In his article “Appearances Are Destructive” published in the New York Times on August 26, 1993,

Mark Mathabane argues that schools should implement a dress code to make it easier for non-

privileged classes and newcomers to America to be protected from abuse and to be able to keep focused

on learning during school hours. He refers to his sisters´experience as a convincing case. The girl´s

academic efforts were almost derailed, as they were continuously challenged because of their outfits,

which were considered plain by American standards. The author´s own investigative work as a

journalist showed him parents are usually rated by young students by the money they receive to spend

on running shoes, jewelry and clothing, for having the coolest of these items is what “gives them status

and earns them respect.”Besides exposing these worrying new values in American young people,

Mathabane adds examples of distressing behavior derived from them. Checking on make-up, nails and

clothes during classes is frequent and very distracting; a sexy costume and attractive appearance are

valued over “intelligence and academic excellence.” Finally, realizing that “school dress codes are

observed as part of creating the proper learning environment” in countries that outperform academic

US results, Mathabane concludes that a dress code lets the student´s minds be “focused more on

learning and less on materialism.”

I agree with Mathabane´s position. My own experience in a public elementary school was that,

although families will frequently try to differentiate their children from others, there is a lot less chance

for clothing and appearances to be a cause of problem. My school had a dress code and in my time,

uniforms were made at home or by the neighborhood´s dressmaker. My mom was very creative and

designed an attractive version of the uniform that made my sisters and me stand out a bit. However,

within a couple of years most moms had copied the design and we were all the same. Although we

knew my mother was proud to have been copied by everyone else, no one mentioned it not even once

outside our home. So, I think that public school´s idea of a dress code succeds in avoiding class

differences to show within the school itself, so these differences will not interfere with the learning

process, benefitting most students. I think therefore that Mathabane has the right position in this matter.