Should Clothes Make the Student?

Regina Capps fifth-grade writing class has been working on persuasive writing.

Mrs. Capps thinks persuasive writing is one of the easiest forms of writing to teach because children have very strong opinions and convictions about many things. The trick is to give them a topic which is relative, and one that generates feeling.

The following are just a few examples of the great wisdom of the ten- and eleven-year-olds at Port St. Joe Elementary School. If you ever want to know how a kid feels about something, just ask. If they have especially strong feelings about it, they don’t even mind using a pencil to express themselves.

The topic? Should the clothes you wear make you look popular?

Gabby Forehand wrote:

“Should the clothes you wear make you look popular? You might say ‘yes’ but for my answer it is the exact opposite. Here are the reasons that I disagree.

First of all, wearing a certain outfit that other people call ‘cool’ just because you don’t want to get picked on isn’t being yourself. You, along with others alike, are perfectly fine the way you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re a ‘girly prep’, a ‘goth’ or a ‘computer geek.’ Maybe people label you as ‘just some weirdo’ but it doesn’t matter! You aren’t ‘just’ anything, you’re ‘someone in particular,’ a very good thing to be.

“Secondly, some kids even dress like someone they’re not but pretend to be it in order to get friends. Pretending to be someone you’re not is like putting on a disguise, going somewhere new, and using a false name. Hiding who you really are will make you very unhappy in the future. For example, say there’s a girl who loves to skateboard and do other boyish things. But, when someone tells her something like, ‘You do know that everyone thinks you’re a loser, right?’ and, of course, that hurts her. So, she decides to quit skateboarding and she starts wearing ‘Hannah Montana’ or ‘Twilight’ outfits, so she can be ‘popular.’ See what I mean? Just be yourself!

“This is why I don’t think clothes should make you look ‘popular.’ I hope I have changed your mind if you’re one of those who said, ‘yes.’ The only thing that makes you ‘cool’ or ‘popular’ in any way is how good a person you are inside.”

Chloe Michelle Burke added her two cents:

“Should your clothes make you popular because I absolutely don’t think they should? I think popularity should come from a person’s personality. Albert Einstein was very popular for his scientific discoveries (he wore a lab coat and look at his hair).

“Being popular should come from your personality. Clothes should be used to cover yourself and keep you warm. Sure, you can have some fun with clothes to look dressy or casual. But wearing nice clothes should not make you popular. What if there were a girl that was really nice to everyone, shouldn’t she be popular even if she didn’t wear the nicest clothes?

“Many great people like Harriet Tubman and Albert Einstein didn’t wear the prettiest clothes at times, yet they were very famous for what they did. What if a girl walked into your classroom and she was wearing a very pretty dress, long hoop earrings and a stunning flowered necklace. Would you immediately want to be her friend, or would you wait and see what her personality was like?

“A very wise man once said, ‘Don’t judge a book by the cover.’ I believe that’s a good motto to live by. It means that you shouldn’t say that someone is a certain way just by looking at them. You have to get to know a person before you say how they are.

“A person should not become popular because of their clothes. You need to get to know a person before you say what they’re like. So, remember, don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Ethan Sander weighed in:

“Should your clothes make you popular? No! I think that if clothes make you popular, all you need to do is run to J.C. Penney. Your personality should make you popular. Sometimes, if you wear the popular clothes, you might look ugly. Anyway, why would you want to be popular?

“For starters, your clothes shouldn’t make you popular. They aren’t you. Your personality is. If you are nice, people will like you. Clothes just make you look neat. These times clothes make you popular, but I think they shouldn’t.

“Secondly, sometimes if you wear the popular clothes, you look ugly. If a fat girl (no offense) wears a shorts-skirt it won’t look good. If a fat boy wears skinny jeans those don’t look so good, either. So some people just don’t fit with popular clothes.

“Last, why would you want to be popular? Being an ordinary person is much better than being popular. If you are popular, you are never alone. There is always a crowd around you. Wouldn’t you like some peace in life?

“Clothes should NOT make you popular. Ordinary people are fine. If you are popular, it doesn’t mean you are in charge. So don’t let people fool you into thinking that clothes make you popular.”

Finally, the essay of Dylan Whitehead:

“Should your clothes make you popular? I don’t think so. I think your personality should make you popular. If you wear clothes that you think make you popular, you’re going to have a hard time making friends.

“First, you should not let your clothes decide how you should be. How you want to be is your decision. If you have clothes that you think are cool you can wear them and add your own style. If you need clothes to be cool, you are desperate for friends. Be your own person.

“Second, let your personality make you look cool because people will like you for who you are. And if they don’t and they like you for your clothes, then they are not your real friend. They like your clothes instead of you. Your personality is what they should like.

“Finally, the person you are is not your clothes. It is you. Your personality should choose who you are, not your clothes. If you let your clothes choose, people are going to run all over you. So, let your personality choose.

“Should your clothes choose who you are? I think not. Just be nice to others and they will nice in return.”