Louisiana Lawmaker Wants to Enact Ban on Pajamas in Public
In what style expert Clinton Kelly calls the “casualization of America,” one of the major casualties has been a certain level of decorum in dressing to enter public spaces.
It began with sweats in the 80s, and by the early 2000s, Americans had taken to unabashedly wearing pajama bottoms in public. No, not the Jennifer Lopez-inspired velour tracksuit-phase, if you are reading this outside the US. Like actual honest to God pajamas, or pyjamas, or jim-jams or jammy wobblers or whatever you people call them. Pajamas in public has become endemic in the United States, and one Louisiana lawmaker is determined to call an end to the practice in his jurisdiction.
Caddo Parish District 3 Commissioner Michael Williams was out at a Louisiana Walmart (Walmart being one of the major places Americans feel pajama-wearing is appropriate) when he spotted a group of teen boys wearing pajama pants. More upsettingly for Williams, however, is that one of the teen boys- either inadvertently or deliberately- exposed his genitalia. And Williams wants the whole damn practice of public pajamas to stop in his parish. He fumes:
“Pajamas are designed to be worn in the bedroom at night. If you can’t (wear pajamas) at the Boardwalk or courthouse, why are you going to do it in a restaurant or in public? Today it’s pajamas,” Williams said. “Tomorrow it’s underwear. Where does it stop?”
It should be noted that pajamas are not the only items of clothing that carry a risk of accidental T&A- many tank tops, items of swimwear, club dresses and short skirts also could send wearers afoul of decency laws. But it’s their personal right to free expression rather than decency that concerns some residents in Williams’ jurisdiction, and Shreveport resident Khiry Tisdem found the law- which would limit his freedom to wear “Family Guy” PJs in public- to be unnecessarily infringing. Tisdem commented:
“I wear my (pajama) pants anywhere… I’m an American, and I can wear my clothes anywhere I want. I’m a grown man. I pay my own bills, so I can wear my clothes the way I want. I don’t know why it’s an issue.”
Do you think the wearing of pajamas in public spaces has gotten to out of control levels in the US? Should we all have a gentleman’s agreement to just not do it?
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About the Author
Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.
