Is the act of wearing pajamas and sweatpants in class disrespectful? This is a question that I’ve heard discussed, or actually thought of when seeing the issue before my eyes, many times in recent years.

And I totally get why one would want to wear them, they are so comfortable! It’s not like you are actually going out, you’re just going to class, right? Who cares?

My question is, why don’t you?

Why don’t you care enough about your appearance, about the way you present yourself to the world – even if it is just a college campus – about the message you are sending to those deserving of your respect, and, in turn, from whom you’d like respect, to put in the effort of pulling on a real pair of pants?

And honestly, even that can be stretched. If you don’t want to go through the struggle it seems to be for you to slide on some pants with a zipper or button closure, you still have a host of options that are better than those PJ’s you’ll probably end up sleeping in.

Yoga pants, workout pants, tights, nearly any athletic-type of gear that is not actual sweatpants – these all have become totally acceptable and look a hell of a lot nicer than those checkered flannels dragging behind the heels of your slipper-shoes.

We have dozens of faculty and staff members who go to work each day for us, who are there to teach us and guide us and serve us. You may eventually need one of these people to write you a letter of recommendation, or, seek them out for advice.

Do you really want one of the primary things they remember about you to be that you were a sloppy dresser?

I know pajama pants and sweatpants are comfortable, but really, save them for your house or apartment or dorm room. Save them for the weekend, for the times when you are truly lazy or sick or just don’t give a damn.

In the case you have embraced sweatpants as a staple of your wardrobe, congratulations on your giving up on life.

Leave the sweatpants indoors, put on a pair of jeans, and embrace the adultness of your new-found style. And hey, maybe you’ll find that people will begin to actually take you seriously. Isn’t that an awesome feeling?