School uniforms: a topic that gets brought up for debate at least once every semester. Students hate them, schools enforce them. The argument is that they suppress self-expression and force students to conform to society, destroying their individuality at a time when young adults need to be able to explore their identities.
But once students leave school settings and can wear what they want, are they actually leaving uniforms behind? People love to hop on the latest trends, wear certain brands, or adopt a particular aesthetic. It appears that required uniforms are just being traded in for unofficial ones. Unofficial uniforms are far more appealing than their school counterparts because they align with one’s personal form of self-expression and they are not being forced on anybody. At least, not explicitly.
In this consumer capitalist society, corporations have been trying to influence people to buy their products for so long that consumerist behaviors have become a part of our culture. A great example of this is Gillette, who created an ad campaign in the early 1900s telling women that they should be ashamed of their body hair in order to sell razors to them. Spoiler alert: it worked. It solidified the stigma around women’s body hair. Fashion companies currently use similar tactics, making people feel inadequate with their clothing choices and creating the need to constantly update their closet. What makes it even easier to fall into their trap is that the clothes they sell are much more fun and desirable than something like a razor.
The thing about outfits is that they need to be curated. If someone wants to express themselves by achieving a certain style like cottage core, punk, or retro, then they will have to wear certain things that pertain to that style. It is very difficult to create a vintage look without anything that looks remotely vintage. Take high-waisted pants, for example, which are a relatively recent resurgence of a vintage trend and something that appeals to a lot of people. Now, it is hard to walk into a clothing store or see a fashion advertisement promoting high-waisted pants. No one is explicitly being told to wear those pants, but because they are so prevalently worn and advertised, subconsciously people are saying, “Those are cute, what the heck am I doing without a pair of high-waisted pants?” When our favorite celebrities wear them, we immediately tell ourselves we need them in order to look like them.
There are so many ways in which the society we live in shapes us. We may try to be as original as possible, but because the psychological effects of living in a consumer capitalist society are so deeply rooted, how can we ever be sure that our fashion choices are ever truly our own? The difference between school uniforms and unofficial ones is that it’s obvious school uniforms are being forced upon us, while fashion companies force us in ways that are hard for us to recognize. They are giving us a false sense of individuality and freedom from conformity. Fashion is not the only area in which we need to question how we are being influenced, but it can certainly be a start.
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