Though social distancing has us farther apart than ever, people have banded together to categorically hate on jeans, and I’m here to say 1) I’m feeling very attacked right now, and 2) you’re all wrong. You’ve seen the memes and the best lougewear roundups, but the hate is happening IRL too. Coworkers have audibly gasped when it’s revealed that I haven’t joined the cult of the sweatpant, and I’ve fielded more than a few questions about whether or not I’m a secret sociopath.
A thoroughly unsettled Perrie Samotin.
But I’m not the crazy one. The crazy ones are the people who’ve worn sweatpants every day of quarantine. There’s nothing wrong with being cozy, but let’s be real, sweatpants are the official wardrobe of dorm room jocks and the type of people who let their dogs walk them on the sidewalk. There’s too much freedom, it’s all too cush. And wearing the same outfit morning, noon, and night can begin to feel very Twilight Zone.
Of course, there are more important things happening in the world right now, but allow me to take a few minutes of your time to talk about something overtly frivolous—and remind you of what life used to look like before you all jumped onto a conveyor belt of terry cloth robes and outfits that don’t extend below the waist. For three full weeks, I’ve woken up, thrown on a pair of jeans, tied up my shoes (spoiler: I also wear shoes in my house), and get to work. Everyone’s trying to keep their routines in place these days and, for me, that means wearing what I typically would at the office—comfortable jeans. Am I trying to prove something? Yes, that I can be my normal self during these very abnormal times.
Part of my routine used to be decompressing on my commute—and now, changing in and out of my jeans everyday has become something of a self-care ritual, helping draw the line between work and rest (when both of those things are happening on the couch). After all, if you’re already as comfortable as you can be, it’s hard to tell when work is done and the day is over.
