No one at KHS loves to get dressed up for school more than I do. I wake up two hours before school to pick out an outfit I deem decent for the day and style my hair and makeup. I know all that effort may seem unnecessary, but it’s my favorite part of the entire day. And yet, I desperately want KHS to be a school with uniforms.
No, that was not a typo. Imposing uniforms not only makes sense, but would make life easier. Many students pick their outfits the night before school, but imagine not having to do any pre-planning. Mornings would be much smoother. There would be no hurry to quickly pick out a top and pair of pants that may or may not end up matching, leaving plenty of time for the breakfast most of us hardly ever eat.
Principal Dr. Mike Havener and the rest of the administration have discussed bringing blazers and plaid skirts to KHS, based on Vashon High School’s decision to switch to uniforms (Vashon is another St. Louis public school). Unfortunately, the conversations were very informal and not at the district level. Havener believes uniforms are unnecessary and the current dress code is not an issue, saying the district’s dress code “respects the rights of the students as individuals.”
However, it’s not a question of respect, it’s a question of practicality. Dress code violations occur on a daily basis (leggings, anyone?). If the administration were to bring uniforms into the school system there would be no struggles of making sure pants are not too low or shorts are not too tight.
We all do it, so don’t deny it-walking down the hallway after class everyday and judging a peer based on what they are wearing. The judgments can be positive too, I’ll admit that, but I would bet my Prada perfume the negative still outweigh the good. Bullying and snide remarks at times occur due to not owning the most popular brands or dressing uniquely. Uniforms would eliminate this sort of bullying and put students on a more equal level.
Although the thought of showing up in the same outfit as someone else makes me cringe, uniforms would be the only exception to such a horror. And that’s fashion-forward.
