Let’s start with a story.
The routine was like clockwork. My La La Land “City of Stars'' themed alarm would blare at 6:30am. I’d push snooze until I couldn't wait anymore and tear myself from the warmth of my comforter. Wiping sleep from my eyes, and without even thinking, I’d grab the same clothes I wore every other day of the week. A gray pleated skirt, my white polo with the school’s emblem (or a blue oxford shirt and maroon sweater if it was winter), socks for my sperrys and my only consolation - the firetruck red Champion branded senior sweatshirt I’d waited 4 years for. Finally, the one thing that felt normal.
Next year, I thought, everything will be better. The allure of a world sans uniforms was so inviting I could almost taste it.
I mean you could hardly blame me, I’d been in plaid skirts since I was in the first grade. Twelve years of Catholic school uniforms most definitely did not do wonders for my fashion sense. In middle school I spent hours with my mom trying to pick an outfit for the school dance – I was horribly picky.
Fast forward.
I found it hard to experiment with other combinations of clothes and adjust to the behemoth that is college at the same time.
It’s the August before college and I’m slowly realizing I need far more everyday clothes to wear for the upcoming semester. A couple weeks later, it’s not the clothes that’s the issue, but my own confidence. I couldn’t escape the unofficial UVA uniform of a sweatshirt paired with leggings or athletic shorts. I found it hard to experiment with other combinations of clothes and adjust to the behemoth that is college at the same time. It was easy to just fit in. But sooner or later, I started to get comfortable and try pieces I enjoyed - for example the flared pink corduroy pants and my pair of flower-embroidered converse that I love so much.
After reflecting on this formative period of uniforms in my life and how it’s affected my own relationship with fashion as I come into adulthood, I decided to find out how other UVA students who wore uniforms in elementary, middle or high school, conceive of their personal style and the fashion choices they now make everyday.
Conversations with My Peers Who Also Wore School Uniforms
For the first interview I thought I’d go right to the source, and talk to a good friend from high school who also happens to go to UVA (yes, that happens when you live in NOVA). Cue Janet!
“Hi, my name is Janet Le. I'm a second year. I went to a Catholic private high school with you. And we’re friends. And we both had to endure uniforms.”
Janet says she’s been wearing uniforms for eons. Nope, just kidding. As she said: “A baker's dozen plus one – since kindergarten.”
Thirteen years! But I shouldn’t be in shock, I’ve only had uniforms for 12 years.
“As much as it [uniforms] was an ease, I think we are both aware of how much this has actually affected our lives unknowingly. You think it's a very subtle thing, but it definitely does affect us on our day to day without us even knowing… because that many years of conditioning is hard to break.”
Since our experience was so similar, Janet and I spent a good chunk of the conversation reminiscing about how we tried to change the uniform in high school, making our own little additions to try and create something of our own. For Janet, she attempted to change up her hair in an effort of adding to the bland and uninteresting uniform – although, our school’s colors were red and gold so you could say we pretended to be in Gryffindor every day :)
So I didn't put much care into picking any nice clothes throughout my entire childhood because it was just clothes that I needed to wear to leave the home - and not be wearing the uniform.
“I guess the only way I played with anything was my hair. And even then I couldn't play with my hair because I had no time. Yeah, so it was just like a ponytail or straight. Yeah, so I never got to [express my personality] in school. And even in the offseason, like during breaks or if I, you know, had to leave home. It would just be like comfy clothes or anything my mom picked out. So I didn't put much care into picking any nice clothes throughout my entire childhood because it was just clothes that I needed to wear to leave the home - and not be wearing the uniform.”
Outside of school, Janet’s experimentation with personal style was hindered by being in uniforms 5 days out of the week.
“I definitely did not know what types of clothing would work with me, and what I liked. I went through many phases, so many genres. Playing with layers or even different types of styles, instead of just a sweatshirt was something I never did. And I really struggled with that, going to college.”
And coming to college was a huge adjustment from the scheduled skirt and predictable polo.
“Well, first year, I wore sweatshirts basically the entire time because I was going with something economical, like, we're going to just wear something that works… And I know after trial and error in first year, because I definitely did random outfits in first year and I was like “what are you wearing? I don't know”. So this year I've definitely tried to branch out more with what I wear…I realized that you can get a lot of simple pieces and mismatch them. A white t-shirt is my love. I love white shirts and layering. It's like a jacket or this trend nowadays, you know, the button up. Or just playing with cool pants instead of just straight skinny jeans all the time.”
Now, Janet terms her personal style as “Either chic business casual or dark academia. Yes, I do love black.” True to her word, she was wearing black pants and a gray sweater even as the hot fall sun glared at us, sitting in the amphitheater.
I know I did not think of clothes as a form of expression as a child
“My main outlet of going anywhere was just through school. And in high school, just in theater - that was athleisure. And even volleyball. So, all clothes were meant to serve a purpose. I never got to wear clothes just to wear clothes. I don't know if this is a really weird reference, but Shake It Up did an episode about that. They're enforcing a dress code policy and because the characters came from a public school, they’re like, ‘you're stopping our expression of clothing’. And I'm like, ‘I cannot relate to this at all’. I know I did not think of clothes as a form of expression as a child… I don't know if my style now, because of so much academics and school, is dark academia.”
This begs the question, should we see clothes as simply functional, or as a matter of fashion and self expression?
Next, I spoke to two people that devoted IRIS readers might be familiar with–my fellow interns Bailey and Cheyenne! When I pitched this story idea, they mentioned they also wore uniforms before coming to college, so hearing their perspectives was a natural next step.
While Bailey wore uniforms in both middle and high school. Cheyenne wore them in elementary school and high school.
For Bailey, uniforms were a double edged sword and limited her exploration of personal style when she was younger.
“I wore uniforms for six years. I kind of liked it because I didn't have to think about what I had to wear. But it did get annoying to have to wear a skirt every day. It was kind of uncomfortable sometimes… I think I had a lot less sense of my own style when I was younger. In high school I only really would wear my own clothes or like nice clothes, two days out of the week. I started to develop my own style, towards the end of high school because I wasn't in school every day [due to Covid]. It's actually interesting because me and a bunch of my friends came out at the end of high school… And so that kind of influenced my style, because we all felt more comfortable with ourselves.”
From 4th to 8th grade, after Cheyenne switched schools, she didn’t have to wear uniforms until she got to high school. During those years, she was able to start expressing herself through her style choices, like most people in their pre-teen and teenage years.
When you don't have to think about clothes on a regular basis, it's something that's pushed to the backburner a little bit.
“I have this gray zip up, like it was a California logo. I wore it damn near everyday. And I would try to wear some leggings with it. We weren’t supposed to wear leggings. I used to dress so bad back then. That was a staple. I thought it was nice… I think then, when I wore uniforms, I was developing my personal style, but at a slower rate. You know, because when you don't have to think about clothes on a regular basis, it's something that's pushed to the backburner a little bit.”
In her first year of college, Bailey realized the practical problems of wearing mostly school-issued clothes for the majority of her teenage years - needing clothes she could wear everyday.
“Coming to college, I bought so many [basic, everyday] clothes from Target. I thought I had enough clothes. But when I came to college, I was like wait, I don't have enough clothes. [So] I ordered a bunch of stuff online.
But now, dressing for class everyday isn’t a chore or something stressful, Bailey remarks. At the moment, Bailey’s favorite outfit is a fluffy white cardigan and black jeans from H&M.
“I actually think it's something fun. I know if I have a busy day, or just a lot going on, I like to dress a little bit nicer… So that was always something I did in high school, trying to do my hair right and pick the jewelry that I liked. Just my own little things. I like getting dressed in the morning because I got my outfits, and some days I just put on sweatpants.”
Like Bailey, Cheyenne also really enjoys putting together outfits during the week, but it was hard to get used to because her first year at college was during the height of Covid-19 and everything was online. It wasn’t until the next year she really started to be intentional with the clothes she picked out for class.
It feels good to wear just like real clothes that make you feel ready to conquer the day, as opposed to something like athleisure.
“At UVA, I feel like, as opposed to other college campuses… people will put on actual clothes to go to class Like pants and shirts instead of leggings. I really think that being in an environment where people like to get dressed up, to go to classes, makes me want to experiment more with my style, and find things so I feel done up… It feels good to wear just like real clothes that make you feel ready to conquer the day, as opposed to something like athleisure.”
Now, Cheyenne’s favorite piece of clothing is a pair of straight leg jeans, and a red crop-top. She likes clean lines and colors, but surprisingly another one of her favorite pieces is a black and white, checkered, almost psychedelic-looking sweatshirt.
“I feel like I've taken more risks but at the same time, I'm figuring out how to build a wardrobe. I probably wouldn't have done that, probably wouldn't have worn that psychedelic sweatshirt. When I was in high school, I would have been like “I don't like those”. You know, I'm still in the process of where I want to be… I've always more or less worn what I like, but I think now I'm solidifying that and being open to trying things on and seeing how I like them. And I just feel like a more confident person overall when it comes to clothes and wearing them. So I really don't have that dingy California hoodie… I don't really have an equivalent piece of clothing to that anymore.”
After getting three varying perspectives on wearing uniforms, I decided I wanted to see how the other side lived.
I talked to my friend Savannah O’Leary, who has never had to wear uniforms her whole life. As much fun as it seems to my ten-year old self, Savannah mentioned how the unrestrained liberty of picking one’s outfit everyday was difficult.
“I found it to be more of an obstacle. I thought that my self expression would be judged and I struggled to not repeat. I think having a uniform may have made that aspect of life and decision-making easier.”
But, on the upside, the transition to college was easier in that she never had to worry about choosing clothes to wear to school every day. Now in college, Savannah compares her experience and personal style in high school to now.
I feel like my style has been more unleashed and I wasn't comfortable experimenting in high school.
“In high school I was pressured to accentuate my figure. I thought wearing baggy clothes was trashy and disrespectful and this mentality was further enforced. Now, there is a much larger range and so many styles that break the norm I grew up with. I feel like my style has been more unleashed and I wasn't comfortable experimenting in high school.”
Contrasting Janet’s sentiment from before, Savannah has always thought of clothes as a medium of self expression.
“For me, I like to play with a more androgynous style which can really help my mood and confidence if done correctly. Also some people really enjoy the picking process… I can definitely see why people don't like them [uniforms]. Especially if it is done in a sexist way. I think I am all together against it, but I may have been less stressed personally if it had been enforced in my school.”
A Few Final Thoughts
While I’m not going to explain my findings as if this were a lab report, I do feel that the insights provided by Janet, Bailey, Cheyenne, and Savannah present an important perspective on the trials – and perhaps the simplicity – of wearing uniforms at school. Our conversations illustrated how uniforms might make it easier for students since they don’t have to think about what to wear everyday, and can focus their energies elsewhere. But since clothes are such an effective method of self expression, wearing uniforms can make it take a little longer when finding one’s own sense of personal style. At the end of the day, as long as everyone feels comfortable in the clothes they wear, and sees the fun in choosing outfits that reflect them, what more can I ask?
For me, I’d say my personal style is something along the lines of “casual and modern”, aspiring towards European minimalist chic with bold colors if I feel like it.
I guess I’m still figuring it out. And that’s the beauty of it.
