Pyjama Posse

Just when I thought I’d seen it all … today, I saw two mothers wearing pyjama bottoms in the school playground.  As I write this, I am slowly butting my head against my laptop.

Now call me a snob, but really?  Is it too much to ask that one just gets dressed in the morning?  Are some people that lazy that putting trousers on is too much of an effort?

Clothes have always been an issue for me.  Whether it’s because I’m too old or too big, I have always struggled to find anything decent to wear.   But even I haven’t had to resort to wearing my nightie to school.

Yet.

I like to make an effort in the morning, even if it means just putting on a clean pair of jeans, because, for me, even though I don’t work in an office anymore, wearing a saggy bottomed tracksuit every day is just one step away from becoming Vicky Pollard.  But for some women in the playground, this is clearly just too much effort.

If we, as women, are at the point now where we can’t even be bothered to put proper clothes on, maybe the Jeremy Vile/Kyle brigade really are about to take over the world!

I don’t wear much make-up during the day (that makes me sound like I dress up as a Drag Queen at night – for the record, I don’t (well not very often,) and, as my youngest son so eloquently put it, “You’re beautiful without make-up Mum.”  He will go far.  Lipgloss and mascara is my limit.  And yet one woman felt it necessary to tell me she thought, before she even knew me I hasten to add, that I looked ‘intimidating.’  Because I put a nice frock on.  Because I deign to brush my hair.  Talk about judging!

Of course, there are plenty of stylish mums in the playground who, like me, feel it’s important to at least clean their teeth and ensure their jumpers are stain-free, and in no way am I underestimating how hard it is to get the kids out of the door on time (I have two of my own after all.)  I just feel that it’s another sign that society is degenerating to the point where some people just don’t give a damn.

Is it laziness or depression?  Low self esteem or low funds?  Yes, some of us lead lives that are now inexorably busier than they’ve ever been but what impression does not caring about our appearance give to our children?  That we aren’t even worth five minutes to look presentable?

Maybe I’m worrying too much about what can be construed by many as the superficial.  Perhaps there is no correlation whatsoever between taking care of your appearance and one’s self esteem.  But as much as I shan’t be going to school this afternoon in one of my plethora of sequinned ballgowns(!), you’ll be glad to know nor will I resort to wearing my blue checked fleece pajamas with the button missing on the fly.

They are strictly for my eyes only.