In defence of wearing pyjamas to lectures

Pyjamas are the apogee of the student wardrobe. Cheap. Comfortable. Easy to clean. I like to go to lectures in pyjamas, but society’s not so sure. It’s about time we changed that.

“To understand all is to forgive all” – or so they say. If there’s one thing this world could do with more of, it’s understanding. Especially understanding all the reasons somebody might have turned up to their Thursday 9 a.m. in pyjamas. Most of those reasons, to be sure, involve alcohol. Missoula, Loveshack, Lloyds, and so on.

“The mind rules supreme”: working hard while wearing pyjamas.

But it doesn’t end there. Sleep is wonderful – don’t tell me you don’t value your sleep? That same somebody might, for instance, have just emerged from bed. Should we deny them sleep? I’m not talking only about 9 a.m.s anymore – this is Uni: get your sleep when you can.

I picked up this particular pair from a charity shop in Worthing, West Sussex, for £4.50.

Or, and this is the best reason, this somebody – this exceedingly tranquil, pyjama-wearing specimen – may just happen to like wearing pyjamas. Unfettered by the chains of social norm, the odd individual does exist for whom the benefits – style, comfort, washability – outweigh the judgement of those who have decided not to understand, or to forgive.

I reckon we should all be like that.

And before I finish, don’t even try to tell me that lectures warrant a certain smartness. That’s what school and adult life are for. Now is our one chance to wear something other than a suit every day – and so what if I want that to be pyjamas?

It’s not just me…

The biggest problem with wearing pyjamas to lectures, I suppose I must admit, is that they expose us. The world is chaotic, intimidating, immense. In pyjamas we are vulnerable. There’s no hiding. So what?! If you’ve got something to hide, the problem isn’t pyjamas – it’s you!

And it’s about time we recognised that. Be confident in who you are, and permit others the same: wear pyjamas. Wear pyjamas to your lectures, and change the way we work.

Pyjama-wearers of the world, unite!