Why I hated non-uniform day at school

A black blazer, a white shirt, and a green striped tie were 3 items of clothing that became my armour against low self-esteem. At school, everyone would complain about the school uniform while I appreciated how a piece of clothing could be my hero. A practice that started all the way from the 16th century saved me from waking up and nervously shiver in front of my wardrobe daily.

Non uniform days fall in the top worst 3 moments of school for me, after exams week and sports day. I don’t know where to begin on explaining to you how a day of simply not wearing my uniform would fill me with so much dread. The amount of thought that will need to go on one outfit because everyone will be sat observing and staring at our clothes for the day baffles me. It’s like cat walking down a fashion show for Vogue, except it’s not a stage, it’s the school canteen and you’re not wearing a designer dress, you’re wearing a top from Primark that says something cheesy on it.

It doesn’t help that at 16 years old, we are unsure of our identity, let alone our fashion sense. Who we are and what we wear is faded in our teenage years. Young people begin to believe that what we wear defines who we are, so we better get dressed perfectly because perfection is what we strive to be at that age. The day consists of just being looked up and down and being smirked at because you have ‘no style.’

But here’s a flashback of 2016. My first non-uniform day at my new public school after leaving my religious private school, where I was so isolated from the latest trends and the idea of self-expression was a concept that I wasn’t familiar with. I was already nervous with so many new people around me and was an easy target for bullies. I knew zilch about the latest trends. Everyone came in adidas trainers and fancy denim jackets, while I came in a printed top and some boots that made me a laughing stock in the courtyard. I never wore those boots again! The amount of times I heard "WHAT ARE THOSE?!" that day shattered my self esteem more than anything. Self expression, my foot. Non uniform day was more than just a day to be comfortable, it was a competition to see who could dress the best and who could dress the worst. Thanks to those ugly boots, that was me in 2016. Either way, the day the uniform came back left me sighing with relief, as I’m back to not being defined and judged by a piece of clothing.

Fast forward six years, I now am a working student whose sense of style grew as much as she did and others began appreciating what I wore. I began becoming more braver with what I wear as I no longer cared for the opinion of others, which was the best gift I could’ve given myself. That, and some new trainers to replace those horrendous boots.