Call the fashion police
A Louisiana parish commissioner thinks folks shouldn't go out in public in their PJs, and he wants to put a stop to it before things get, well, out of hand. Caddo Parish District 3 Commissioner Michael Williams told The (Shreveport) Times that he decided to push for an ordinance to ban wearing pajama pants in public after he saw a group of young men at a Walmart wearing pajama pants — including one man whose private parts were revealed.
"If you can't (wear pajamas) at the Boardwalk or courthouse, why are you going to do it in a restaurant or in public?" Williams told the newspaper. "Today it's pajamas. "Tomorrow it's underwear. Where does it stop?"
Williams said he would sound out fellow commissioners in February on a possible no-PJs ordinance. The commissioner said violators should perform community service instead of going to jail.
One potential problem: deciding what constitutes pajamas. "It's going to be very difficult to enforce the way it's described," Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator told the newspaper. Williams suggested the proposed ordinance could include garments sold as sleepwear in department stores.
Shreveport already has a fashion law on the books. Last year, the city reported 31 violations of a no-sagging law — no pants below the waist. Offenders received misdemeanor summons, according to a police spokesman.
Caddo Parish could adopt an ordinance similar to Shreveport's, Parish Attorney Charles Grubb told the newspaper. The idea might meet resistance, though. One man who likes going out in his "Family Guy" Stewie pajama pants told The Times, "I wear my pajama pants anywhere. I'm an American and I can wear my clothes anywhere I want. I'm a grown man. I pay my own bills, so I can wear my clothes the way I want. I don't know why it's an issue."
Have you seen this fashion trend in your town? Send us a photo of someone in your community wearing pajamas in public to illustrate this story! Email your photo to [email protected].
