On School Uniforms and Fashion

The tension between the rules and the eagerness of the students to be in fashion cannot be solved by imposition, Juventud Rebelde newspaper reporters discovered.

By: Jorge González, Alejandro R. Chang, Annet M. Hernández, Luisa M. González, Rosario Alfonso, María del C. Ramón, Anet M. Tacoronte, Paula Companioni, Arianna Barredo and Richard Ruiz, journalism students

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2008-02-13/on-school-uniforms-and-fashion/

2008-02-13 | 16:22:33 EST Body-hugging blouses, loose shirts, necklaces and bracelets of different shapes and colors, fashionable haircuts and combinations of school uniforms with street clothes are some of the violations of school rules that can be seen every morning in the dress of teenagers on their way to school.

Does this have to do with the need of Cuban youth to imitate those in other countries? Is it a sign of rebelliousness? Is there a lack of demand on the organizations that are supposed to watch after this? Will fashion absorb the concept of egalitarianism advocated in revolutionary education?

In order to answer these questions Juventud Rebelde newspaper talked with students, teachers, and school administrators, and interviewed sociologists, psychologists and other specialists.

Youth in fashion

In the different educational centres, despite the endless number of technological gadgets the students have added as apparel, Juventud Rebelde newspaper listened to them and found different opinions. Almost all of those interviewed agreed about the need to make changes in the uniform in relation to current trends in fashion.

The Cuban students, at least those in their teens, face a gigantic contradiction: to look out of fashion and conform to rules, or to look how they like and live under the constant badgering of their teachers to wear their uniforms correctly.

Techno fashion

Another of the common demands we found in a survey by this newspaper was one dealing with modifications of school rules in the wearing of uniforms, so as to make them more manageable.

Among the rules mentioned most often were those regarding the length of blouses, shirts, skirts and trousers (in terms of where these should meet the waist), those referring to the haircuts, and those prohibiting the wearing electric gadgets such MP3 players, cell phones, digital cameras, etc.

Some students say that they are willing to wear uniforms because they like them, but they dislike the demands of the current rules. Other students consider the rules to be exaggerated when they require boys to wear military-like haircut without modelling gel and that girls not die their hair. Some also spoke about the creations of uniforms to distinguish the type of schools the students are going to.

Others have a more radical position and prefer that students attending specialized schools, such as arts and sports schools, not have to wear uniforms.

To dress the same?

Another group of interviewees decide to follow the rules and to defend their position. They feel that the High School Students Federation, the organization that comprises all of high school students in the country, and teachers should demand the correct wearing of uniforms.

The leaders of the High School Students Federation hold that those who gamble for changing the uniforms might not know the reasons that determined their creation in first place.

The first thing that should be taken into account is that the school uniform is an effort to achieve equality among all students. Cuban society has always defended and will defend equality above all things, despite certain negative circumstances that have been obstructed such that equality in recent times.

The possibilities for Cuban youth to access educational and health services are the same for everybody, but it is not the same when it comes to buying clothes and shoes, due to the differences of incomes between Cuban families.

A student leader says that the fulfilment of the school rules is one of the most important points discussed at the organization’s meetings, but that this should not be the only issue. Attendance, punctuality and comprehensive discipline are other points that also deserve their attention, she thought.

“Many difficulties would be solved if strong and serious considerations about students wearing uniforms were included in their evaluations,” she added.

Leaders of the High School Student Federation encourage teachers and school officers to explain the students the reason for the correct usage of the uniform through the analyses rather than imposition.

Do as I say, not as I do

Another issue is the personal appearance of teachers – who while demanding the correct wearing of uniforms, in many cases wear the latest fashion not allowed for the students. So, is it a do–as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do situation?

In this regard, Patricia Flechilla, national president of the Student Federation said, “our organization faces a serious problem: while we do our best to set an example for our members, we find teachers who lack good tastes, a sense of aesthetics or even the necessary modesty of their profession.”

What are the opinions of these people who are trying to teach their students? Will they agree or disagree to give way to changes in school uniforms?

While talking to Jose Duran, a choir teacher at the National School of Arts, we found standards that are more open-minded. He said, “on the one hand, I think the institutions that enfoce school regulations are being a little bit strict regarding the wearing of uniforms. On the other hand, we find the opposite: students who exaggerate and wear a lot of jewellery.”

He believes young people should be understood, taking into consideration that times change and these changes should be weighted.

In addition, he says students are part of the contradictions brought by the country’s economic situation, as in the case of the wearing of white socks. “They are told that socks should be light colored, but they do not have the same economic possibilities. This is especially the case in boarding schools, where students are not always provided with the necessary means to meet the demands.”

“Nor is there consideration of the character of students at the National School of Arts, because they are the ones that mostly like to express some kind of inspiration through the way they dress.”

“It is a tendency of most the youth—influenced by age, fashion, desires of breaking the rules— to be different and have a specific touch according to their personality, values and self aesthetics.”

On the contrary, Rosalia Capote, a piano teacher at the same school, calls for every school in the country to work hard to get back the proper wearing of the uniform.

She said, “Students have lost the idea of what the correct usage of the uniform means, maybe due to the shortages faced by the country during the “special period,” when certain liberties were accepted. For instance, if there were no white shirts, students were allowed to wear pullovers of the same color, or if there were no trousers, they could wear dark jeans.”

“Today we live in better economic conditions and we are in a position to rescue the wearing of the uniform as a strict regulation beyond any excuse for its incorrect usage.”

There are teachers who think the wearing of the uniform should distinguish one student from the other, according to the school they belong.

According to Maria de Jesús Hernandez, a teacher at Lenin High School, it is easy to determine the school that a student belongs to by their uniform. “Girls wear knee-high and low-cut long skirts, socks as high as possible and shirts shaped according to the individual. Boys wear the uniform according to the tendencies they feel closer to: rockers, “freakies” etc.

“Future changes are inevitable before an inevitable reality: it is essential to reach an agreement regarding a new uniform that matches the new fashion tendencies of the Cuban youth. What are not helping are the different criteria regarding the way it should be used.”

Alejandro Vergara, teacher at the High Performance Athlete School, has a different viewpoint. He is sure to be striking a different nerve when he says that most students wearing the uniform correctly within school areas, but is another story in the outside.

“They wear cups and sunglasses carried on their bags and if they do not decide to wear a fashion shirt, they pop their collars and put on jewellery among other stuff.”

Strict flexibility

According to Patricia Ares Muzio, president of the Cuban Association of Psychology, young people wear uniforms because it diminishes the impact of the high differences among social classes. “If these were eliminated then another problem would rise: the proper wearing of clothing to keep respect among students and teachers.”

“Today’s uniform is completely detached from fashion because designers are far from adolescent’s likes and dislikes and having failed to fulfil modern standards, students change their uniforms according to their personalities.”

Music determines a lot people’s way of dressing. It also influences youngsters so much so that they incorporate some accessories that go against school regulations. Regarding this, there should be more flexibility and let fashion has its space along with uniforms, and thus allow students to have their hair long or wear any hairstyle. It is all about making a group analysis and being more flexible.

Laura Domínguez García, professor of Adolescent and Youth Psychology, says that as a human being begins to grow and mature he does not only gets deeper into the role to be played in society, but also increases his intellectual capacity, that has as primary task during adolescence to shape his personality starting from a discovery of himself as individual to pursue his future plans.

I do not support the incorrect wearing of the uniform, its aim –to reach equality– is implicit in the same word. Furthermore, uniforms should go hand in hand with the majority’s likes. In other words, an analysis should be made by various psychologists in order to know what design matches today’s Cuban youth the most.

“He who has too much inside needs less outside”, said national hero, Martí. Schools need to open a space where the topic of values can be debated on since fashion typifies age.

The specialist asserts that it is not about assuming the attitude of many teachers, who keep a negative and evasive approach towards the topic. The key to succeed is to find the best way to get closer to students so as to understand their behaviour.

Far from imposing students the correct wearing of the uniform, a conversation among equals should be encouraged where students have the chance to be heard and teachers to be more flexible. And bear in mind that in the long run imposition leads to repulsion.

More Doubts than Uniforms

Margarita Barrio, JR journalist, who has witnessed how school uniforms have changed since the 1970s to nowadays, talks about a group of designers from the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) who taking into account students’ opinions proposed some designs.

Based on the last trend of those times, they chose the proper color, fabric and the accessories to be worn; the only difference was that then ties (were always/had to be) used.

From his perspective as psychologist and professor of the University of Havana, Ricardo Giniebra Urra analyses the situation. “Youngsters’ way of dressing is characterized by lack of inhibition, impeccability; immediateness and inappropriate wearing of clothing despite the occasion. This shows the way they think and how they see life as adolescents”, he said.

To them educational centres/institutions cannot avoid the effect of publicity and the latest trend in cosmetics and fashion. Today young people try to bring closer their internal world with their external one and reflect all the influence received from the surrounding environment through ways of dressing.

These are some of the questions that need to be considered by those who only focus on changes without thinking about the chances to make it happen.

Nowadays the students from elementary to high school, including technical schools and high schools for talented students make up to 2 million. Some uniforms have a new design, as those of the School of Arts Instructors. But, do the designs are really fashionable or are they just replicas of an out of fashion aesthetic taste?

These are some questions about the topic of school uniforms. To strictly change it is not so easy. It should be considered first if the country has enough resources to carry out such a huge alteration and also if it is worthy to change a uniform that has had such a historical connotation/meaning.

Even if it is given in to the youth’s requests, wouldn’t other discontents also rise? Whose opinions would be listened to in order to redesign it?

However, as professor Giniebra Urra said, there is not doubt that “schools must be as similar as possible to life, so that both go hand in hand and stop coexisting in two parallel universes.”