I’m not a fan of "Mean Girls," but I do like the scene where we get a view of the lunchroom.

Not only are the cliques clearly defined, but the way they dress is too. It’s stereotypical to an extreme: Emos wear black with straight dark hair that hides their eyes; goths wear black and red; the preps walk around in bright pastels.

At Uni, the lines of fashion, and the cliques that command them, seem to be blurred.

Why?

Is it simply because Uni's a small school? Is it because we don’t have enough time to concentrate on our wardrobes?

Who knows? But it seems like clothes aren’t the most important way to express yourself — at least for Uni students.

I’m not saying that we all dress alike. My friends, for example, each have distinct styles — I know what they’d like and dislike. But their styles can’t be defined by a name, like in "Mean Girls."

I like the freedom of not feeling pressured to identify myself through a kind of group uniform. I also like that Uni doesn’t have a strict dress code. We can walk around in T-shirts bearing political slogans, and no one minds.

During my family's last visit to South Africa, my friend Nozipho wanted me to come to school with her. The idea seemed cool until I realized that, since I didn’t have a uniform, I would stand out like a sore American thumb. Luckily, it turned out to be civvies day — a school fundraiser where the students pay a nominal amount to wear street clothes.

But now when I look back, I’m not sure what prospect I liked the least — sticking out, or having to wear a uniform.

My sister hopes to go to Interlochen camp over the summer — a camp where you have to wear a uniform. I’m sure many people aren’t attracted to that idea at all, and for some, it may even be the reason not to go. But my sister, who loves clothes, doesn’t mind. She’d be there to act, not to impress her peers with her "superior fashion sense."

She has a point. Besides, if you think about it, uniforms are everywhere. Female politicians often wear pantsuits to prove how tough they are. Frat boys wear cargo pants and polo shirts. Soccer moms have minivans. And it’s hard to forget the image of environmentalists wearing Birkenstocks and having crazy hair.

Even if we don’t realize it, we all conform to something. And there’s nothing wrong with that.