The Big Fuss Over Pajama Pants

A local politician in Louisiana made headlines last week when he announced a push to ban the wearing of pajama pants in public. "I saw a group of young men wearing pajama pants and house shoes," Caddo Parish District 3 Commissioner Michael Williams said. "At the part where there should have been underwear," his private parts were showing through the fabric. Shreveport already has a no-sagging law requiring pants to be worn above the waist. With the pajamas trend growing and some schools fighting back, how big of a deal is this fashion frenzy?

Who cares about this? "The latest trend should be a relief to anyone averse to immodesty. This is not racy lingerie but baggy, even frumpy, clothing that typically furnishes coverage a Victorian could love," says a Chicago Tribune editorial. And where does it end? "Soon you're mandating Dockers and button-downs for everyone." So we've become a bit more casual -- "pajamas are not going to destroy the moral fiber of American youth, any more than tie-dyed shirts and bell-bottom jeans did."

Besides, it's not enforceable: Look, "As the fashion police would love it, real police would never be able to enforce a law banning pajamas in public," says Maura Judkis in the Washington Post. "Our right to dress as lazily as we please is part of our American freedom of expression. A ban would be considered unconstitutional. College kids with early morning classes: You can breathe a big sigh of relief now."

This isn't such a bad idea: We need this, says Jeanne Sager at The Stir. "The growing number of teens in their jammies seem to think that the way they roll down the waistband on those flannel bottoms to get comfy in the sack is perfectly acceptable in line at the deli. As a woman who prefers her freshly sliced cheese without a side of ass crack, I beg to differ." It's a small step toward restoring dignity, and one that we should support.