History Main / SuddenSchoolUniform

* ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'' played this straight with the implementation of uniforms over Christmas break without prior discussion, but subverted it by keeping the new dress code in place for a year in-story (half the 10th and the entire 11th season).

* Averted in Disney's ''Doug''. The plan is announced at the beginning of the episode. Over the course of the episode, the student body collects signatures on a petition, forms an interest group, sets up protests, and eventually splits based on difference of opinion. By the end of the episode, the student body has accepted the imposition of school uniforms, but because the adults can't decide on a design, the plan is put on hold indefinitely.

* ''{{Degrassi}}'' played this straight with the implementation of uniforms over Christmas break without prior discussion, but subverted it by keeping the new dress code in place for a year in-story (half the 10th and the entire 11th season).

* In the TV adaptation of ''{{Clueless}}'', the season one episode "The Party's Over" sees the school gain a new principal, who is disgusted with what he saw as the students' lack of discipline. His decision is to institute uniforms overnight, leading to Cher having imaging the school becoming a place of robotic clones. [[spoiler:The episode ends with Cher reworking the "I Have A Dream" speech into a speech about individual freedom with the principal conceding he was wrong.]]

* in ''HowToRock'' the principal does this in response to Kacey and Molly's attempts to out-over-the-top each other leading to his being physically injured by [[NiceHat their hats]]. He specifically called out Kacey and Molly for bringing it down on the whole school and [[spoiler: by the end of the episode, he relents but the two of them still have to wear it.]]

* The ''Series/{{Clueless}}'' episode "The Party's Over" sees the school gain a new principal, who is disgusted with what he saw as the students' lack of discipline. His decision is to institute uniforms overnight, leading to Cher having imaging the school becoming a place of robotic clones. [[spoiler:The episode ends with Cher reworking the "I Have A Dream" speech into a speech about individual freedom with the principal conceding he was wrong.]]

* ''{{Degrassi}}'' played this straight with the implementation of uniforms over Christmas break without prior discussion, but subverted it by keeping the new dress code in place for a year in-story.

* ''{{Degrassi}}'' played this straight with the implementation of uniforms over Christmas break without prior discussion, but subverted it by keeping the new dress code in place to date.

Not so in fictionland. Maybe the ReasonableAuthorityFigure has been replaced by someone [[TyrantTakesTheHelm less reasonable]], maybe the principal just snapped, maybe it's coming down from above, but the fictional school now has uniforms. With a day's notice, a week's notice at most. The resolution of the episode will lead to them being abolished since StatusQuoIsGod.

In RealLife, if a school is planning a major change of DressCode, particularly if they're going all the way from "no shirt, no shoes, no service" to a strict uniform policy, they will announce it well in advance, seeking consultation from parents, teachers, the community at large if it's a public school, and often students, with any changes to take effect at the start of the following school year. (This applies to most other major policy changes, too. Schools are run by bureaucracies, and bureaucracy tends to move ponderously).

* ''ShakeItUp'', "Protest it Up". [=CeCe=] does Lets out a BigNo in response, but Gunther and Tinka have great amounts of extra time and energy when they're not planning out over-the-top outfits on a daily basis...

* ''ShakeItUp'', "Protest it Up". [=CeCe=] does Lets out a BigNo in response, but Gunther and Tinka have BeyondTheImpossible amounts of extra time and energy when they're not planning out over-the-top outfits on a daily basis...

* ''ShakeItUp'', "Protest it Up". [=CeCe=] does ''[[BigNo not]]'' [[{{Understatement}} take it well]], but Gunther and Tinka have BeyondTheImpossible amounts of extra time and energy when they're not planning out over-the-top outfits on a daily basis...

* This routine happened in ''ElGoonishShive''. Principal Verruckt of Moperville North High School decided to have all of the students wear uniforms (apparently without consulting with parents, the local school board or anyone else) and put the policy into effect almost immediately. It's also a splendid example of WebcomicTime, since the policy was in place for less than a week InUniverse but covered ''3½ years''' worth of strips (most of which was taken by the birthday party arc).

Often found within a TyrantTakesTheHelm plotline. Primarily seen in American series, since it needs on the one hand a serial medium, such as television, and on the other a cultural backdrop in which school uniforms exist as an option [[hottip:*:''Technically'' they aren't an option in the United States, at least for traditional district-run public schools, but there are ways of getting around this in RealLife, and fiction writers, of course, are free to ignore all of it]] but are the exception rather than the norm. SubTrope of DressCode, and also of EffectiveImmediately.

* The series of ''TenThingsIHateAboutYou''.

* This routine happened in ''ElGoonishShive''. Principal Verruckt of Moperville North High School decided to have all of the students wear uniforms (apparently without consulting with parents, the local school board or anyone else) and put the policy into effect almost immediately.
** It's also a splendid example of WebcomicTime, since the policy was in place for less than a week InUniverse but covered ''3½ years''' worth of strips (most of which was taken by the birthday party arc).

* ''TheSimpsons''. The school uniforms were abandoned when the gray dyes ran to a tie-dye look in the rain.

Often found within a TyrantTakesTheHelm plotline. Primarily seen in American series, since it needs on the one hand a serial medium, such as television, and on the other a cultural backdrop in which school uniforms exist as an option [[hottip:*:''Technically'' they aren't an option in the United States, at least for traditional district-run public schools, but there are ways of getting around this in RealLife, and fiction writers, of course, are free to ignore all of it]] but are the exception rather than the norm.

** It's also a splendid example of WebcomicTime, since the policy was in place for less than a week InUniverse but covered ''3½ years''' worth of strips.

Examples:

** It's also a splendid example of WebcomicTime, since the policy was in place for less than a week InUniverse but covered ''3½ years''' worth of strips.

In RealLife if a school is planning a major change of DressCode, particularly if they're going all the way from "no shirt, no shoes, no service" to a strict uniform policy, they will announce it well in advance, seeking consultation from parents, teachers, the community at large if it's a public school, and often students, with any changes to take effect at the start of the following school year. (This applies to most other major policy changes too. Schools are run by bureaucracies, and bureaucracy tends to move ponderously).

Not so in fictionland - maybe the ReasonableAuthorityFigure's been replaced by someone [[TyrantTakesTheHelm less so]], maybe the principal just snapped, maybe it's coming down from above, but the fictional school now has uniforms. With a day's notice, a week's tops. The resolution of the episode will lead to them being abolished since StatusQuoIsGod.

Often found within a TyrantTakesTheHelm plotline. Primarily seen in American series since it needs on the one hand a series medium and on the other a cultural backdrop in which school uniforms exist as an option [[hottip:*: ''Technically'' they aren't in the US, at least for traditional district-run public schools, but there are ways of getting around this in RealLife and fiction writers of couse are free to ignore all of it]] but are the exception rather than the norm.

* ''LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' when Mrs. Oleson took over the school, possibly the [[UnbuiltTrope earliest example]] and memorable because the school board ignored a '''glaring''' conflict of interest in the part-owner of the only clothing and dry-goods store in town forcing parents to buy additional clothing.

[[AC: WebComics]]
* This routine happened in ''ElGoonishShive''. Principal Verruckt of Moperville North high school decided to have all of the students wear uniforms (apparently without consulting with parents, the local school board or anyone else) and put the policy into effect almost immediately.
** It's also a splendid example of WebcomicTime since the policy was in place for less than a week InUniverse but covered ''three and a half years''' worth of strips.


[[AC: WesternAnimation]]
* ''DannyPhantom'': Vlad Masters, the newly elected mayor makes this a rule at the local high-school, specifically to annoy PerkyGoth Sam, since she's one of the close friends/side-kick to his EnemyMine, Danny.
* ''MyGymPartnersAMonkey'' had the episode "Uniformity," where CDMS instates a prep-school uniform that causes everyone to act uncharacteristically genteel and proper (read:boring), in stark contrast to the students' usual antics. The uniform was instated in about a week and later revoked in less than a day.
* ''TheSimpsons''. The uniforms were abandoned when the gray dyes ran to a tie-dye look in the rain.