# Poll: Is It Okay To Wear Sweatpants In Public? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936 "2009-02-08T17:25:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/141 "2009-02-09T04:25:22Z")
Eh, if they’re clean and unstained and fit reasonably, and it’s someplace like Walmart or the gas station, big hairy fucking deal. In that sort of setting, I don’t really see them as any less presentable than clean unstained reasonably fitting jeans. I mean, if you’ve gone to the trouble of making sure your clothes are clean and whatnot, you’ve generally made sure the rest of you is clean, and brushed your hair and teeth and all that. If you’re clean and overall unrumpled, you’re presentable. Not necessarily appropriate in all settings, but presentable. And if you see me in sweats in public, the message I’m generally sending is this: It’s 10 am on Sunday, and I’ve spent the last two hours doing kennel work, and I need a couple things to make breakfast when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/142 "2009-02-09T04:31:36Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > If you don’t care what I think, why do you keep asking? Since I’ve just entered this thread, your question was not directed at me. But since **HolyFreakingMoly, Monstro, Diogenes** and others for whom I presume the question was meant have summarized my point of view quite nicely, I’m going to take the liberty of answering. IMHO the world would be a much better place if no one cared what anyone else was wearing. It’s only one step from judging a stranger at a grocery store as having a flawed character because they are wearing casual clothes to judging a fat person as lacking in self-control because of their weight, or assuming at the scene of an accident that the guilty party must be the one who is driving the dirtier/less expensive car. So on some level I do care what you think about “slobs.” I care if a society that says “it is appropriate to form negative judgments about people because they don’t mind being seen conducting inconsequential acts in public wearing informal attire” is promulgated. I think it encourages superficiality, not to mention that the money people spend maintaining an ample supply of expensive clothes/make-up/shoes etc. could often be put to better use. You have chosen to speak for the segment of the population that believes that it is important to care about appearances even for so minor an act as pumping gas or picking up some groceries. I am curious about what thought processes drive such a view, in part because I am honestly mystified, in part to review and clarify my own values, and in part so I can become a more effective advocate for a different world view. That’s why I would keep asking. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/143 "2009-02-09T06:02:05Z")
Sweatpants look slovenly and unkempt, and they definitely don’t make a good first impression. If you go to the gym, you can wear any number of appropriate gym attire. If you want to be comfy to run errands, you can throw on a t-shirt and a comfy pair of jeans. I just don’t think it’s that difficult. In life, it seems like men want to impress women, and vice versa. Sweatpants are a surefire way to put off people of the opposite sex. Heck, I’m a married woman, but I still take a looksie here and there. Nothing turns me off more than sweatpants on a man. It makes the statement, “I don’t care what I look like, and I’ve given up on anyone else ever looking at me again.” It’s a whole new level of apathy. And just fyi, I practice what I preach. Even on my laziest afternoon running errands, I at least thrown on a cute pair of jeans and a decent top of some kind. I can’t imaging feeling any differently about this. And I don’t say, “EEEEEW” at the top of my lungs when I see sweatpant wearers, it’s more of a unconcious, mental thing that makes sweatpant shlubs invisible to me. We all have choices in what we do to present ourselves to the outside world. That can easily be a favorable impression or a sweatpant induced shudder. It’s up to all of us to decide what kind of statement we want to present ourselves when we walk out the door in the morning or afternoon. At the very least, it’s worth a thought. And, as always, YMMV.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LeeLoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eada6e/32.png) [@LeeLoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeLoo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/144 "2009-02-09T06:17:19Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > One time I had a date come to pick me up to go to dinner wearing sweatpants. He lived in Phoenix and said something had happened to his other pants and that’s all he had. What, you couldn’t go to freaking Walmart and buy a 20 dollar pair of pants? I went, but I didn’t have fun, and I didn’t see him again. Sheesh- sweatpants out to dinner. I, for one, would MUCH rather look at someone wearing clean, well-fitting sweats or yoga pants than $20 Walmart pants, but I guess that’s just me. Of course, (and as others have pointed out), what right do I have to tell someone what they can or can’t wear? Btw, what was the guy wearing when he asked you out on the date? ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/145 "2009-02-09T06:30:51Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > If sweats have to go for this reason, then so do denim jeans. All too often, people go out looking like [this](http://www.degeneratepress.com/vault/halloween_2005/images/mom_jeans.jpg) and [this](http://momgrind.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/mom-jeans.JPG), when they really ought to look like [this](http://www.hollywoodtuna.com/images/bigimages/kelly_brook_mom_jeans_11_big.jpg) and [this](http://danasdirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/kelly-brook-mom-jeans-single-43008.jpg). Jeans never look good on women with no back and/or too much front. In your last two links - that’s a beautiful woman, but man, those are some hideous jeans. I’d be more likely to notice someone wearing those than to notice sweatpants. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/146 "2009-02-09T06:54:14Z")
Quoth **NinetyWt** : > [@](#): > > Now, amoung the shorts-wearers were a couple or three who had on nice tailored denim or khaki shorts. The rest were just sloppy running shorts or cargo pants-type. So, I figure that two or three would have been wearing jeans if it were colder (it’s around 70 today) and the rest would have been in sweats/athletic type pants. Wait, so cargo shorts are sloppy now, too? You’ll get my cargo shorts when you pry them off my cold, dead legs. As mentioned before, I judge garments by the pockets they have. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/147 "2009-02-09T07:02:04Z")
I very rarely do. I can probably count on one hand the times I have. For daily wear and to work, I wear jeans, and a shirt or sweater. For nicer events, I dress approperiately. I have worn sweat pants to work, when I didn’t have any other pants dry because I forgot to put them in the dryer. I’ve also had to pick up a friend at work and gone out in pajamas because I hadn’t showered yet. I wouln’t really make it a habit, but I see nothing wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/148 "2009-02-09T07:18:10Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > And just fyi, I practice what I preach. Even on my laziest afternoon running errands, I at least thrown on a cute pair of jeans and a decent top of some kind. If it makes you feel good about yourself to wear cute jeans, be my guest. I’m sure you don’t mean to sound self-congratulatory, but those lines surely could be taken that way: “I change into cute jeans before I go out! This makes me less lazy, and therefore better, than anyone who goes out in sweatpants!” Maybe you _are_ less lazy than a random person pumping gas in sweatpants, I don’t know. OTOH, maybe he’s working two jobs and going to school at nights to make a better life for his family and he’s just too “lazy” to change out of the comfy clothing he was studying in because he needs a quart of milk. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/149 "2009-02-09T08:01:23Z")
I am amazed that people feel this way. I can understand judging someone who goes to a formal event wearing sweats. But you are not even supposed to leave the house? I can’t get get a gallon of milk or pump gas? Home Depot is supposed to have a dress code? I go out in sweats to run errands. Not most of the time but sometimes. The rest of the time I am usually wearing jeans and a t-shirt or jean shorts. What does that say about me? Not much. It gives you no clue about my lifestyle. My job. My income. My beliefs. I think if you base your opinion on me by that then you are being a judgemental bitch/cunt/prick (depending on your gender and nationality). Thats what it says about you. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/150 "2009-02-09T12:08:59Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > If it makes you feel good about yourself to wear cute jeans, be my guest. I’m sure you don’t mean to sound self-congratulatory, but those lines surely could be taken that way: “I change into cute jeans before I go out! This makes me less lazy, and therefore better, than anyone who goes out in sweatpants!” Maybe you _are_ less lazy than a random person pumping gas in sweatpants, I don’t know. OTOH, maybe he’s working two jobs and going to school at nights to make a better life for his family and he’s just too “lazy” to change out of the comfy clothing he was studying in because he needs a quart of milk. The question was “Is it OK to swear sweatpants in public?” Some have said yes, others no. My opinion is as valid as anyone elses. My life is hectic too, and yet I manage to put on clothes to go out the door. I suppose my error in wording was that I used the word “cute.” I know how vanity is looked upon here. And you missed my point, which was to say that it takes no longer to put on sweatpants than it does to put on any other pants. It takes the exact same amount of time to put them on than it does real pants. I live in Central Indiana, where all I see is sloppy, overweight, stained t-shirt, sweatpants wearing people. And none of them seem in a fired up hurry about anything, so I’m sorry if I can’t get on board with your anecdote about the guy pumping gas. No matter how busy he is, he still had to get dressed that morning. It would be absolutely no effort to put actual pants on instead of the sweats/pajamas, and it would look a hell of a lot better. Again, JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/151 "2009-02-09T12:16:32Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > IMHO the world would be a much better place if no one cared what anyone else was wearing. It’s only one step from judging a stranger at a grocery store as having a flawed character because they are wearing casual clothes to judging a fat person as lacking in self-control because of their weight, or assuming at the scene of an accident that the guilty party must be the one who is driving the dirtier/less expensive car. > > So on some level I do care what you think about “slobs.” I care if a society that says “it is appropriate to form negative judgments about people because they don’t mind being seen conducting inconsequential acts in public wearing informal attire” is promulgated. I think it encourages superficiality, not to mention that the money people spend maintaining an ample supply of expensive clothes/make-up/shoes etc. could often be put to better use. **CairoCarol** , I’m honestly not being snarky when I say that IMHO, the world would be a better (or at least more aesthetically pleasing) place if people would put half the effort into dressing nicely that they put into inventing excuses why they can’t or bitching that they shouldn’t have to. It’s not about money. I probably spent less than $150 on the totality of what I’m wearing at the moment, including boots and underwear. But everything I’m wearing fits properly and is cute. And no matter how many people scream it through foaming mouths, “My clothes say nothing about me” is an absurd assertion. Of course they do, even if all they say is “I have no clue about and no interest in clothes.” Well guess what, that doesn’t make you an Enlightened Individual. Especially not in conjunction with hurling epithets at anyone who dares to suggest that paying a little attention to your appearance is a Good Thing. The way I see it, it’s like judging someone by their front yard. Is it okay to let your lawn grow into three-foot-high hay and park a couple of junkers on blocks out there? Sure, it’s your property, do what you want with it. But it won’t make you popular with the neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/152 "2009-02-09T12:26:36Z")
The judging thing goes both ways. If it’s fair game to suck one’s teeth at a person deigning to wear sweatpants at Kroger’s, it’s also fair game to judge someone is superficial and high-maintenance for dressing up to go out on errands. I can’t imagine I’d like hanging out with someone who has to find something “cute” to wear just to go fill up their tank. So dress at your own peril, **Indygrrl[**. What? Wearing jeans isn’t “dressing up?” Well, wearing sweats isn’t exactly dressing down. In the grand scheme of things, jeans and sweats practically belong to the same family of attire. They’re like first cousins of each other. Sure, there are some occassions where one is more appropriate than the other. But the difference between them is not that big to warrant such blanket discrimination. My question: Do “no sweats wearing in public!” people also extend this rule to children? Because I can see sweatpants being the clothing of choice for children ages 2 to 4 due to potty training. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/153 "2009-02-09T13:11:39Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I can’t imagine I’d like hanging out with someone who has to find something “cute” to wear just to go fill up their tank. Really? Because what I’d like is, when I go to fill up my tank and notice that right across the street is that great new restaurant that everyone has been talking about, to be with someone who can get in, what with proper dress being required. Seriously, I like to be able to go where the day takes me. And it takes approximately 30 more seconds to put on something that goes to the gas station AND the snazzy restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/154 "2009-02-09T13:14:55Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > In your last two links - that’s a beautiful woman, but man, those are some hideous jeans. I’d be more likely to notice someone wearing those than to notice sweatpants. Yeah but at least it’s not unappealing. The point is that if we’re talking about body types there is a wide range of apparel that is not appropriate to certain body types; far beyond just sweats. Besides, I agree with \*\*monstro \*\*that sweats and jeans are interchangeable. Neither show much effort or style, so I don’t see why taking your sweats off to put on jeans to go the grocery wold make one appear less sloppy. More often than not, it looks just as sloppy because they don’t fit right and/or accentuate parts of the body that shouldn’t be. The fact is that unless you’re wearing tailored clothes that fit you properly, you run the risk of looking sloppy. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing your best Gap khakis. As for me, I adore yoga/fitness pants. Mainly because I’ve put on a lot of weight over the last year and I have a pretty decent pooch going on. I’ve been running out of clothes that fit and they are the most forgiving and comfortable. I do not enjoy clothes shopping mainly because I feel that mass-produced clothing (what I can afford) is not designed for my body shape. (Most pants are either too tight at the hips and too loose at the waist or too tight at the waist and too loose in the rise. I cannot understand why manufacturers cannot market women’s pants with waist and inseam (and hip) measurements the way men’s pants are. But I digress.) If I’m going out to grab groceries or deposit a check at the bank, it’s more important that I feel comfortable than look pristine. I can accomplish those tasks just fine in yoga pants. I am not dressing to impress at the grocery. Lordy, I just want to get in and get out. That being said, I work for a casual retail establishment at which I can wear jeans or shorts and sandals at work and it fits the image my company is projecting. I live every day in casual, outdoor-type clothes and rarely find myself in a situation where anything else is necessary. The last time I dressed up was for my interview to which I wore a white linen suit. I clean up pretty nicely, I do. But not for the grocery and some random busybody that decides to judge me for that. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/155 "2009-02-09T13:26:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **DianaG** : > Is it okay to let your lawn grow into three-foot-high hay and park a couple of junkers on blocks out there? Sure, it’s your property, do what you want with it. But it won’t make you popular with the neighbors. If I fail to provide a minimal level of care to my property, it is possible that your housing values (assuming you are my neighbor) will go down. When I wear sweatpants to Walmart, this harms you…how? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/156 "2009-02-09T13:29:27Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > And no matter how many people scream it through foaming mouths, “My clothes say nothing about me” is an absurd assertion. Of course they do, even if all they say is “I have no clue about and no interest in clothes.” Does it honestly not enter your head that someone can dress one way on one day and another on another day? Or even wear different clothes on the same day? Or do you really think that because you see someone in “sloppy” clothes, they must dress that way all the time? I love nice clothes, and I love to dress up and look sharp. But I DON’T obsess over it every damn day. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/157 "2009-02-09T13:31:39Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Really? Because what I’d like is, when I go to fill up my tank and notice that right across the street is that great new restaurant that everyone has been talking about, to be with someone who can get in, what with proper dress being required. > > Seriously, I like to be able to go where the day takes me. And it takes approximately 30 more seconds to put on something that goes to the gas station AND the snazzy restaurant. This is perhaps the silliest thing I’ve read today. Of course, it’s early. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/158 "2009-02-09T13:38:00Z")
Errr, if the restaurant is all that snazzy, jeans ain’t gonna cut it either. Just saying. Also, who makes a special trip out just to get gas? Don’t you just do that when you’re already out and about for other stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/159 "2009-02-09T13:47:51Z")
Okay, we are now on page 4 of this thread and I am still confused as to why sweatpants are not “actual pants.” Can someone explain this to me? Do real pants have to have a zipper? Is that it? ---
**Author:** ![HolyFreakingMoly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936/160 "2009-02-09T14:36:41Z")
Poor Skara… Nobody has answered you because there isn’t a valid response! Of course they are “actual pants” but, apparently, they are not actually “cute” pants! There are times when making a positive impression is important to me. Other times, not so much. I really don’t care what the little smelly guy at the gas station thinks of my outfit (he calls me sweetheart no matter what I wear - LOL) nor the pimply faced 17 year old packing my groceries and if I run into my employer or my kid’s teacher while I’m picking up milk, oh well… I presume them to be bright enough to figure out that I’m simply out picking up milk or getting gas and threw on whatever was handy and comfortable for the task. Yesterday I had to pick up the kids at their dads and I wore black sweatpants, a blue and white sweatshirt and blue and white flip flops. I stopped at the grocery store on the way too _GASP_. I had on no jewelry, not even my usually requisite earrings as I wear very short hair. I imagine I was pegged as a lesbian, a slob, color blind and/or a poor judge in clothing choices. Ohhhhhhh well! Those same people could run into me today in my very snappy black and white skirt, black sweater and black boots accesorized with nifty scarf, earrings, watch and bracelet. They’ll probably peg me today as a professional woman with a high earning job. NONE of those assessments would be completely accurate so, is there really a point in concerning myself with what other people’s impressions of me are? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-is-it-okay-to-wear-sweatpants-in-public/484936.md?page=9)