thejason said:

well, i'm not macho, but i am a man's man.... in more ways than the obvious one.

and with your long hair, i am too distacted to be able to discuss macho, anyway.

but i am a lousy typist. according to gender roles, that makes me more manly.
[Edited 1/12/10 20:59pm]

cborgman said:

chocolate1 said:

I went to a public school with zero dress code and we had all types from punks to preps...we all seemed to learn just fine.

I used to get irritated eyes from my bangs being too long, I guess no hair in eyes might be justifiable but should apply to both sexes

In P.R. we had to wear uniforms in public school. I wish uniforms were required by all schools. There's plenty of time later in life for expression through fashion.

And there's weekends.
[Edited 1/12/10 21:19pm]

johnart said:

have you seen the uniforms in argentina? I thought all the kids were scientists in their white lab coats!!!

ZombieKitten said:

yea, that's what bugs me. if the rule was universal, so be it...

ZombieKitten said:

No. I haven't.

cborgman said:

hair touching a collar was a nono at my school for both sexes

johnart said:

I don't know enough spanish to google Buenos Aires state school uniform do you?

ZombieKitten said:

see, that i think is okay. not something i would agree with, much as i am not big on uniforms, but... at least it was universally applied, which is fine. if everyone with long hair is required to keep it in above collar styles, so be it.

i just really disagree with the sexist nature of boys have to have this hair, girls can do whatever they want, or any kind of rules that are sexist.
[Edited 1/12/10 21:29pm]

ZombieKitten said:

much ado about nothing!

it's a good thing Celine Dion's kid, Cindy Crawford's kid, and Michael Jackson's kids don't go to school....

They got this poor child looking like a damn Snork. Hell as long as his hair is washed, combed, and lice free, I'm good with that.

cborgman said:

thanks Borgie! see all the little scientists!

ZombieKitten said:

ZombieKitten said:

it's odd to me, just because i expect them to be holding up beakers and test tubes, and waering protective goggles, and making notes on a clipboard.

but those actually bother me less and make more sense than uniforms.

cborgman said:

yes, they simply protect your clothing and are probably issued to the students by the schools so they aren't a huge expense for families to bear, and the levelling aspect is important too.

ZombieKitten said:

those i could get behind.

cborgman said:

Why don't you like uniforms?

Wait, before you answer, let me go back and see if you actually say and dumbass me didn't read it.
[Edited 1/12/10 21:49pm]

CarrieMpls said:

Agreed.

cborgman said:

Totally agree with you, Chris. It's not DRESS code. It's hair. What the hell is wrong with a pony-tail on a boy? My son wore one and then braids until he was about 15 when HE decided to cut it off short. He went to several schools in Chicago and Wisconsin and never had any problems. Yes, he wore his uniform in Chicago but that's it again...a DRESS code. They are making a big deal out of nothing.

johnart said:

I don't mind a uniform for little kids, that are pretty much just tracksuits, drip dry fabrics

but those with fancy woollen tunics and blazers and shirts cost a fortune
I went to a catholic school and lost my school jumper on the first day, and my mum never replaced it, tough luck she said, she wasn't forking out another $50

johnart said:

not in this thread i haven't.

a bunch of reasons.

as a kid in foster care and then with my very poor family, we kind of dressed in thrift store chic. it's a little embarrasing for me to say, but we couldn't have afforded the uniforms, we couldn't really even afford school supplies. so, there's the cost.

i also think that yes, there is such a thing as too much self-expression, but there's also such a thing as too little. developing a personality and learning to be yourself despite other people's opinions is an important lesson in childhood, especially for gay kids.

school exists to educate on all kinds of topics. socialization, diversity, and respect of diversity are VERY important lessons. school is not just a factory where we are turning out drones who aren't allowed to question authority.

those are a few. there are others if you'd realy like to hear them.

noimageatall said:

particularly when it's a rule only for boys.

ZombieKitten said:

The uniforms we wore in P.R. were blue pants (at another grade level/different school they were brown) and white collared shirts. Very simple, inexpensive. The girls wore jumpsuits (I think they were plaid) with collared shirt.
It was very nice for kids, regardless of who was richer or poorer to be at a common level.
It was also a relief on my mom, I'm sure that I was not demanding the trendy brand name stuff to wear to school.

ZombieKitten said:

yeah, i can't begin to imagine what would have happened had i been forced into a uniform in high school, as awas the talk at the time. we could barely afford food, let alone a bunch of pricey three piece suits for my brother and i.
[Edited 1/12/10 22:01pm]

cborgman said:

Agreed! And I'm sorry, but I taught all of my children not to automatically jump when anyone in authority says jump. Yes, they understand and realize that on a job and in the professional world there are rules to follow. But challenging the status quo and patriarchal system in our society is a good thing in my book.

noimageatall said:

absolutely.

cborgman said:

our school has a uniform shop and although thankfully I can afford the new ones, I go in there on 50 cents day and get second hand ones - kids wear through these clothes at an alarming rate

ZombieKitten said:

my brother and i were really rough on clothes too. he was the adventurous physical sort, and i was in theatre, doing all that theatre physical stuff that is hell on clothes.