Dress Code at Co-op

We had a meeting at co-op tonight and one of the major things that came up was that they are going to require uniform dress next school year. There has been a lot of tension this year over kids wearing too much black, and since they were having difficulty communicating an understanding of what the ban on "excessive black" meant, they decided this was the safest way to go.
When I think of black, I think that monks, and nuns, and those who are grieving and not necessarily the whole gothic/emo movement. I love black - it is skinny-fying. I for one thing we need to take this color back.
I decided to remain an observer at the meeting and listen to what others had to say. I had to take some time to process what was wanted. I honestly do not like another level of control. My first reaction was that I hated it. I like individuality, even if it bumps up against my personal tastes and preferences. It was said that some of the smaller children were frightened, and I wonder if they keep them in a box, because the kids at our co-op look nowhere near as scary as I see on the streets.
Regardless, the processing time proved beneficial. Even if I don't like the rule, I can respectfully disagree. My kids and I will have to decide how much control we want others to have of our lives - and if participation in the co-op is worth abiding by something we think is ludicrous.
Hearts never change from the outside in. I am not scared to see people go through times of darkness, curious exploration, and questioning. Unfortunately that is not most of the Christian world that I am surrounded by, so we have to decide to be in or out of this community. My kids, to my surprise said they didn't like it - but they would comply in order to continue on at the co-op. We even found a way to have a positive outlook - Kaitlyn said it would make it easier to get dressed on a Monday morning.

I wanted to amend this, this morning to say that the code goes so far as to stipulate what kind of jewelry, length of hair (for boys), hair color, even down to what color of socks, etc. is acceptable. It is a shame because it is one of the things that was so appealing to me originally about the co-op is that the kids didn't look like "homeschool clones". I guess I'm still processing. It really goes beyond clothing style, and I hate the idea of the atmosphere this level of scrutiny will bring to the kids. Instead of one of grace and love it will bring a "do I meet the standard" anxiety. Guess what y'all? In Christ we all meet the standard, right where we are - no matter what we're wearing.

I feel a naked protest coming on! Just kidding just kidding!