I suppose one could say that the transition of the Hall student body out of the lowest points of the pandemic was rocky. As everyone says, we all went through a curious circumstance, walking on eggshells as we moved into the future. Many were disillusioned by the expectation of returning to the real world and abandoning the perpetual comfort of home. Here, comfort is the operative word. 

It seems to me like a great number of Hall students simply were not able to let go of that comfort and felt the need to continue it into the greater world. This comfort manifests itself in the newly-popular phenomenon of wearing pajama pants to school. 

In each of my classes, I see students with their stripes, their plaid, their flannel, and not once have I heard someone mention it. People going about their days, giving presentations, taking notes, listening to lectures, all while dressed as though they were ready to go to sleep for the night. Not to say I’m against it. I think it’s of the utmost importance that students feel comfortable in their learning environment, and if pajama pants make that happen for them then so be it. 

I also believe it’s a fashion trend like any other, one that will run its course and then come screaming back in 20 years like the next low-rise jeans or scrunchies. So why make all the fuss and dedicate an entire article to it? Well, I think that not everyone agrees with me, and many believe a line has been crossed. 

Recently, I decided I wanted to take part in this cultural upheaval. So, I walked downstairs in my finest pair of fuzzy plaid slacks. Immediately, my mom asked me if it was pajama day. She wasn’t trying to be mocking or condescending, she honestly believed a school sponsored “pajama day” would be the only time that one would ever think to wear sleepwear to school. I then explained to her that no, it wasn’t pajama day. I simply wanted to be comfortable in my school attire. 

Similarly, I once heard a teacher at Hall note that it looked like everyone just rolled out of bed and showed up at school. Personally, I disagree with this point. I think students are making this clothing item a part of their outfits. It’s a conscious choice, not a supplement to the fact that we have to be in our seats at an ungodly hour of the morning (though that might have helped to kickstart the movement). Or maybe I’m just thinking about it too hard. Regardless, the point of view surrounding this phenomenon certainly has a generational split.

Over time, social dress codes have gotten more and more casual. Jeans, the quintessential “casual pants” of the past have certainly moved to the classier end of the spectrum in the eyes of many students. “Normal” attire gets fancier and fancier the further you look back into history. Out-of-home clothing for women has evolved (or devolved) from hoop skirts to Jackie O suits to jeans to sweats and now to pajama pants. We as teens have seen significantly less transition in our lives than our elders, therefore we have to understand where dissenters to the pajama pants trend may be coming from while continuing to practice our own trends. 

In writing this story, I asked a student what she thought about the influx of students wearing pajama pants to school. She didn’t seem to think it was very deep, and summed it up nicely by saying, “I think they’re comfortable. I just like them.” 

After all, why does anyone choose to wear any piece of clothing? They like it. If people are wearing what they like and liking what they wear, then personally, I’m all for it. I vote we let pajama pants have their moment.