The meanings of uniforms

The South Canterbury Museum’s new exhibition What We Wear focuses on the meanings and stories of uniforms, and features one type that almost everyone has experience in; the school uniform.

The particular school uniform on display is extra special since it is no longer in use because it comes from Seadown School, which closed as part of government restructuring in 2004.

The original goal behind school uniforms was to help produce disciplined citizens and as a result early versions borrowed from religious and military clothing.

One of the positives of modern school uniforms is that they provide a type of social camouflage for children that can help deflect schoolyard judgments about status and fashion. This can be very important while children are unsure of their identity and want to fit in.

However, school uniforms can also be seen as restrictive of personal identity and selfexpression. Students have over the years found ways to resist the restrictions of uniforms and some schools have developed their uniforms to be more inclusive, for example offering gender-neutral options.