School uniforms are the norm in public (and private) schools in Australia, and I remember being grateful for them as a child/teen. I used to live in dread of “plain clothes day”. I remember the day in primary school when Mum made me wear a pretty dress – but when we got to school, everyone was in jeans – and I made her take me home to change. And being picked on in early high school for wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt (yellow with purple and red orchids – I loved it at the time) and baggy jeans on plain clothes day. This just reinforced my feeling of being a daggy outsider. So yes – school uniforms are a great leveller, and probably saved me from daily social shaming.