Why it is NEVER ok to wear PJs to class

2011-05-13T13:05:00.001-07:00

It was my first day as a graduate student at my new large state university. I quickly popped into the restroom before heading to my very first class. There, I was greeted by a group of girls wearing sweatpants and hot pink lipstick. I immediately thought, 'Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore'. At my undergraduate institution, everyone looked pretty pulled together; you wouldn’t be caught dead walking to class in workout clothes, much less your pajamas. I am continually in awe (and not in a good way) as I walk around campus now and see such a rag tag group of people. Seriously, are we headed to the gym or to class, because you know they aren’t the same thing? Sometimes I want to go up to some people and ask, ‘Would it kill you to put on a pair of jeans or even – gasp- dress in business causal once in awhile?’ What I’ve come to realize is that these students don’t believe appearance matters. Sure, we are told to not judge a book by its cover, but let’s be honest, it happens. Whether you like it or not, what you wear sends a strong message to other people about what you think about yourself and what you want others to think about you too. Actually, there are probably studies about how clothing signifies the level of education, income and self-esteem, but rather than getting clinical, let me give you my first hand impressions while walking through the hallways with the future leaders of America.

So what are the common dresser types out there and what sort of messages are they sending?

The “I wear my pajamas to class” dresser…

You saunter into class looking like you just rolled out of bed, because the reality is you probably did. I am going to ignore the fact that it is 11:00 AM and most of society has been awake for hours. Your clothes are telling me quite a few things. The first thing they tell me is that you don’t care what you look like and quite frankly you don’t care what I think about you either. Second, your clothes tell me that you were too lazy to go through your closet/dresser/do laundry or engage in other normal activities associate with getting dressed to attend an academic institution of higher learning Last, I am actually questioning whether or not you have showered in the past 24 hours. Bottom line: It is never ok to wear your pajamas to class.

The “I like to show you my cleavage” dresser…

Yes, you live in the South and it’s hot outside, I get it, but it is not THAT hot outside. The women’s movement may have taught that you could wear whatever you wanted and have a sense of sexual freedom. There is a time and place for that skimpy top my friend, and the classroom isn’t that place. You’ve been taught that you can wear whatever you want where ever you want and everyone else can just get over it. Someone forgot to clue you in that there are actual consequences to your actions. When I see someone dressed like they are going to a club walking around campus I wonder 'why is she is wearing that on a college campus?' Then I try to reason it out logically. Perhaps she is trying to make up for a lack of personal confidence by causing people to notice her body first, instead of her brains. Maybe she is deeply insecure about her identity and came to college to get a different degree, you know, the girls who are attending class hoping to gain their MRS, instead of an MBA. Or it could be some deep, dark psychological issue going on underneath, sort of a "Fatal Attraction" kind of thing. I liken this situation to when you turn in a project with weak content but then give it a pretty cover as to distract from the less than stellar work that is inside. Let’s not mention the fact that I am making all sorts of assumptions about your self-esteem, what sort of activities you engage in over the weekend and why you are so desperately trying to get people to look at your body, instead of look into your eyes.

The “my clothes don’t fit me” dresser…

You’ve seen that person walking around wearing something two sizes too small or two sizes too big. First of all, I wonder why no one has told you that you look absolutely ridiculous. Properly fitting clothes can do wonders for making you look and feel your best, but I’ll save that for an issue of InStyle Magazine. It is simple; buy clothes that fit. Period. No discussion. Does it really matter what number is on the label? If that number on your clothes dictates how you feel about yourself, I can refer you to some wonderful counselors who can help you work through that issue. Your clothing choice signals to me that you are completely out of touch with yourself. If you are that out of synch with yourself, I seriously question how in tune you are with everything else in your life.

The “I wear offensive language on my t-shirt” dresser…

I assume you are trying to make some sort of “statement” by walking around offending nearly everyone you pass, but what I fail to see is what statement you are actually trying to make. You probably think you are so clever when wearing that shirt with a double entendre on it. Is there some sort of thrill in seeing if everyone “gets it?” We get it; it’s just not that clever. Aren’t there enough t-shirts out there with subtle sexual innuendos and references to drunkenness? I can assure you, that professor (the one whom you will probably have to ask to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf) does not find it funny.

The “I probably don’t own an iron” dresser…

There can actually be a lot of hope for you. Often times, you would be so appropriately dressed if you had just ironed you clothes. Perhaps you are worried about setting the dorm on fire, or you are waiting until your Spring Break so that mom will do it. I assume, as I sit next to you, that you pulled those clothes right out of the hamper, causing me question your overall cleanliness. My other assumption (see pajamas) is that you just don’t really care what you look like. Or, you are so domestically challenged that you cannot figure out how to use an iron. If that is the case, how exactly did you get admitted to college anyway?

So you are probably saying to yourself, that was an entertaining discussion, but why does it matter? What you wear absolutely matters. It signals to others your end game for the day/year/life. I was told a story (out of Anderson Cooper’s book, "Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival") that women in Bosnia, amid the war, would dress up in their finest clothes every single day. Why? Because if they got shot and killed (which was a serious possibility) they wanted to look their best when it happened. That way, their families wouldn’t have to spend time picking out the outfit for them to be laid to rest in. Their end game: If I should be killed today, I’m going to look good for my funeral.

The problem is most college students don’t think about what to wear on the daily basis (perhaps only on the weekend when they have a specific end game in mind like attending a party). How powerful it would it be to know where you want to go in life (graduate school, be SGA president, be an attorney, a doctor, a television news anchor, a missionary or elementary school teacher) and took steps now that showed you were serious about getting there…and just to be clear, wearing pajamas to class is not going to get you there.

If I can offer one simple rule when getting dressed in the morning it would be this: does that article of clothing you are about to put on have some sort of prefix that indicates where it should be worn? Are they GYM shorts, YOGA pants, or NIGHT shirts? The piece of clothing is telling you were it should be worn, so why not follow that cue? You wouldn’t wear a BUSINESS suit to the beach in lieu of a SWIMsuit would you? Let the name of the clothes guide you on what to wear, believe me, your pajama's will thank you to not be embarrassed in public again, (and the rest of us will thank you too).

Never Wear PJs to Class

Why it is NEVER ok to wear PJs to class