Has anyone else wholly lost their tolerance for uncomfortable clothes & shoes after the pandemic?

I feel I cannot function without hoodies, T-shirts, leggings, and yoga pants anymore. If I have to leave the house, I always reach out for one of my million black leggings, a T-shirt, and an overshirt. When I don’t, sweatpants and slippers are my attire du jour. I shudder at the thought of wearing bulky jeans day in and day out, as I did at some point—who was that girl doing that?

It’s not the dressing up that I stopped liking. I enjoy cleaning up for occasions, even if it leaves me exhausted and wondering why I bother. It’s the feeling that life is too short to wear a tight waistline or a bra that stabs your armpits.

The same goes for shoes. I used to wear heels—HEELS— to work. I don’t remember the last time I bought shoes that weren’t some glorified version of sneakers.

Part of it is that I haven’t had a consistent commute for over fourteen years. Fourteen years without the need to look presentable to colleagues; and yes, that goes from the waist down too.

Now, I have coaching calls in my pyjama bottoms. I’ve taught people in webinars about performance reviews in slippers. “Sweatpants & a presentable top” are my new “jeans & a nice blouse”. I travel with the same capsule wardrobe no matter where I go: leggings, t-shirts, overshirts, my trusty layered parka, thermals if my destination is colder than Greece, sandals & shorts if my destination is warmer than Greece.

I remember looking at older women on the street and thinking smugly: “Oh, I’ll never be frumpy like that. I will take care of my appearance until the end.”

Well, I’m eating my hat now.