Arrowhead Students Still Affected By School Dress Code and Uniforms

Mostly private schools require uniforms. At Arrowhead High School, there is no specific type of clothing students are forced to wear. The dress code section in the student handbook for Arrowhead says, “The superintendent, subject to direction and approval of the Board, shall institute dress and grooming guidelines, taking into consideration the following factors: a. Dress and grooming which disrupts the educational process or which causes health or safety problems is prohibited. b. Coats, hats, and other outer garments must be stored in school lockers.”  

Taylor Heitman, an Arrowhead junior says, “I like being able to wear whatever I want and be comfortable in my own clothes.”       

Holly Craven, an Arrowhead junior, says, “I think that a pro of uniforms is that there can’t be a judgment on the types of clothes people wear due to style or lack of monetary resources. This would rid the classism seen in some richer schools like ours.”

Many girls at Arrowhead can be seen wearing leggings. These typically are not allowed or a part of uniforms. A popular brand of leggings is LuLuLemon. Leggings at LuLuLemon can cost anywhere from $98.00 to $128.00. The uniform for Queen of Apostles, a private school in Pewaukee, includes a collared shirt, with a skirt or a jumper for girls. At The Uniform Place in Wauwatosa this outfit can be purchased for $75.00.    

Emma Cholip, an Arrowhead senior, says some pros to having school uniforms is that there’s “no need to worry about what to wear and no judgment based on clothing.”

Anna Bromberger, an Arrowhead junior says, “The one positive to uniforms is that it takes away the stress of deciding what you’re going to wear and how it’ll compare to others outfits. A lot of judgment from others is based on appearance and how you dress and with uniforms no one can really judge another’s outfit or style decisions.”  

In Glamour magazine, author Tracey Lester, writes in an article titled “How Much Time Do You Spend Deciding What To Wear?” that teens spend on average 16 minutes deciding on an outfit. With a school uniform, students would spend less time with decisions and just throw on the clothes they are meant to wear.

Kylie Spence, an Arrowhead junior, says, “[not having school uniforms] gives us the freedom to wear what we want and we can show our personality through our clothes.”

Heitman agrees when she says, “I think a uniform would be restrictive to the different personalities we have [at Arrowhead].”

Craven says, “A definite con [to uniforms] is the removal of individualism that people express with clothing. People also have different body types and to put us all in the same outfit would cause confidence problems and comparison among students.”  

Bromberger says, “I think that there’s a great importance in being able to express yourself through your clothing and having the freedom to be creative with your looks. And for someone who prefers comfort over style being able to have lazy days is really nice because if I’m comfortable and confident in what I’m wearing.”

Craven says, “I think that schools shouldn’t really have a say in what the students wear. Many dress codes are enforced in a sexist way and that really isn’t necessary. Maybe instead of telling girls to cover up in hot weather, we should tell boys to keep their eyes to themselves?”

Cholip says, “I don’t enjoy it [schools telling students what to wear]. Specifically since dress codes are inherently sexist. Usually, it affects girls more than it does boys. Many times, school dress codes are on the extreme side.”

Cholip says, “I am happy that Arrowhead doesn’t have an overly strict dress code, I feel like we can be more expressive with our outfits and I appreciate that.”

Craven says, “I am so happy Arrowhead doesn’t have uniforms.”