# Are sweatpants considered "sloppy" when worn in public?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 12, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203 "2010-05-12T18:54:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/61 "2010-05-12T23:13:48Z")
Not all sweatpants are equal. It is true that a lot of sweatpants look bad, however there are nice ones.
I wouldn’t bat an eye at [these](http://www.americanparkour.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,flypage.tpl/product_id,114/category_id,12/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,234/) for instance. While [this](http://americanparkour.com/images/stories/site_images/apk_store/Pants/Sweats/Symbol/SweatsSymbolAction.jpg) is a glamor shot, of sorts, I do think it shows that they really don’t look atrocious.
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### Author:  [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/62 "2010-05-12T23:15:05Z")
Tell him when he goes out like that he looks like [Carl](http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/0/y/Q/athfcarl.jpg)from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
You don’t want to look like Carl … .
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### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/63 "2010-05-12T23:31:16Z")
> [@Zjestika](#):
>
> Can I wear my [cute yoga capris](http://www.greenappleactive.com/index.php?page=product&product=36&cart=0) out in public? Need answer fast!
I like them, so yes, so long as you’d never wear them any place where you were expected to look proper.
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#):
>
> Tell him when he goes out like that he looks like [Carl](http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/0/y/Q/athfcarl.jpg)from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
>
> You don’t want to look like Carl … .
I heart Carl so much. In my mind, he is every landlord in the universe.
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### Author:  [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/64 "2010-05-12T23:34:11Z")
Sweatpants are for the gym or lounging at home. They are so out of style at this point senior citizens won’t even wear them. Sneakers are out too. Our local night club recently put up a sign saying no jeans, no t-shirts, no flip flops, no sneakers and no athletic wear including hoodies. I’m not sure if this is to keep the gangs out or just so that people will dress up?
Yoga capris are different and in style. I have a set from EBaurer with a matching short sleeve zip top. Almost dressy but very comfortable!
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/65 "2010-05-12T23:48:04Z")
Add me to the list of people who think fuzzy sweatpants look sloppy. Due to my ongoing stomach problems I have to wear comfortable pants all the time or have a lot of pain, and somehow I manage without looking like an unmade bed.
I think workout pants can look fine for casual wear, though (like these [adidas pants9](http://thegloss.com/files/2008/05/adidas-david-beckham-pants.jpg)). Both my husband and I wear them out on casual days, and I don’t think we look horribly sloppy.
ETA: No sneakers? I don’t even know what I’d wear if I didn’t wear sneakers. 😕
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### Author:  [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/66 "2010-05-12T23:49:22Z")
Sweatpants skit from Comedy Central.
[Sweatpants](http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=240141&title=break-up-sweatpants)
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### Author:  [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/67 "2010-05-12T23:59:47Z")
[“Oh, did I mention that I was wearing not just pants, but sweat pants with elastic on the ankles.”](http://www.ihos.com/steakhouse.html)
Beware … hilarious but extremely disgusting.
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/68 "2010-05-13T00:00:18Z")
Yeah, sweatpants are horrible.
[http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi\_Watts\_Lying\_2189.jpg](http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi_Watts_Lying_2189.jpg)
HORRIBLE!
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/69 "2010-05-13T00:00:31Z")
I used the same line in the old linked thread but, then again, I still say it to the wife.
“You know the homeless guy on the exit off I-55? _He_ was wearing real pants. The day I can’t manage to dress as nicely as the homeless guy, I’ve completely given up at life.”
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### Author:  [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/70 "2010-05-13T00:00:59Z")
My ex used to go out in sweats and wife-beater style tanks and it always made me feel like a slob by association. But I never called him on it because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
When we broke up, this was just one of several things I was glad I didn’t have to put up with anymore.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/71 "2010-05-13T00:01:32Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Yeah, sweatpants are horrible.
> [http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi\_Watts\_Lying\_2189.jpg](http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi_Watts_Lying_2189.jpg)
>
> HORRIBLE!
She’d look better with them off.
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### Author:  [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/72 "2010-05-13T01:44:13Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Yeah, sweatpants are horrible.
> [http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi\_Watts\_Lying\_2189.jpg](http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi_Watts_Lying_2189.jpg)
>
> HORRIBLE!
Everyone, pay attention. There is a photo on the internet of a woman wearing tight-fitting sweatpants and high heels (…for some reason), therefore, you do not look like an ass when you go in public wearing sweatpants. I hope this clears things up.
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### Author:  [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/73 "2010-05-13T02:04:33Z")
Hot chicks can get away with sweats, especially young college chicks. They can walk around in anything and it’s fine. Pajamas, gym shorts, whatever.
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/74 "2010-05-13T02:16:14Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> Everyone, pay attention. There is a photo on the internet of a woman wearing tight-fitting sweatpants and high heels (…for some reason), therefore, you do not look like an ass when you go in public wearing sweatpants. I hope this clears things up.
A good reason, that’s the reason.
As for the thread: I agree with the concensus. In most circumstances, I’d think the person is having a depression, is long term voluntarily unemployed or a perpetual burger flipper. It smacks of “I’ve given up and won’t put effort into anything”.
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### Author:  [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/75 "2010-05-13T07:28:48Z")
> [@robby](#):
>
> Not only do I have a problem with sweatpants, I have a problem with flip-flops around town.
Count me in. I’ve always thought of flip flops as something you’d wear to the pool or the beach. And yet, when I was living in CA, I’d always see countless guys out on the streets pairing their T-shirts and cargo shorts with those darn flip flops. All I can think of when I see that is… Jon Gosselin.
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### Author:  [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/76 "2010-05-13T07:54:19Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#):
>
> I believe it was George Costanza who said that wearing sweat pants in public means you’ve given up.
Almost, it was Jerry:
**Jerry** : Again with the sweat pants?
**George** : What? I’m comfortable.
**Jerry** : You know the message you’re sending out to the world with these sweat pants? You’re telling the world: “I give up. I can’t compete in normal society. I’m miserable, so I might as well be comfortable.”
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/77 "2010-05-13T10:45:37Z")
Perhaps you should mention to him something that I was told a few years ago by someone working in child protection. Apparently every cop knows that sweat pants are the clothing of choice for flashers and child molesters - fast to get down and fast to get back up. It may not even be true for all I know but now I look suspiciously at anyone wearing them over the age of 10.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/78 "2010-05-13T13:45:54Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Yeah, sweatpants are horrible.
> [http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi\_Watts\_Lying\_2189.jpg](http://www.underwalls.com/wallpapers/Naomi_Watts_Lying_2189.jpg)
>
> HORRIBLE!
And yet, oddly, she’s looking at them as if to say, “yes, I know, sweatpants; the photographer insisted”.
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### Author:  [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/79 "2010-05-13T15:39:53Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#):
>
> It can also mean “balding and in denial”.
Could also mean that I am in the sun all day and would prefer a bit of shade on my face. With my hair, long enough to hang below my shoulder blades and no pattern baldness, it certainly isn’t a matter of balding, and no hat in the world will disguise unwashed or uncombed hair when it is that long.
To the point, though…I agree with the majority here, sweatpants are for lounging at home, or for working out. I wouldn’t wear them in public unless, for instance, I stopped for gas on the way home from the gym. I feel similarly about other clothes though. Shorts or sleeveless shirts on men for instance. If you are involved in an activity that benefits from or calls for such dress, and it just happens to put you in public, then fine. Otherwise, do not presume to treat us to the sight of your hairy arm pits or gnarly legs and feet.
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### Author:  [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-sweatpants-considered-sloppy-when-worn-in-public/539203/80 "2010-05-13T16:29:25Z")
> [@Anaamika](#):
>
> I’ll tell you what bothers me as much as the sweats - it’s the baseball cap. Baseball cap to me means “I couldn’t even be arsed to wash/comb my hair.”
My hair is down to the middle of my back, and I wear a hat every day. Baseball cap in the Summer, beanie in the Winter. I wash it every day and brush it multiple times a day. My body, my comfort.
> [@Oni no Maggie](#):
>
> I think some of the reason this bothers me so much is the fact that one of the things that attracted me to him many years ago (when we were both skinnier) was the fact that he was a bit of a peacock. Always took care in how he dressed, always in black dockers and button-up shirts (Hawaiian shirts for casual, dress shirts for anything, well, dressy). So there’s a sense of loss there, mixed in with it - which I thought might be influencing my reaction and making me harsher on the sweatpants than was called for.
While I generally disagree with everyone in this thread, (I’m not lazy, I just don’t care about clothes), I do agree with you, _as it pertains to your situation_. As Dan Savage would say, when you started dating, you reasonably expected that his behavior would continue as before. _My_ wife, on the other hand, can’t complain, as I was dressing like a homeless person since before we met.
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#):
>
> Really? So if I were your wife and wore very skimpy trashy clothes, that wouldn’t be disrespectful to you? How about if you feel very strongly that I shouldn’t do something, and I had no consideration for your feelings about it whatsover, and just continued to blunder along stubbornly, claiming my rights to do so as the consumer? Not disrespectful?
> [@StusBlues](#):
>
> Ma’am, it’s sweatpants, not pimp-slapping your mother.
>
> More to the point, any woman who tries to “make me go home and change” can consider herself dumped. I rather like consideration for my thoughts and feelings in a spouse as well.
I’m with **Stu** here. However, I have been convinced by being told that it would bother someone else (her mom/my mom/job interviewer). I don’t mean to offend, I just don’t care about clothes.
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