High school bans expensive jacket so poor kids don't feel bad

www.cnn.com...
High school bans Canada Goose and Moncler jackets to protect poorer children

This is some grade A - BS!
It's one thing to have a dress code, or even a uniform, but something just feels off about this.

They cite concerns like ""economic background is rubbed in their faces and distracts them from learning."
This is in the UK but I could see this trend happening here.

As a teen there were many times I did not have clothes that were popular or expensive. I survived. I learned to make my own money and buy things I wanted when I got older. I learned really quick that name brand doesn't always equal quality, and that there would always be people that spend more on this. They are basically shielding these kids to death! How the heck are these kids going to deal with the real world when they get out of high school? I think both the kids and parents, and the school need a reality check!

Here in Amsterdam, only drug dealers wear Canada goose. No idea why, but that's the case.

BAN EVERYTHING!!!

a reply to: JAGStorm

One of my biggest motivators to work way back when was because there were things I thought were cool at the time and wanted. I suppose that is still true today.

We aren't all born equal nor have the same opportunities. However in London, as in the US, there are ways to bring up your own situation.

Also, although it sounds fairly authoritarian to tell kids what they can and can't wear, I believe the schools are able to uphold a dress code.


Still, I'm not sure how this helps anyone.

I wasn't exactly poor by any means as a kid, but I didn't get anything but basics from my parents.
And... < shudders > Half-assed handmade clothing my mother made. No tween kid wants to be caught dead in mommy-made clothing, ever.

Seeing what some of the wealthier students wore was a massive inspiration to take up odd jobs around the neighborhood. I mostly weeded flower beds & trimmed palm trees & hedges/bushes, but it brought in just enough to get some of the Burdines department store clothes I coveted.

Good grief!

I hope they don't start doing this.

There are only certain brands of jeans my son can fit in without looking absolutely ridiculous. He's blessed/cursed with my build and he's in shape, so most brands have to be way, way cinched in to not fall off and then he looks like he's basically wearing Dudley Dursley's hand-me-downs a la Harry Potter. We've found a couple brands that will look good on him, but even Levis are too large around the middle. And I will pay to keep him from looking like he's wearing a cinched waste potato sack.

a reply to: JinMI

Also, although it sounds fairly authoritarian to tell kids what they can and can't wear, I believe the schools are able to uphold a dress code.

Ok these coats are really expensive, but as long as they are not offensive, or smelly, or something like that why should they be banned for the simple reason that some kids families can't afford them? What does that teach kids. I think this could lead to some really bad things later on. If someone has something you don't have it's not fair so you should be able to take theirs away.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Dress codes aren't an uncommon thing. That's the only way this makes any sense.

What's next prom dresses? I saw what the girls from the school next to me were wearing this year and it was like they were competing for the skimpiest or they were going to the golden globes or acadamy awards or something. I forget what they said some of the dresses cost but I'm sure it is more than the jacket's and the dress is only worn one night!

originally posted by: JinMI
a reply to: JAGStorm

Dress codes aren't an uncommon thing. That's the only way this makes any sense.

It appears this school does have a dress code of some sorts but kids are getting around it with other things like Coats, and backpacks and such. Crazy.

Two years ago, it introduced a compulsory school bag to reduce costs, after parents complained that their children were demanding branded rucksacks.

a reply to: JAGStorm

You know I always felt bad that my parents paid for my lunch while others got theirs free.

I hope skools have the wisdom to ban free lunch programs next to save kids the anxiety of not being privileged enough for state-sponsored free handouts.

Flame on!

originally posted by: RMFX1
Here in Amsterdam, only drug dealers wear Canada goose. No idea why, but that's the case.

Looking at the prices, they are expensive: £900 to £1000 . Drug dealers/street thieves like something with lots of pockets, good insulation, large hood and a dark/light colour so they can hide in the shadows/snow. They were actually shooting people in order to steal these kind of jackets. One person was left paralyzed:

www.complex.com...

In my high school days, we wore skiing jackets over our school uniform (blazer, shirt, t-shirt, trousers/skirts). Usually some blue/white/aqua pattern or black/red/yellow or some flowery pattern for the girls. Those didn't cost more than £120.

a reply to: JAGStorm
So what happens if the poor kid goes to a thrift shop and buys one of those jackets---or is gifted one of those jackets? If that's the only jacket he/she has, then what?

I understand a dress code---lived with them for a goodly portion of my life---wearing a uniform of sorts when I was in the medical profession. But schools telling what BRANDS of clothing to wear is ridiculous!

I was lucky as a kid because my Mama could sew up anything that was "hip" for me. I was a strange size (tall and skinny with legs to my armpits) and had a terrible time finding anything off the rack that would fit me. My friends who couldn't afford the store prices kept her busy sewing for them as well. I still have a goodly selection of those clothes Mama made for me in the "Mod" days of the '60s. They come in handy for the '60s & '70s themed parties.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'll tell you what:

Welfare recipients ALWAYS wear the top tier gear. Where I work i see a dozen or more a day and the bums without fail are wesring $100 Nikes and EVERY SINGLE ONE is sporting North Face jacket of some kind.

They do this to try and distract from the fact that they live in a trailer or section 8 housing and are chronically unemployed and or "disabled" at 20 years old.

originally posted by: Urantia1111
a reply to: JAGStorm

I'll tell you what:

Welfare recipients ALWAYS wear the top tier gear. Where I work i see a dozen or more a day and the bums without fail are wesring $100 Nikes and EVERY SINGLE ONE is sporting North Face jacket of some kind.

They do this to try and distract from the fact that they live in a trailer or section 8 housing and are chronically unemployed and or "disabled" at 20 years old.

I agree. I notice the same thing.

Maybe that’s why they’re broke, welfare recipients. They have no concept of the value of money.
If they used their money for food, rent, saving, paying their debt then maybe they wouldn’t be broke. Maybe they could get themselves out of the hole.

But nope, gotta have that iphone, gotta have ciggys and booze, gotta have nikes. To hell with the diapers and the essentials.

a reply to: diggindirt

But schools telling what BRANDS of clothing to wear is ridiculous!

Yes this is what i'm getting at. If you have a dress code, have a dress code, not a price/brand code.

What if the parents buy their kids an expensive car, are they not allowed to drive it to school because others feel bad.
I am saying this, and as a kid my parents did not buy these types of expensive things for me, but I do not feel it is the schools place to tell parents what they can spend on their kid. Your example of gifting is an excellent one. Also, how much is too much? Some good clothing costs more (yes that jacket is probably an extreme) but where is the cutoff? Maybe the school should include a jacket in their uniform or something.

a reply to: JinMI

Yeah, but this isn't a dress code.

This is saying, "Oh, that one item or brand is too expensive for some families to afford, so we don't think any of the kids should have one or wear it to school if they do."

That's more a line-item veto. Either go all-in on dress code or let kids wear whatever stupid things their parents buy so long they aren't letting T&A hang out or wearing profanity or things like that.

In our case, we can buy Lee's or Old Navy and sometimes DKNY jeans. Urban Pipeline is loose but do-able. He rips the knees right out of any self-respecting Walmart, JCPenney, or Target brand we've tried that fit, so we don't bother with them. Two of those four brands can be bought for under $20 a pair.

I try to balance cost with wear with what fits. No point in buying a cheap pair that he may only wear a half dozen times before they become summer cut-offs he can only really wear outside.

But if the schools decide to issue a list of cost approved jeans brands that they feel all their children can afford and none of my go-tos are on it?

a reply to: Breakthestreak

All the essentials are taken care of by the suckers who go to work every day.

All their income is discretionary and devoted to luxuries that regular folks forgoe in order to, you know, eat and pay for living expenses.

Great system eh?

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: JinMI

Yeah, but this isn't a dress code.

This is saying, "Oh, that one item or brand is too expensive for some families to afford, so we don't think any of the kids should have one or wear it to school if they do."

That's more a line-item veto. Either go all-in on dress code or let kids wear whatever stupid things their parents buy so long they aren't letting T&A hang out or wearing profanity or things like that.

In our case, we can buy Lee's or Old Navy and sometimes DKNY jeans. Urban Pipeline is loose but do-able. He rips the knees right out of any self-respecting Walmart, JCPenney, or Target brand we've tried that fit, so we don't bother with them. Two of those four brands can be bought for under $20 a pair.

I try to balance cost with wear with what fits. No point in buying a cheap pair that he may only wear a half dozen times before they become summer cut-offs he can only really wear outside.

But if the schools decide to issue a list of cost approved jeans brands that they feel all their children can afford and none of my go-tos are on it?

People who claim that they can't find good quality clothing for cheap prices in just about any size are either too picky or too lazy to look. We've seen the quality of clothing, especially jeans and pants, go up by sizable amounts over the last 30+ years and the price has dropped A LOT for this good quality. Now they may not be name brand, but the knees don't "tear out" on the first wear. I just got rid of a pair of 20yr old jeans that were $50 and I wore them HARD over the years.

I found some really nice Carhartt pants and jeans for $35 and those things are made really well. IDK what else you could want other than some flashy label stamped or sewn on it. If that is what you need, then IDK what to say to you - but I know kids can have unrealistic desires that they don't understand.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

He mostly has Old Navy. Those go on sale regularly for around $13/pair and they wear like iron even on an active 8-year-old. Most of them survive to be donations.

And as I already explained, it's not about finding cheap. It's mainly about fit. Most places make their clothing like the typical couch potato cut. Our kid ain't a couch potato and he has my build. He's all up, no out.