Great book! I've got it and read it. It really is disturbing to know just how much marketing goes into trying to conform our little children and turn them against their parents and into future shoppers. And the thought of supressing their true self to mold them into the average American type is sickening. The book is a bit difficult to read and doesn't give too many solutions to the many problems out there, but I suggest that every parent read it. If they weren't concerned with tv and all the media influence out there before, this read will definately alarm some red flags for them. And hopefully, the parents who do stumble upon it, have enough sense to take action in their own household!

One more thought. It's not enough to just shelter these children from the media's influence, because the media will get to them eventually. This is inevitable. It's also very important to help your child grow into a strong human being with the confidence and the strength to take on these influences and their peers when they do set foot in the real world.

Thank you for this site. I have read almost all of your posts and I have been intrigued the whole way!

"In February, 100 parents gathered in the Millington High School auditorium in Tennessee to hear area principals discuss their reasons for supporting a dress code that would substantially limit any logos, along with baggy clothes and shirts that were not tucked in.

It's all about promoting a climate conducive to learning, says Tonya Mabry, principal of E.A. Harrold Elementary in Millington. Even in their younger years, she points out, students' choice of dress can be disruptive to the school's academic environment. "When you get to fifth grade and you wear a shirt that says 'Dare me' across the front, it's a disruption," she says.

Teachers at the Portland Waldorf School heartily embrace the ban on logos and in fact any kind of writing or images on students' clothing. "The dress code is designed so children can focus on their class work and not be distracted by commercial or grotesque images," says Craig Thom, a fourth-grade teacher."

Not a very good school to notate. I went to that school. They claim that these shirts are "disruptive" however the school was also 50+ years old and had crumbling foundations, lead in the paint (as verified by the AP Chemistry class), and potentially dangerous mold and mold spores growing on the walls (as verified by the AP Biology class) and these things are not in some way harmful to the learning process? Bah.

I agree that dress code helps, but school uniforms and strict guidelines are not the answer. All that causes is civil unrest amongst the student populations. If students don't express themselves with their clothes, they will find other ways, such as drugs for an example. While I attended said school, there was an approximate proportional increase in campus crime as to strictness of dress policies. ie: make the dress code harder, the students do other other things to express in turn. People will always express themselves. I agree blatantly inappropriate things shouldn't be on shirts, but why in the world would you ban baggy clothing. It's not much of a distraction if everyone in the class (including you!) wears baggy clothing. It makes the environment more relaxed and the students aren't so uptight and are more willing to accept the information being taught to them.

Personally, seeing an 18 year old teenager in slacks and a button up is disturbing to me much moreso than an 18 year old wearing baggy pants and a shirt with a hole in it.

It's a catch 22. If you make it strict, the students are upset, if you go lax, the parents are upset. I think there should instead be an incentive program set up. If you wear appropriate clothing in lieu of more ... casual (for lack of a better word) clothing, you get xxx as an incentive. That way everyone is happy. The students who choose to dress up will be rewarded and the people who choose not to won't be punished either.

I don't agree with this policy. Of course my child doesn't go to the school so it doesn't really matter. I am opposed to censorship and support freedom of expression and wearing what you want seems fine to me. There isn't a need for uniforms or uniformity in schools. I dress my child in used clothing as a way of being frugal and as a way of being ecological. Some kids are lucky to have clean shirts to wear never mind whether there is a logo or not. At a Waldorf School, the kids are likely to be of a higher and social class (and whiter one too) so maybe it makes sense for them. Because we homeschool, I notice that there is freedom to not have lots of peer pressure about clothing and consumerism. Just my two cents.

Great post! We have dealt with a few companies that market to children and parents of babies and I must agree with what you have to say about branding influencing children so much.

Companies that market to children tend to be more aggressive in terms of branding than in other industries. In fact many a time we have had to try and convince our clients to go for a softer approach (not just in terms of their corporate identities but also in terms of their marketing strategies).

Jeff

My son was sent home from charter Waldorf (K) today. He had a profile non-threatening "image" of a polar bear (no cartoon, no brand/marketing) on the front. He loves Mother nature. "It isn't fair" he cried "the girls get to wear flowers". Furthermore he had the humiliation of his teacher making him remove his shirt and put it back on inside out. Tomorrow he is wearing his sister's shirt with flowers, shorts with flowers, striped and flower socks. These are acceptable images.No girl is asked to turn her flowered dress inside out. What is the lesson that is really being learned here?