Friday, September 2, 2011

Things that just aren't right somehow

I was never a big fan of the slanket. In fact, I'd go further than that. I really hated the idea of the slanket. I hated it so much, that I'm not even going to find a picture to put here. You'll just have to google it yourselves.

Oh, go on then.


I just don't get it. Either you want a blanket to snuggle under on your sofa, in which case, get a blanket. Or you want something with sleeves, in which case, get a sweater (or jumper if you're English). Listen carefully: either... or... Shall I run that by you again? Either... or... Got that? Who on earth wants to wander round the house, looking like a Hallowe'en alien commander gone wrong, tripping over an oversized garment whose only redeeming feature is... hang on... hm... can't think of one. A slanket has no redeeming feature. Except that they're optional. You don't have to have one. And guess what? I don't. (I do have an alien commander Hallowe'en costume though. Well, my son does.)

I don't know which is worse, by the way. 'Slanket' or 'Snuggie', which was the name used to market these apologies for household items on this side of the Atlantic. The name 'slanket' sounds like the kind of false expletive you use when you're in the company of children. "Oh slanket!" you might say, as you pour Cheerios all over the floor because someone has ripped the bag open sideways, and half the contents has ended up loose in the box, but you hadn't noticed before you aimed for the cereal bowl with your usual morning abandon. But 'snuggie' is somehow worse. It's the thought of opening a present on Christmas morning in front of your relatives, and having to say "oh, a snuggie! Just what I was hoping for!" In that situation, you need a word that doesn't sound as embarrassing as you feel embarrassed. 'Snuggie' is the kind of word smurfs might use. In fact, I bet you can buy a blue 'Smurftastic Snuggie' on Amazon. I'm not going to look. It would be too depressing if I'm right.

Let's leave the slanket/snuggie to one side and move on to an article that yesterday made me shiver with horror as I spotted it in my local supermarket. Pajama jeans. And yes, peoples, we're talking pajama, not pyjama. But honestly? Really? Truly? Pajama jeans? Why? Just... why? Of all the sartorial innovations there could be in the world, why, why would someone invent pajama jeans?


Let's try that nifty "either... or..." tool that we learnt about during our analysis of the slanket. Here goes. Either pajamas... or jeans... Either pajamas... or jeans... See? It works here too. If you want to wear pajamas, wear pajamas. If you want to wear jeans, wear jeans. Are we getting the hang of this yet, peoples?

I can't imagine what pajama jeans are for. Are they nightwear or daywear? Or (*shudder*) are you meant to wear them in the day and simply not bother to change when it's bedtime? And then get up the next morning and not have to put clothes on? Are they for people who live life in the fast lane and have no time to get dressed and undressed? In which case, do you wear panties underneath them or not? I am not coping well with this concept.

Deep breath, Iota, deep breath. This is not armageddon. Just pajama jeans in your local supermarket.

I have one final reflection, Bloggy Peeps. Hybrids are cars, not clothing.

19 comments:

  1. Hmmmm. Pyjama jeans? When i get home after being out all day in stiff jeans that are too tight for me, belt digging in etc etc, i always change into a pair of pretty awful tracksuit bottoms and hope that no-one will give us a surprise visit. However, if I had a lovely pair of pyjama jeans to change into, it wouldn't matter. and i could even pop out to the shops to get my chocolate and wine, and no-one would ever know. I would never go to the shops in my tracksuit, but pyjama jeans is a whole different thing. So perhaps a genius idea? :)

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  2. Sorry, i meant pajama jeans

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  3. Pyjama jeans? How lazy is that? I agree, something very wrong with that idea.

    I recently took my girls to a blogging event where there was a quiz, and we got to choose a prize. Guess what the Teenager wanted? Yep, the Snuggie. I couldn't believe it either.

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  4. Um, I want some of those jeans. Seriously. Multitasking is fine for clothes.

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  5. That's consumer culture for you! People have to be persuaded that their lives are missing something in some way, but there is a product to fit that particular/peculiar niche. To be honest though I have always managed to find most of these "niche products" more laughable than irritating. I used to love those free booklets in the UK, there was one called "innovations" I think, which were full of this stuff. There are definitely more ads for these products in the US than the UK though, so maybe there's a drip drip affect and I will ultimately end up annoyed, or worse I will end up in a slanket.... argh!

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  6. Hilarious!! Thank you for expressing my thoughts of these products. I've lived abroad since these have appeared on the market and find myself equally horrified. Besides the silliness of them (I don't doubt that they are comfortable, but they just seem like they will be forgotten about when some new fad comes along), I find it just another one of those market to the consumer ideas, and the consumers just go along with it when their money could be used more wisely. Ok, that's my rant for you.

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  7. Paul - ah yes, the Innovations catalogue... A marvellous read.

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  8. Snuggies? Hate them -what's wrong with a nice fuzzy robe for goodness' sake?

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  9. Umm hate to tell ya this but you posted a Smurftasticly blue snuggie up there =)
    Not so sure on the pajama jeans (what's the difference between pajama and pyjama btw?) - I have to say I really dislike the recent trend of "jeggings" though... Either leggings or jeans...

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  10. You know I reckon the Tesco store in Wales would make a fortune out of those pajama jeans (no need to amend the spelling, the Welsh seem to spell everything with two many lllls so they probably won't notice). But they did have to ban shoppers shopping in their PJs, so these would be the ultimate solution.

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  11. Oh deary me..what ever next! I have to say I have not come across either of these items and fingers crossed I never will! what on earth made the "inventors" of these horrible things think they had thought up something people would actually want!!...they have no purpose!!

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  12. Products designed to solve problems I don't have. Just like Lakeland (I can see why they dropped the "Plastics" - bit like Brentford Nylons"...)


    lv, J'ph x

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  13. With you on every single either... or!

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  14. Iota you have disappointed me... I was waiting for the denouement: what are pajama jeans?...all is revealed. And then it wasn't. You're going to have to find out. Inquiring minds need to know.

    Oh, and sorry for silence recently - been I'm not sure where, but not on the computer. Off to read your back catalogue...

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  15. Slankets are hideous, ridiculous items and they make you look stupid. but I still love mine. Look, it's cold in Lapland, don't judge.

    Pajama/pyjama jeans on the other hand i can see no reason for. A slanket is a nice long blanket under which I can read without my arms sticking out and getting cold. Jeans you can sleep in are erm, just foul really.

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  16. Brilliant post, and I agree with your opinions completely. Both of those concepts are wrong with a capital W.

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  17. I agree - jumper and blanket = good, slanket = horrible

    And the pj jeans... wrong wrongity wrong

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  18. Love this post! There always seems to be so many new products on the market which tries to force people to be lazier. I really don't like the idea of pajama jeans, I think I would feel lazy just wearing those.

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  19. Hahaha! You are on blogging fire! I have been playing blogging catch up and every one of your posts is a little bit of genius. Well, actually quite a lot of bit of genius. Possibly pure genius.

    I am a little in awe, it has to be said. And thank you so much for making me smile, making me inspired - and keeping me up to date on the insanity of the world that is reflected in the Pajama Jean. (Surely it should just be the Pajean???)

    Amazing. That's you that is.

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