History Main / SuddenSchoolUniform

* Happens within one day in ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt''. In the episode "Les Diaboliques", The Demon Sisters take over the school, enforcing school uniforms, somewhat resembling Scanty and Kneesocks’ militaristic clothing, as one of their strict rules. It is implied that it is subverted by the end of the episode, as the Demon Sisters drive away from the [[spoiler:now-destroyed and burning]] school, with Panty and Stocking [[spoiler:winning]] the battle.

->''Ve are looking drabulous!''
-->-- '''Gunther and Tinka Hessenheffer''', ''Series/ShakeItUp''

* Happens within one day in ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt''. In the episode "Les Diaboliques", The Demon Sisters take over the school, enforcing school uniforms, somewhat resembling Scanty and Kneesocks’ militaristic clothing, as one of their strict rules. It is implied that it is subverted by the end of the episode, as the Demon Sisters drive away from the [[spoiler:now-destroyed and burning]] school.

Often found within a TyrantTakesTheHelm plotline and AntiSchoolUniformsPlot. 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 [[note]]''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[[/note]] but are the exception rather than the norm. This is something of a compressed variant of SoCalization since ''most'' [[JuniorHigh middle schools]] in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles have uniforms but they're ''far'' less common at both the elementary and HighSchool level. SubTrope of DressCode. See also ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

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 [[note]]''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[[/note]] but are the exception rather than the norm. This is something of a compressed variant of SoCalization since ''most'' [[JuniorHigh middle schools]] in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles have uniforms but they're ''far'' less common at both the elementary and HighSchool level. SubTrope of DressCode. See also ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest.

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 [[note]]''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[[/note]] but are the exception rather than the norm. This is something of a compressed variant of SoCalization since ''most'' [[JuniorHigh middle schools]] in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles have uniforms but they're ''far'' less common at both the elementary and HighSchool level. SubTrope of DressCode. See also ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest.

* ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' had an episode. Raven organizes a protest (everyone is supposed to technically wear the uniform, but in a highly personalized way), but everyone backs out except the mean clique. The plot of the episode is more about Raven accidentally falling in with them, but it does follow the trope.

* ''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 a close friend/sidekick to Vlad's ArchEnemy, Danny.

* Averted in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{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 until the next year.

* Averted in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{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.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' had a story arc revolving around this.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Averted with the Eric Walters book ''Branded'', where school uniforms are announced early in the year after the bureaucracy has already decided on them and are phased in over a couple of months.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/ICarly'' had this when Principal Franklin was kicked out.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* This routine happened in ''Webcomic/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).

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''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 a close friend/sidekick to Vlad's ArchEnemy, Danny.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'' had the episode "Uniformity", where Charles Darwin Middle School 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.

* ''Franchise/ArchieComics'' had a story arc revolving around this.

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 [[note]]''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[[/note]] but are the exception rather than the norm. SubTrope of DressCode. See also ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest.

* ''ArchieComics'' had a story arc revolving around this.

In RealLife, if a school is planning a major change of DressCode, particularly if they're going all the way from [[NoDressCode "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).

* ''RanmaOneHalf'' had something similar with principal Kuno introducing a mandatory hairstyle (or trying to) in addition to the existing uniforms.

* ''LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' did this when Mrs. Oleson took over the school. It's 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.

* ''ShakeItUp'', "Protest it Up". [=CeCe=] 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...

* 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 when he relents at the end of the episode [[spoiler: the two of them still have to wear it.]]
* In ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' this happens as an act of enforced discipline that was misdirected.
* ThatsSoRaven had an episode. Raven organizes a protest (everyone is supposed to technically wear the uniform, but in a highly personalized way), but everyone backs out except the mean clique. The plot of the episode is more about Raven accidentally falling in with them, but it does follow the trope.

* ''MyGymPartnersAMonkey'' had the episode "Uniformity", where Charles Darwin Middle School 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.
* PepperAnn once deconstructed this. While the school ends up relenting the uniforms at the end of the episode, the students think the uniforms are cute, and still wear them casually in the end.

* 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.

--> Gunther and Tinka Hessenheffer, ''ShakeItUp''

* ''[[ICarly iCarly]]'' had this when Principal Franklin was kicked out.

* Not a "school" uniform as such, but the ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Chain of Command" has got this trope in all other ways. A new guy comes in and replaces Picard as the captain of the Enterprise, and one of the things he changes immediately is in ordering Counsellor Troi to start wearing her duty uniform (Troi had spent the previous six years wearing a variety of informal style leotards and dresses). It's one of a number of things designed to show us that the new captain is a very different guy to Picard.

* ''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 a close friend/sidekick to Vlad's EnemyMine, Danny.

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 [[note]]''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[[/note]] but are the exception rather than the norm. SubTrope of DressCode, and also of EffectiveImmediately. See also ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest.

* ''DannyPhantom'': Vlad Masters, the newly elected mayor, makes this a rule at the local high school, specifically to annoy PerkyGoth Sam, since she's a close friend/sidekick to Vlad's EnemyMine, Danny.

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. See also ForcedIntoTheirSundayBest.

* In "WizardsOfWaverlyPlace" this happens as an act of enforced discipline that was misdirected.