepted. The don’t cost much and I’ve found you only need 2 (if you have a sport uniform that you get to wear on days with inter school sport) or 3 that you wash in the middle of the week. They are also just accepted and keep everyone uniform and equal. It also represents the school and creates some sense of unity that improves behaviour.
Thank you so much for making this video, Matt. It was increadibly validating and honestly a little emotional. In my middle school, we were required to wear uniforms. The principal and other high up staff tried to alleviate any variables by making literally EVERY aspect of the uniforms regulated. Shoes, belts, the embroidery of the logo, jewelry, nail polish. There was no outlet at all for individual expression. Despite all of this effort, the bullying at this school was ruthless. So ruthless that I began experiencing suicidal thoughts and self-harming at only 12 years old. When I got to high school, I no longer needed to wear a uniform and my well being and social life improved 10 fold. I was always a bit of an outcast, and being able to express myself with clothing and style was so important to me and still is to this day. My style is my personal favorite form of artistic expression, and I look back on those middle school days with such sadness. I really hope this message about the reality of uniforms starts to spread so more kids don’t end up like I did. ❤
i fully relate. went to a private school that required uniforms when i was in middle school, also. It wasn't too bad in my case, but it affected my self esteem getting yelled at for having my hair slightly too short, or socks slightly too low, or a dress even an inch too high. Idk if it means anything, but more than half my piers in school got diagnosed with anxiety at young ages and were extreme perfectionists. Like, I got in trouble for laughing before. And for crying. I was in 3rd grade, and I wasn't expected to laugh and cry? hmm I wonder why I tend to bottle my feelings. Hmmmmm
I got picked on because I wasn’t from the same area not because the uniforms.
at 5:40 MatPat talks about buying 6 uniforms, I was flabbergasted! For all of high school I only bought 4 shirts and pants MAX! 6 per years??? What a waste!
Me too bro I buy only 2 (PE and regular days) and it cost 450
As someone who grew up wearing school uniforms in Asia and then went to school in Germany where they are a no go, I've ended up in this weird position where I've experienced both and honestly cannot tell if one is truly worse or better than the other. Although, I personally do kinda prefer uniforms, but that might just be my nostalgia speaking.
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That's exactly how I feel as well.
For me, i kinda like having uniforms more cause i dont have alot of clothes to wear, so having a separate set for school wear helps alot
As someone who goes to not only a school with a uniform (I live in Australia) but also a private Catholic one, I can say that the staff seem to care more about the students' jewelry, hair, and uniform more than they should. Even down to what socks you're wearing lmao. I remember I was yelled at (unnecessarily) to remove my magnet septum piercing, and I was drained trying not to cry for the next hour because of it lol
I got ridicule by both students and teachers because i can't get my skirt to able to follow my height.
The skirt arnt cheap and it was my last year of middle school so my uniform have to be change soon anyway.
I don't want my parent to waste money one it.
I remember one of the teacher called me a long line of "hoe" becuase my skirt just didn't passed my knee.
i had to take my earrings out one week before i could change them, and even though my mother explained to the school that i couldnt do that, i was forced to, and now they arent healed properly. then i bought sleepers because i was allowed them, and had to take them out too, because apparently they were hoops, even though they were sold as sleepers. i also nearly got a detention for having my badges on my school tie in the wrong order.
A septum piercing doesn't really seem appropriate for school, but yelling is so....dramatic. I don't get teachers who go overboard and act mean like that -- do they think raising volume makes them seem more sensible somehow??? 🙃
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I also go to a private Catholic school and on some days they are strict about the uniform. Like yours, they also checked what socks you were wearing. Like, why? If there are new parents coming to see the school I doubt they're going to check for everybody's socks. And I wear long trousers for my uniform, so no-one would see it unless I pulled up my pants.
I have an idea for a theory. Do outfits affect emotions. Will the sleeve length of an outfit make you more or less active (when I where short sleeves compared to long sleeves I feel more active). If you wear bright colors will those colors make you happier than darker color clothing. It probably varies person to person, but are there generally things that match up. Or back to the sleeves, maybe its less of the cloths and more of temperature. Or last idea the air like the more you cover up the less air your skin gets or something.
I always find that I feel more mature when I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt as opposed to a short sleeve. I also feel more athletic when I'm wearing leggings and a tank top.
i personally love the feeling of air on my legs, but i don’t like the air on my shoulders
One version of my schools uniform (Tie, Blazer, Jersey, Skirt, socks, shoes and one blouse) is $710 dollars. That's *one* version of our uniform, not including our P.E uniform, extra blouses, more than one pair of socks, etc etc. In a Family with 5 kids who all needed different sizes, we ended up in my youngest sisters first year spending $3,000 dollars on new uniform items. The fact that in the years where you're doing the most growing and physical developments you're wearing a uniform, where you need most likely at least one or two new items a year, not to mention shoe sizes, etc.
the fact that our beloved MatPat decided to share his nerdy teenage years with us, for the sake of this channel. Youre great man🤣
Well it has been shown on his other channels in the past
Hey, it works repeatedly for John Oliver, of course it's gonna work for a younger and less British-sounding journalist like MatPat....amirite?!
I'm a very individualistic American adult who's lived in Japan for 7 years, and I'm glad it was called out at the end how different the culture and uniform culture is--because the cultural value of them over here is so different, even though they just skate over a lot of the same issues you were mentioning at the end
as an American you can also appreciate that countries that don't routinely wear uniforms have more school shootings.
Isn’t Japan way worse with bullying than America tho?
@@thomasffrench3639 In some aspects, but that's not a direct result of having or not having a uniform.
@@thomasffrench3639That’s Korea,while Japan has a caee of bullying I don’t think it’s any more than the US
I went to uniform schools from 6th-12th grade, so pretty much the entire creating of my fashion sense and identity… And when I went into college I realized how much I hated everything that I owned in my closet. Nothing felt like me.
I also had uniform throughout 6th-12th. I used to be very insecure and uncomfortable dressing up even when I tried my best. Eventually, I became very passionate about fashion and I’m very comfortable in my style now that I’m in college and wear things for myself. I don’t have to wear something nice everyday but I’m confident in what I wear when I do put something together. It just goes to show that there’s probably a lot of outside factors that effect how certain things turn out, more so than may be attributed.
I live in India and till 12th, we have uniform. The only times we were allowed to wear something else was if it was our birthday or the school was celebrating a festival and specifically asked us to dress casual, then we'd show up all dressed up. In one of the schools I went to, we were allowed to wear jeans only on Saturdays with our house tshirt. Other than that, strictly uniform.
Just to add some context: When I went to private school in Japan, we didn't have to go to the store and buy uniforms. We had to go to a certain store to get custom made for every single student so all of us had the same exact uniform down to the texture and quality.
Even then, I would agree that uniforms didn't help us that much. The students that were considered the ugliest were always bullied, just like in America
I went to a private school, and the uniforms seemed to not be benefitting anything, potentially the opposite. We had to buy the uniforms from one specific store that would sell them for around $100, and would give you detention if you wore some not from the store. We had only a few outfits that we had to wear outside of school because we didn't have that many clothes outside of uniforms. They were bad quality and would rip and tear fairly easily, but we couldn't afford new ones so we had to deal with it. Instead of being bullied for what we wear, I was bullied for my size, still giving me self esteem issues to this day, and would actually cause me to miss school more often for fear of being bullied. So my opinion is that uniforms absolutely suck
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For me school uniform is a LIFE SAVER since I really only have 12 pairs of clothes since most of them don’t fit me!
I'm in an international private school, and they're sold for cheap. No one complains, and due to the IB system, different grades are given out based on individual performance where you choose the topic of your writing based on the unit.
I'm not complaining, just mentioning that there are exceptions.
You go to private school you have to expect to wear a uniform. It’s part of the school’s way to make you stand out among other students who do not go to private school.
I went to a school with uniforms from kindergarten to eighth grade, which basically meant that for the majority of my childhood I had no room to experiment with clothes and style. Plus I was still teased for my physical appearance. When I got to high school I felt so insecure and out of place not knowing what to wear and what was considered normal. So I just decided not to try and bring as little attention to myself as possible so hopefully no one would judge me. No one really bullied me for it outright but I would constantly get looked over among friends outside of school. Like strangers would go out of their way to compliment everyone in our group but would ALWAYS ignore me. After awhile that starts to get to you. It made me develop an unhealthy need for validation about my appearance when I finally started dating. I ended up getting more confident and happy with my looks after I started experimenting more outside of school but I still rarely have the opportunity to dress how I’d like and it’s super frustrating. At least I get compliments when I put in effort sometimes though. :/
In Singapore where I come from , in Kindergarten and also in Primary School as well , we have to wear uniforms , and even when I transferred to a special needs school , I also have to wear a school uniform as well . We sadly cannot express ourselves in our own unique way .
One option we discussed in my high school on this subject (as students in a thought experiment) was using graduation gowns as a uniform. It would address the cost and standardization concerns as they are fairly inexpensive to start with and could easily be rented/swapped/traded (with a monthly/annual cleaning fee that would still be well below that $400 a year cost.) Plus, because they are kept at the school, students can still express their individuality in their existing clothes, because outside of classes they can still be seen.
Yes, but children/teenager Wish yo express themselves even during school : lunchtime, during breaks, etc
Graduation gowns??? So if I’m getting it right, you want to come to school in casual clothes, put on the gowns only during classes and take them off later during breaks so students can “express themselves”. Sounds like your thought experiment was a joke all along
My school required uniforms from the one shop. Nobody dresses in more expensive clothes than others. Even shoes and bags were standardised. We also only had about two outfits each, not six. I loved having a uniform because I was lazy and it meant I didn't have to think about clothing every day.
Same here
I was incredibly lazy while in school so my choice of clothes was a tshirt of some single color jeans and boots
Same here, I didn’t need that many outfits cause I’d just rotate them and wash them as the week went on
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Yes I agree!!
i would love an episode breaking down elle woods- she’s such a powerful character, not giving up her individuality (and even succeeding because of it). i genuinely love this channel, and can’t wait for more episodes!
What is that lol
@@chewy99. the girl from legally blonde
I feel like Elle Woods herself isn't enough to warrant a theory video though. I think it should be about fashion in modern "chick flicks" in genral like Legally Blonde and Mean Girls, and the reclamation of femininity with how the color pink is used
@@danieldonovan106 a breakdown of Elles fashion and style choices in to her home environment in Malibu against the foreign environment of Harvard and the nature in how moving her from one environment to the other one, making very few changes to the way she dresses and that hindering her could be an interesting theory in the way that we perceive and except style and those around us and the cultural identity of fashion especially in the way that it is used to discriminate against femininity and the so-called unprofessional nature of anything feminine, especially silhouette, fashion and colour.
@@sabrinaattwood9362 I think now it's leaning towards Film Theory, possible crossover event perhaps? Like cannibalism week?
For the third point, I 100% get Steph’s point. At my primary school, it was basically exactly what she said. But at my current high school, we buy everything from the school store and we also need dress shoes and no accessories even hair ties have to be the school colors.
6:13 As someone who wears uniforms, you honestly didn’t need 6 uniforms. I literally wear the same skirt every day and I have had it for four years. Most of my school uniforms are passed down from my sisters and their friends. Schools with uniforms tend to have some sort of buy back program.
For real. I wasnt even poor back when i was in middle school and high school and i didnt have more than three sets and that's ONLY for the summer uniforms. For winter uniforms it was just one set with one or two extra blouses.
One benefit is that as a teacher with students on field trip it is easy to see which students are yours - That's really important when you take large groups of school off campus (ie swimming or sports carnivals or museums or local art installations). It also means that anyone who should not be on the on the school grounds is easy to pick out. The uniforms also make it easy to identify and report students skipping school.
uuuuh wouldn't a student skipping school just grab a change of clothes? Did that when I skipped school a couple of times, and we have never had a uniform anyway
My school never had uniforms and that literally never was a problem on field trips, no strangers trying to sneak in or anything (only issue was some students making asses out of themselves) so I don’t entirely understand that logic
Are there really that many schools that can afford field trips? I was in school many years ago, and after grade school we didn't have any school trips, and in grade school it was maybe once per year.
Solution: Give every student a jersey or something to slip over their shirts, or give everyone a brightly colored hats. :P
When we had school field trips, they'd give everyone the same t-shirt to wear
I'm really glad that this fourth channel has been created. It's fantastic to see so many different types of content being offered, and I'm looking forward to what else this channel has in store. I'm sure there will be even more amazing things to come, and I'm excited to see what new ideas and shows will be available.
There are ways to get around the cost of uniforms. Unless the gear is printed or embroidered, you can buy most of your stuff at Target or Kmart (Australia). Pants, shirts, polo shirts, shoes and socks make up the vast majority of the cost of school uniforms. You only need to buy 1 blazer, 1 tie, 1 jumper, and 1 jacket. This reduces the cost significantly.
If you're handy with a needle and thread, you can do the embroidery yourself.
When I heard that you need to buy at least 6 uniforms for each day, I was pretty shocked because I only have 2 and I switch in and out of those uniforms everyday. Guess US students are getting the more expensive route huh 😅
exactly, 6 blazers for no reason tf, and more importantly you need to buy a whole new set every 1-2 years. I always went for 2 outfits, I would either wash them everyday or every alternate day depending on how dirty they got, if I convert my currency to usd then 2 outfits and shoes would cost me about $75
Nah, I only had 1 or 2, the 5-6 number sounds ridiculous.
@@chris-m1g5r yeah, that’s what I thought
@@GeezSus same too for me, i would wash one while using the other
Why you need to change clothes every day anyway? I wear the same pair of jeans for weeks, shirt depending on season (if it's winter, 2 weeks is fine, if summer, I change it every 2-3 days)
Even in countries like Japan, it’s important to consider that the sense of cultural community and likeness quickly becomes a toxic environment when any form of individuality becomes ostracized. It’s a very interesting thing to look into, and really goes to show that any extreme in either direction (hyper individualism or hyper communal mentality) may ultimately be a negative thing.
Really makes me wish I had some of the resources I did in college to help me with my high school assignment of making an argument about school uniforms. My teacher told me I could argue either way if it was supported…but only let me use resources she provided, which all argued in favor of uniforms.
Classic
I went to a Catholic school that required uniforms from 2nd to 8th grade and I agree a lot with the points made in this video. It didn't really help me a lot academically or feel more of a sense of community with my peers. On the way home from school the bus would stop at the public junior high to pick up those kids and I was jealous of them because they got to wear whatever they wanted while I had to wear the same thing every single day. Then when I got home the first thing I'd do as soon as I walked through the door was change into regular clothes so I could feel normal. Then when I got to high school I was so relieved to be able to go to school and wear whatever I want. Our school had pretty causal uniforms compared to the stereotypical blazers that come to mind when you think of school uniforms (white, blue, or green polos and navy blue dress pants or shorts and green plaid skirts), but our school also had no uniform days. On those days you could wear whatever you wanted (within reason of course) and I always loved those days because they were the few times during the year when I felt like a normal kid going to school. They usually occurred once a month or on special holidays or days when we'd have class parties which came with some sort of theme (red and green for Christmas, green for St. Patrick's Day, red and pink for Valentine's Day, costumes for Halloween, red white and blue for patriotic holidays, and Cubs memorabilia when they won the World Series in 2016). Then when I was in 6th or 7th grade they introduced spirit shirts that took over the no uniform days. We had to wear them for all assemblies and field trips. There were only a handful of days that were true no uniform days. The spirit wear days were like half uniform days. You could wear whatever bottoms you wanted, but you still had to wear the shirt, and from what I recall no one liked those days because the shirts were ugly and itchy.
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I work with a Catholic school that has a significant group on the lower end of the income scale. Our students have a casual uniform for Mon and Fri, semi formal for Tues and Thurs, and Formal for Wednesday Mass. The total cost was not as bad as listed in the video, and the clothing was more flexible for outside school.
HTS in Laconia?
I love stereotypical school uniforms, thinking about what to every morning is a burden😂
You got to have no uniform days? In my middle school, we had dress Wednesday’s, which meant we had to wear the extra fancy uniforms that day and we weren’t aloud to take off our blazers
In Bangladesh most of school and college has uniform. But it's not strict at all. Both of government and private school school have decided to which colors and which type of clothing and shoes are allowed. Some school and college has uniform strict rules too. But only few school. Most of female students choose modest clothes over modern clothes expect some Elite areas of cites. Because our society are conservative. It's basically long shocks with lace ribbon tight in knee and full sleeve and a tie or neck scarf. Some muslim students choose neck scarf as choose neck scarf as head scarf. Because other type of head scarf are not allowed.
You are right. Some school have winter uniform and sport uniform too.
I remember in my non-uniformed elementary school, 2nd or 3rd grade maybe, the teacher actually gave us a survey about how we'd feel about switching to uniforms, and turned it into a persuasive writing prompt. Even then I thought it just seemed odd that they were asking us, and trying to find out what the data suggested as the better choice, finding zilch. Loved this episode because I've been waiting for the answer to this question for ~15 years!
Also worth mentioning that I recently read an article about girls in Japan rebelling against uniform requirements because some are not even allowed to wear long socks with the knee length skirt, EVEN in freezing temperatures! Those poor kids :(
that just sounds weird that they aren’t allowed to wear longer socks. also do they not allow you to wear leggings under your skirt?
Just want to mention most schools, at least here in the UK, require a school PE (Gym) Kit or have strict rule about them where it has to be all black with no logos. On top of that most cost on average around £100 in the UK, since most schools require you to buy from specific stores that sell kits with the schools logo.
Honestly, as someone who was in a private school till 3rd grade. Uniforms didn't help at all. At that school, if something was even a tiny bit off with your uniform, you would get yelled at. So there we times I was more worried that everything was at the exact place it should be then what I was learning. So, yeah, they don't help at all, and I was bullied more there than I was when I moved to public school.
I half agree. My school has a uniform, but I kind of like it because I don’t have to worry about what to wear. I used to go to a school without uniforms, and it wasn’t bad, exactly, but sometimes I would get stressed about what to wear and become self-conscious, and I don’t have to worry about that anymore.
My school had the uniform policy in circulation when I attended, mainly because it was a private school. However, the uniforms only stayed valid for around 3 years, so the "hand me down policy" was not allowed. I remember hearing a lot of parents complain how they could not afford to have to pay how many $100's for uniforms every school year. I guess since the tuition was over 7 grand a year, they just assumed that we could all afford it. From what I've heard now, there has been a mass exodus from the school due to the price of maintaining there, so if anyone says uniforms are for bridging the gap between low and high income families, they're lying!