Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Pajamas and Bunny Slippers


I was on a conference call not too long ago, (at the Company-That-Can-Not-Be-Named) and the Vice President addressed those of us who were virtual workers, or as she said, "those of you in pajamas and bunny slippers". The IMs were flying back and forth like crazy between all of us after that statement. Were we all in pajamas and bunny slippers? (A good friend of mine feels that Business Casual has ruined the American workplace; people have been sighted wearing flip-flops at work! A sign of the End Times, he feels.) I did a quick poll of all of my fellow virtual workers. What did we all wear to work, since we worked at home?
The results: no pajamas, 2 sweats, 4 jeans and t shirts, 2 shorts and t shirts and no bunny slippers. While not a scientific poll, I'd like to speak in defense of my fellow virtual workers. While we don't wear business clothes at home, we don't wear pajamas all day either. After all, that hot UPS man comes to the door quite frequently and we don't want to give him the wrong ideas. What is this bunny slipper myth, and where did it come from? I don't even know anyone who HAS bunny slippers.
The image above is from Tesla Motors, and is shows their brilliant interpretation of the Bunny Slipper. Clearly they felt that all of the Hipsters at Burning Man would know what a bunny slipper meant. Is a bunny slipper just a slipper? Or does it mean Something More? There is even a BunnySlippers.com. , a jazz band called Fuzzy Bunny Slippers, and whole websites discussing their cultural relevance. They are the footwear of choice among Vampires. Clearly the person who wears them risks being seen as either ironic or a fool; such a lot of cultural baggage for something so small pink and fuzzy!
Dr. Freud said sometimes a cigar is just a cigar; but was that Vice President implying that those of us who worked at home were slackers? Wouldn't you insult a candidate's work ethic if you implied that they wore bunny slippers? Then he or she would have to escalate the rhetoric and show that, no, they were tough on relaxation; they wore the Killer Rabbit Slippers instead.

1 comment:

Debbie Cook said...

Gulp. Guess I should change out of my PJs before replying, eh? LOL!! I admit that I *do* have some days that I'm in them all day, finally taking a shower and getting truly dressed before dinner. But my PJs are nice (no different than yoga pants and a tee shirt), so am I excused?