Is Loungewear Making Us Lazy and Fat?

How extreme comfort is reshaping our bodies and our minds

Ever look in the mirror and wonder when you stopped trying? I’ve been there. You tell yourself it’s just a couple of extra pounds, it’s just comfort, that you’re embracing ease, but deep down, you miss feeling sharp, put together, in control. You feel slightly embarrassed for being out of shape.

Photo by A. C. on Unsplash

I used to get dressed with intention. Back when I was working a 9-to-5, in the corporate world, I had my wardrobe all figured out. I always knew what to wear and had a work wardrobe, a leisure wardrobe, and then some.

Then when covid got us stuck indoors for what seemed like forever, I embraced loungewear. It was proper, nice looking sets in muted colours. Looking “put together”, face on, hair done, but still, it was loungewear.

Now, for many people, every day feels like one long Sunday afternoon, and somehow, life has lost its edge.

We tell ourselves dressing well doesn’t matter and wearing more comfy clothes is fine when you get older and have a couple of extra pounds to camouflage: “It’s just clothes. Who cares?” Right? But what if the way we dress is shaping our mindset, impacts our motivation, and by extension even our lives, more than we realise?

What if our slide into elastic waistbands and oversized hoodies is subtly dulling our motivation, discipline, and even our sense of self?

I recently came across a brand that sells comfortable yet fashionable clothes specifically designed for lounging at home or travelling, but in style. So there is a middle ground somewhere.

The disappearance of structure in clothes and in life

I was sorting through my wardrobe the other day, doing the seasonal switch from winter to spring, and I noticed something: the most structured items I own, tailored trousers, high-waisted jeans, blazers, were the least comfortable. Not to the point of never wanting to wear them anymore, but they are more for a professional setting or special occasions. Not surprising. Structure demands something from us. It holds us in. It shapes us and how we show up in the world.

It also made me think about one of my clients who once said she was terrified of letting herself go. And yet, so many of us do, slowly, subtly, and often without realising. The shift to extreme comfort doesn’t happen overnight. It happens in small decisions:

• Swapping real trousers for leggings or tracksuit bottoms every day because they just feel better and they’re easier to wash and dry. And they are very forgiving if you go up a size.

• Choosing sneakers over regular shoes, even for formal events. I love sneakers, but at some point that’s all I was wearing. Again, there are many brands out there that offer comfort and style, without breaking the bank.

• Leaving the house in something that almost looks like pyjamas, because no one really cares, right?

I see it more and more, even here in Europe where we try to dress sharp-ish, certainly when leaving the house. People don’t wear proper shoes or weather-appropriate clothes. I see them walk around town in slipper-like shoes or actual slippers, sometimes in a thin sweater despite the cold or humid weather.

Maybe it’s me, becoming more conservative when it comes to how I want to show up in the world. Or could it be the clothes that refuse to hold their shape, because we consume “throw-away fashion” pieces the same way we consume burgers and pizza, without a second thought?

We’ve engineered a world of extreme comfort:

• Cars with heated seats.

• Shopping from the sofa.

• Food delivery at the tap of an app.

• Unlimited access to 24/7 entertainment.

• And yes, clothing that asks absolutely nothing of us.

But we care, right? Surely, we do.

The psychology of dressing the part

Clothing isn’t just fabric. It’s identity.

Psychologists have long studied the concept of “enclothed cognition”, how what we wear affects how we think, feel, and behave.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that when participants wore a doctor’s lab coat, they performed better on attention-related tasks. The simple act of dressing the part influenced their cognitive function.

Ask any thespian how crucial costume, hair and makeup are when they perform on stage or in front of a camera.

Now, imagine the opposite. If dressing up enhances focus and discipline, what does dressing down do?

If every day is spent in loose, shapeless, comfort-first clothing, what message does that send to our brains?

It says: Relax. Don’t try too hard. And it reeks of hopelessness and underachievement. That’s when our motivation takes dive.

The impediment to action advances action.
What stands in the way becomes the way.

—Marcus Aurelius

Western culture has fully embraced the era of extreme comfort. The modern world has removed nearly all friction from daily life. We have eliminated structure from our clothes the same way we’ve eliminated it from many parts of life:

• We work from home 5 meters away from our bed, going from our pyjamas to our favourite overstretched sportswear (without hitting the gym).

• We socialise in the same old, worn-out jeans and tops, our hair up in a perpetual messy bun.

• We wear athleisure everywhere, all the time.

And while comfort is wonderful, it’s also a slippery slope. As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

So, if you’ve been feeling stuck, sluggish, or unmotivated, the answer might not be a new productivity hack. It might be as simple as reintroducing a little structure, starting with what you wear.

Remember that without resistance, there is no growth. Without effort, there is no strength.

Reverse the slump (without giving up comfort entirely)

This isn’t about going back to stiff, formal outfits that make you miserable. I don’t walk around Brussels in couture. Nobody does. It’s about small, intentional shifts that change how you feel about yourself.

Photo by Alyssa Strohmann on Unsplash

Choose some discomfort each day, not to suffer, but to sharpen.

Try these simple steps:

1. Set a loungewear cut-off time

• Wear real clothes during the day, even if you’re home.

• Keep the cosy joggers for evenings and weekends.

2. Upgrade your casual wear

• Trade stretched-out leggings for structured joggers or casual trousers.

• Swap the oversized hoodie for a fitted sweater or a well-cut jacket.

• Invest in city sneakers, comfortable but polished shoes that elevate an outfit.

3. Dress like the person you want to be

• If you want to feel confident, dress in a way that reflects that.

• If you want more energy, wear colours that uplift you.

• If you want to take yourself more seriously, ditch the shapeless loungewear.

4. Adopt a “best foot forward” mindset to everyday dressing

• Many Europeans still “dress up” to run errands. Not for others, but for themselves.

• A small effort, jeans instead of sweats, a nice coat or jacket instead of a hoodie, creates a sense of self-respect.

5. Notice how you feel

• Pay attention to the shift in your posture, mood, and motivation when you dress with intention.

• Observe how you interact with the world differently.

Small changes, big impact

You don’t have to overhaul your wardrobe or give up comfort entirely. But if you’ve been feeling disconnected from the sharper version of yourself, consider this: maybe it’s time to put on real clothes again.

Maybe our obsession with a frictionless life is the reason we feel more disconnected than ever, and resilience or growth feel optional instead of essential.

Maybe structure, both in clothing and in life, isn’t the enemy after all.

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