By Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
Over the years, I’ve witnessed countless trends come and go, but the recent wave of people
wearing pajama bottoms in public seems to stretch the limits of acceptable behavior. I’m not sure
when it started, but I suspect the COVID-19 pandemic played a role, normalizing the sight of
plaid-clad individuals roaming the streets as though they just rolled out of bed. On a recent trip to
the mall, I counted dozens of children in Spider-Man and Sonic the Hedgehog pajamas. For a
cold Saturday afternoon, it seemed harmless enough—until I spotted a sixty-something man with
a beer belly, strutting around in pink pajamas paired with matching Crocs. I’ll admit, I gagged
just a little.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m all for comfort. Most Saturdays, you’ll find me in jogging pants
and a T-shirt. But I can’t help wondering where this trend is heading. How much more casual can
we get before society circles back to three-piece suits and pocket watches? It seems to me that
doctors may share some of the blame. Once upon a time, they dressed like Marcus Welby, but
then came the widespread adoption of scrubs outside the operating room. Nurses followed suit,
teachers embraced “Pajama Fridays,” and before we knew it, the world was awash in faded
flannel.
I haven’t shopped for pajamas in years, but now I’m curious: Do they come with pockets? Are
there pinstriped versions for lawyers or corduroy options for winter? If I start wearing pajamas
every day, will I be ostracized at the Kiwanis Club—or worse, judged at the funeral home? I still
remember the time I attended a meeting without a necktie and thought I’d never live it down. If I
were to take my wife out to dinner wearing pajama bottoms, would it be fair for her to show up
in Victoria’s Secret undies? Somehow, I don’t think she’d be thrilled with that arrangement.
The bigger question is: where does it all end? Are we sliding down a slippery slope to the day
when “formal wear” means pajama tops with buttons? Will bridal parties don matching
monogrammed flannel sets, or will a tuxedo-print onesie become the height of evening elegance?
I dread the thought of walking into a city council meeting and seeing the mayor call it to order in
Star Wars sleepwear.
Until that day comes, I’ll stick to my jogging pants and T-shirts—and keep a necktie in my car,
just in case society surprises me by deciding to class things up again.