Unpopular opinion: Stop wearing pajamas to class

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Wearing pajamas to class is only acceptable in virtual spaces, columnist Parker Otto believes.

By Parker Otto

Whenever I come to an in-person class, I have certain expectations of my fellow students: being respectful towards others, not using their cell phones and not wearing pants that feature Mickey Mouse. While it may be acceptable, as well as comfortable, to wear pajama pants during virtual classes, donning them for in-person classes is just plain odd.

Now, I understand why people wear them to class. They’re comfortable and can make sitting in an uncomfortable plastic seat more enjoyable. However, they serve as a distraction to both your classmates and your professors and make it seem like the class you’re taking isn’t worth the time to put on a pair of slacks. 

What you choose to wear sends a message to other students and, let’s face it, certain clothes are meant for certain events. You wouldn’t wear a three-piece suit to shoot hoops or a Halloween costume to church. On that same principle, it’s probably best not to wear pajamas when giving a presentation in class.

One thing I love about college is that there are no more strict dress codes like what we had in high school. If you want to wear a hat in class, go ahead. But pajama pants, to me, represent a type of comfort and laziness that is fine around the house or dorm room, but doesn’t really belong in the classroom. 

I believe that every student should feel comfortable in class, but if you’re too comfortable, this could result in you not having the right mindset to learn. It’s kind of hard to concentrate when you’re wearing clothes that you normally wear to sleep or eat late-night pizza. 

But I get it. Sometimes you stay up too late and you hit the snooze button too many times resulting in a mad dash to class to avoid being late. My advice, in this case, is to lay out your clothes the night before so that you save yourself some time. Wear sweatpants, jeans, basketball shorts, I don’t care. Anything is better than felt pants with “Rick and Morty” characters plastered all over.