Uniform and Society

by Joshua Abaygar

Living in a society with numerous businesses and schools, uniforms play a vital role in organizing and identifying the groups people belong to. But when can the uniform be an object of judgment or simply be unnecessary? The more privileged were able to go to school and that's probably where most people first experienced wearing a uniform. As kids, they probably didn't mind what they were wearing.

But as people grow older -- like when they step onto high school -- they encounter people who judge them negatively because they go to a school where other people think they're not getting a good education and in wearing their school's uniform, "namamaliit sila."

I am not saying that these schools should remove uniforms because of this reason, because this might show embarrassment towards a certain school. But having uniforms may also be considered a good thing. You can be identified easily and you can avoid hazardous situations like being prohibited to be in places that are not safe for you.

When we reach the point in our lives where we have to work, the presence of unifoms are still there. Some workplaces require a certain attire for their workmen, mostly for safety issues. Some go with semi-formal clothing. People judge professions by how the employees look; the guy in the suit looks more professional, more successful than someone wearing a shirt with a company logo on the back.

Although that is not always the case since some jobs require proper uniforms for the workers to be more efficient; for example, workers in construction sites or soldiers in the battlefield. All in all, I think that uniforms should be trimmed down to the identification card. For me, that is the most important part of the uniform, and is the single most important part of it. Uniforms in some areas of business can't be argued, though because it's required in the field. Firefighters without uniforms, can't have that, now, can we?