School Uniforms In John Rawls Justice As Fairness

“I love my hair because it is a reflection of me and me is beautiful.” –Jqueenj The opportunity to invent the way the world perceives you is incredibly powerful, and in this case, allows someone to feel beautiful. It is safe to say that society uses hairstyles as a way to showcase their individuality and leave their unique mark on the world. Now, imagine a world where there is a mandatory law that everyone has the exact same haircut, style, and color. Although this may sound silly, there is a deeply rooted emphasis on “sameness” in our society as evidenced by the use of school uniforms. School uniforms constrain student expression in the name of control and eliminating perceived differences among diverse groups of people. In John Rawls’, Justice as …show more content…
With his values in mind, Rawls would support that school uniforms are in fact an infringement on students’ rights. In this paper I will analyze school uniforms through the Rawlsian perspective of supporting the least advantaged, eliminating gender bias, and ensuring that all citizens have access to their job of choice.
As it stands school uniforms are not universally utilized. They are predominantly used in private schools and low-income communities. However, they are most commonly employed in communities with high rates of poverty. “In fact, 47% of high-poverty public schools reported requiring school uniforms, compared to 6% of low poverty, public schools” (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). Rawls argues that society should be positioned as such that the least advantaged group is better off than they would be in any other circumstance. Rawls would find it to be problematic that the