will reeve

America, Please Put on Some Pants for Your Zoom Calls

Or stay pantless and tilt your laptop screen up.
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In a hilarious moment brought to you by quarantine, Good Morning America reporter Will Reeve was caught on camera displaying America’s new business casual look: shirt and jacket on top, no pants on bottom. Like many of us, Reeve is working from home during quarantine, and failed to tilt his computer camera up while teleconferencing.

Reeve responded to the social media call-out by posting on Twitter, “Trying to be efficient, I got ready for a post-GMA workout a little too soon this morning. The camera angle, along with friends, family, and several hundred strangers on social media made me rethink my morning routine. Any sartorial tips from these people who are wearing a belt, trousers, and shoes during their work video calls at home are most welcome. Now, back to work. Wearing pants.

Reeve’s on-air gaffe is hilarious, and deeply relatable. As more of us work from home, we’re adopting more casual clothes. And why wouldn’t we? We can’t go out, we can’t socialize, so we might as well spend the day in yoga pants and pajamas. In this post-COVID-19 world, comfort is the order of the day.

But some people credit dressing up to work from home with increased esteem and productivity.

Dawnn Karen, a fashion psychologist (that’s a thing?) and author of Dress Your Best Life, said in an interview with Bustle, “I have a theory in the fashion psychology field called ‘mood enhancement dress.’ Mood enhancement dress is dressing to optimize your mood. So when you desire to get out of a funk, dressing up or practicing mood enhancement dress would be proven most beneficial.”

As someone who has worked from home for years, I’ve enjoyed a steady rotation of tank tops (sleeves inhibit my creativity) and yoga pants. Becoming pregnant and giving birth has relaxed those standards even further, as I now have an adorable critter who throws up on me at least once a day. Sorry, pants with buttons and zippers, I’ll catch you on the flip side.

Ultimately, your WFH wardrobe is up to you and you alone. And if you’re teleconferencing via Zoom or Google Hangouts, try to run a brush through your hair and put on a shirt without a stain on it. And if you want to go pantless? Go for it. Just make sure your camera is tilted up.

What are you wearing whilst working from home, Mary Suevians?

(image: GMA/ABC)

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Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.