Sleepwear at Walmart

Did y'all get the memo that it's now OK to wear your slippers to Walmart? You didn't? Hmm. Neither did I. But, apparently, SEVERAL other people got that memo. Every time I go to Walmart, I see some lady (I use this term loosely) with her bedroom slippers on. Now, these are not, like, slides or thongs, that you could get away with wearing as slippers at home. No, I'm talking about fuzzy slippers that can not be mistaken for anything else. It doesn't seem to matter what season it is, either. I have seen them worn in high, hot summer and icy cold winter. Saw some just the other day.

What's next? Will it become OK to wear your pajamas to the mall? (On second thought, maybe that's not a bad idea. I do love pajamas. OK, get a grip.) Your underwear to the grocery store?

This is an issue that bothers me. It does not bother my husband. He is just waiting for me to tell him it's OK for him to wear his sleeping pants and gray t-shirt when we go out to eat. And that reminds me of another dressing down or barely dressing issue.

What happened to dressing up to go out? To go to the movies, to a restaurant, to the mall, to travel? I'm not talking about jeans. Everyone wears jeans now. I wear jeans now. Although, I do think wearing jeans to a Broadway show is a little tacky, as we witnessed in New York. But there are jeans and there are jeans. There are clean, nicely fitting jeans worn with a pretty top or sweater and cute boots or slides, depending on the season. Then there are dirty jeans that some guy wore to work at the construction site, then sashayed on into O'Charley's to grab a bite to eat. Possibly some road-kill possum.

Do people even put any thought into this? When I go out, I take a shower, do my hair, put on makeup and dress in the outfit I have selected. Apparently, this is just WAY too much effort for some people.

I have seen people at the movies in sloppy sweatpants and a too-big t-shirt and dirty thong sandals. Did you LOOK in the mirror before you left home? You are not watching a move on the DVD player in your living room, you know.

And don't even get me started on how people look when they are travelling now. My mama taught me you always look presentable when you are travelling. You wear something nice that matches. You do not wear torn blue jean shorts. You do not wear old sandals that show your dirty feet. You do not carry your clothes in a brown paper grocery bag. (OK, I haven't actually seen that, but it wouldn't surprise me.)

Maybe it's my age. Maybe everyone dresses more casually now. But I know that's not really it. My daughter and my nieces always dress nicely, even when they are dressing casually. I don't know what it is.

Do you?