Pajama Pants On Base…Could New Dress Code Implemented At Fort Irwin Be The Beginning Of The End For All?

By now you may have heard that Fort Irwin in California has implemented a new dress code in facilities on post. Besides the usual , the new dress policy forbids wearing pajamas and house shoes, too short shorts and skirts .We all have seen the image to the left plastered in the Commissary and PX but at Fort Irwin the prohibited attire now applies to family members too.

This isn’t new news. The great pajama debate has been a topic of discussion for many years now. I personally agree with the pajama part because as a woman who takes great pride in her appearance and hygiene , I just find the whole holey, dingy , grungy look a bit unappealing.

However realistically speaking the ban seems to intrude a bit on dependents rights a bit…don’t you think? What I mean is traditionally we expect service members to be held to a higher standard. They are the ones in the military and with the title of soldier (or whatever branch you are in) comes certain rules and regulations. And yes while living or coming on base is a privilege, I’m not in the damn military and frankly should be able to wear whatever the hell I want within reason.

Don’t worry you won’t catch me in a bikini or a swimsuit but if I want to come in there in shorts and house shoes I should be able to. I think the military needs to take into account that our lifestyle can present certain challenges. Many of these challenges involve no babysitter, stress, and deployments.

While throwing on a pair of pajama pants may seem like an atrocity to you and me , one (including whoever comes up with these rules) may want to consider that a situation a family member is going through may be the reason that they are wearing those pajama pants. When I had my C-Section wearing anything with buttons or zippers was out for me and pajama pants were my best friend. While the Commander may think this is a great rule , has he considered the mother whose husband is deployed and just had a baby via C-section and that is all she can wear ,or the mom of 5 kids who needs milk and doesn’t have time to dress everyone and herself for a 5 minute trip to the grocery store? Additionally I’ve stated before that whether we like to address it or not alot of military wives suffer from depression.

People are quick to make fun and call these women “Dependas” and joke about Pajama Pants Syndrome, yet it seems no one ever stops to consider the depth behind something that is seemingly harmless.

At the end of the day it almost seems kind of contradictory to me that we have all these rules that take away certain rights of ours , yet we scream about the freedom our men and woman fight for. I think the military ought to spend more time on things that have a bigger effect on morale verses a dress code. There are bigger fish to fry and this isn’t one of them.

Do you think Fort Irwin’s new dress code for family members is an intrusion or a good thing?

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Army Wife 101

Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.