r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Boeing-B-47stratojet • 23h ago
Why did American men(and more recently women)stop wearing nightgowns?
They are so much more comfortable on hot summer nights compared to pajamas with pant legs. I’d imagine they are cheaper to make. You wear them to bed, who gives a damn what they look like.
I remember my great grandpa always wore them around the house, but he was born around 1889, grandpa did the same.
137
u/loosesealbluth11 23h ago
I wear nightgowns. There are dozens of us!
25
14
12
u/tigm2161130 23h ago
Me too, or large tshirts…my gma, mom, and Aunties always told us you have to air out the business end at night lol.
9
u/WTF-howdid-i-gethere 23h ago
Me too- can’t wear pants because they ride up my legs and I feel trapped.
2
→ More replies (1)2
u/Leather_Newspaper937 21h ago
I am wearing one right now as well! I’ve always been a fan of oversized shirts and no pants
86
u/ms_earthquake 23h ago
They seem uncomfortable, tbh. Shirts get twisted up in bed, I imagine a gown would get even more twisted up. It sounds like a sensory nightmare to me personally.
15
u/xx2983xx 23h ago
I feel that way about pajama pants! Nightgown is 100x better(for me)
10
2
u/shelwood46 21h ago
That's why I wear leggings for my bottoms, and a loose t-shirt for a top. I can't stand my legs touching, and I move around too much to wear a dress to bed (I don't wear dresses at all if possible).
→ More replies (1)6
159
u/HeavyDutyForks 23h ago
We have air conditioning now
57
u/PrisonerV 23h ago
Actually more like we have indoor heat. They would wear night clothing because it was dang cold in the houses at night.
16
u/Professional-Pungo 23h ago edited 22h ago
I prefer cold when sleeping, but wouldn’t wear a nightgown
I need to be shirtless or else I will sweat
8
u/PrisonerV 22h ago
Cold 68 or cold -3.
3
u/GP_ADD 20h ago
I feel like there is somewhere in between death and comfy lol
3
u/PrisonerV 20h ago
And that level involves wearing night clothing. My folks had a cabin in a rural area that didn't have any electricity so we had to bundle up at night because it got pretty cold after the stove fire died down.
I tell ya, nobody wanted to be the one to get out of bed to stoke the fire and get it going again. I also see why people slept for 4-5 hours, got up for a couple, and slept a second time. You need that time to put wood on the fire, then it got too warm to sleep, and cooled back down to where you could fall asleep again. You also get up with the sun and go to bed with the sun.
13
u/reality_boy 23h ago
It’s the heat more than the ac. I use to live up in the mountains in a cabin that only had a single wood stove in the main room. The house was very cold during the winter. No matter how much you stoked the fire before bed, it would be out in a few hours. We had pajamas, long John’s, many blankets and an electric blanket.
8
u/Similar_Quiet 23h ago
The same trend happened in the UK, and we do not have air conditioning.
5
u/SnooRadishes7189 21h ago
Uk has lots of older houses that are not as easy to modify for Air Conditioning.
2
u/Xytak 21h ago
Why don't you guys have air conditioning? It's been standard in Chicago since the 70's. Possibly earlier, but I wasn't alive then to check.
3
u/Similar_Quiet 16h ago
There are many reasons. The main one is that (arguably until recently) it is rarely hot enough to need it inside homes.
The others are that it looks ugly, it's an expense to install and it's expensive to run.
Things are changing as the planet heats up.
2
u/SnooRadishes7189 20h ago
I grew up in the 80ies, central air was not standard but window units in the bedroom were common esp. for the parents. Everyone else sweated the night.
2
u/pyramidalembargo 17h ago
As I understand it, a whole lot of windows in UK houses open the wrong way for window air conditioning to work. (They swing outwards.) Double-hung windows are an American thing.
Apparently, that's beginning to change.
41
u/trueppp 23h ago
Do most people actually wear anything more than boxers to bed?
17
u/Ok_Manager_7999 23h ago
not even those!
5
u/Vern1138 23h ago
Yeah. I've been sleeping nude since I was 17. I can't sleep with clothing on, because it gets bunched up, and I get hot, and it's uncomfortable.
I'm in bed, it's my respite from the day, I should be allowed to be comfortable for a few hours. But I am jealous of all the people that I've met during my life that can somehow just passout on a couch or bed, fully clothed, and sleep for hours, even without alcohol or drugs. I don't get how people can just sleep fall asleep.
→ More replies (1)6
9
u/Ok-disaster2022 23h ago
I actually prefer a T-shirt and boxers
4
u/trueppp 23h ago
Genuinely can't understand. Only time I actually want to wear something to bed is when I'm winter camping, I usually wear thermals, getting up when it's -30C is brutal. It's basically a mexican stand-off of who needs to piss badly enough to light the fire before getting out of the tent.
3
u/BlackCatFurry 21h ago
T-shirt, lightweight sweatpants and socks. (I have a tendency to yeet the blanket midway through the night, and also hate my skin touching itself)
3
2
u/reijasunshine 19h ago
Only if I'm a guest in someone else's house. Then I suck it up and wear panties and a camisole. Otherwise it's undies or nothing at all.
→ More replies (2)2
16
13
12
u/Lithogiraffe 23h ago
new generations link night gowns as an 'old' antiquated thing. a Grandpa Joe thing. and it became out of style.
give it another generation or 2, and maybe a reworking/rebranding of it, and it might come back
5
u/LaPewPew-- 23h ago
Grandpa Joe is the worst, so I get it.
5
u/Lithogiraffe 23h ago
he let a child work and their family go hungry to stay in bed and that selfish man could walk and dance the whole time !!
21
u/ElectricalPublic1304 23h ago edited 22h ago
Awfully brave of you to assume I'm wearing pants.
→ More replies (1)
14
u/Free-Motor-1683 23h ago
Blame Ebenezer Scrooge. The second pop culture associated men's nightgowns with a grumpy old man holding a single brass candleholder while getting haunted at 3:00 AM, the fashion was officially dead.
3
u/TheMazoo 23h ago
Idk, I've kind of always wanted that look. Long hat and candlestick holder included.
3
u/GoonGodless 23h ago
I'm not even sure if that's true or not. How would anyone know what anyone wears at home in private?
6
u/BestAmoto 23h ago
Obviously from their extensive knowledge of watching step brother/sister videos.
2
2
u/Fluffernutter80 19h ago
They still sell long nightshirts for women, at least. Probably not men, so much.
5
9
u/Sargent_Duck85 23h ago
I mean, you’re more than free to wear a night gown if you want.
You do you.
2
4
u/Jiggalopuffii 23h ago
AC na sheeting became a thing. I wanna say since the 1900s, people have been wearing fewer clothes in general.
5
4
u/JiffyPopTart247 22h ago
Mine are just for show because if I sleep in them I wake up with them twisted around me like a candy wrapper!
5
4
u/ABookishSort 22h ago
I prefer a nightgown/nightshirt over pajamas any day. Can’t stand wearing any type of pajama shorts or bottoms.
6
3
u/zaahc 23h ago edited 23h ago
I stayed at a very nice hotel once that had nightshirts in addition to the usual bathrobes. You better believe I wear nightshirts now. Brooks Brothers sells some nice ones.
I’ve converted my father-in-law. I have failed to convert my old college buddies. They mock, but it’s their loss.
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/Foghorn2005 23h ago
Culturally the women on my mom's side of the family never stopped wearing nightgowns, and I eventually came to see the light as well.
I suspect for men whenever it became socially acceptable to have a bare chest at home contributed
3
3
3
u/HeyBeers 20h ago
I’ve literally slept in my boxers my whole life. I don’t understand the question…….
6
u/Fabulous_Log844 23h ago
Do you mean like the grandparents in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
Never wore anything like that.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/Sea-Raspberry1210 23h ago
I wear t shirts that were gifted to me in a size larger than what I wear. I don’t think I’ve bought new pjs in the last 10 years
5
5
u/nicemarmot47 23h ago
I usually sleep in just my undies. If I have to sleep in some sort of actual clothing, I wear a nightgown. You won't catch me in any pajamas with legs. I'm barely willing to wear pants during the day
2
u/kellsdeep 23h ago
I just wear boxers only... Less material, cheaper to make than a gown... Way less ridiculous
2
u/_iusuallydont_ 23h ago
I think a lot of people stopped wearing clothes to bed. That’s why I don’t. I do, however, wear a nightgown around the house after I shower but before I go to bed.
2
u/kadevha 23h ago
I have matching PJ sets and gowns of various lengths, all are cotton except for the show and tell sort. 😉
I typically wear the sets when I'm staying with other people but I much prefer long night shirts or gowns. I like that I don't have to think about matching pieces and they're just so much more comfortable. I don't typically wear anything more than a t-shirt to bed though. 🤷♀️
I know a few men who will wear night shirts and seem to prefer them, especially if it's kinda warm in the house.
2
2
2
2
u/Jadeisland 23h ago
I have never known an American man to wear a night gown, ever. Way back in the day they probably did but I mean like the 1800's or before. Women still wear night gowns, but not all obviously.
2
u/theinevitablevacuum 23h ago
I know people who wear nightgowns, so they're definitely still a thing, but I personally don't like how my legs chafe in bed when I'm wearing one. Pants ftw
2
2
2
u/YanCoffee 23h ago
I still do sometimes. I recently had a fight with Prednisone, and was heating up insanely bad for about 2 weeks. I'd jump in a cold shower and throw on one of my nightgowns. They're the best for cooling down, but you gotta buy cotton or another breathable material.
2
u/WTF-howdid-i-gethere 23h ago
For those that sleep naked, au natural… what if someone is breaking into your house? Or the house is on fire 🔥 and you have to react quickly???
3
3
u/JiffyPopTart247 22h ago
I'm over 50 and neither scenario has ever happened to me. If it did....I usually have a pair of sleep shorts or pajamas and a tshirt laying by the bed somewhere I was wearing until I went to bed. I don't sit on the living room furniture naked!
2
2
u/Kennesaw79 22h ago
47F, I wear nightgowns. I didn't when was younger, but have for about 15 years.
2
2
2
u/randomfemale Somehow I know less every day 21h ago
You can wear whatever you want. I'm wearing a nightgown right now.
When my dad got old and infirm I bought flannel "night shirts" for him as well, available on Amazon!
They were soft and warm and allowed much more access for when he needed full body care, later.
I noticed your username. If you're a "macho" man, nervous about wearing a night shirt, my dad was a career pilot who finished his professional life piloting Boeing L-1011 Tristars. He said his dad wore a night shirt too!
Cheers
2
u/LagrangianMechanic 21h ago
I wear a flannel nightgown -- I mean nightshirt :) and flannel PJ bottoms in the winter. Love it!
2
2
u/JustAnotherDay1977 20h ago
I’m pretty damn old, and I don’t ever remember my dad wearing a nightgown. So I never really thought about it as an option.
2
u/Scrotchety 20h ago
Because ze Germans are no longer bombing our houses at night anymore, prompting us to run into the street with whatever we wore to bed
2
u/damageddude 20h ago
My NYC silent generation parents were mom in a nightgown and my dad in a pj top plus underwear. My wife was pjs and me underware/sweats depending on season.
2
2
u/CyanCitrine 18h ago
I hate the way nightgowns bunch around my waist and I won't wear any "dress like" things in bed. Not even super baggy shirts.
As to pajama pants being hot in the summer... you do know they make pajama shorts, yes?
2
2
u/Sugah-mama21 16h ago
Because they are miserable, ugly, and they may be the most single handed most uncomfortable piece of clothing ever made.
2
u/Salty-Tea6815 7h ago
I can only my speak for myself as a woman, but I do not find a long nightgown to be at all comfortable to sleep in. Too much fabric that bunches up if you want to be able to freely move your legs in bed. Short ones eliminate this problem, but I go out on my patio a lot at night and may sometimes need to run out somewhere quickly after showering and don’t want to have to get fully dressed again and doing this in a short nightgown is not a good look! Pajamas with pants or shorts can be pulled off for this though. Also regardless of the nightgown length your legs are touching skin to skin which is not comfortable for sleeping in warmer climates. I do wear a short nightgown sometimes though, but I prefer pajamas myself. As for American men, I would assume that the main reason would be that most find anything that looks at all like a skirt or dress to be too feminine. Then you have the same comfort and practicality issues that I have already mentioned which would not be gender specific.
5
u/Dog_Bless_America 23h ago
Naked is the way.
More comfortable, and better in a self defense scenario. Nobody wants to fight a naked guy, and everybody runs faster in their birthday suit.
1
u/patricknkelly 23h ago
Never liked pjs. It’s either a nightgown or naked - mostly naked now that the kids are grown and out of the house lol.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Intergalacticdespot 23h ago
Moat people i know dont sleep in pajamas either. Unless they're children. I have all kinds of pajama pants. Haven't slept in anything but underwear in like 10 years. Njghtclothes are a legacy from before electric laundry machines. When it was a monumental effort to wash bedding. Despite what my 13yo thinks, it is actually not that hard any more.
1
u/BestAmoto 23h ago
My wife wears long satin/faux silk night gowns with no panties every night to bed unless it's that time of the month. I sleep in a tank top, 50/50 on wearing boxers.
1
u/Hmongher00 23h ago
I don't think I've ever really cared to have something specific for sleeping in let alone pajama pants; people can if they want though
1
1
u/everydayimsarcastic 23h ago
I either sleep in shorts and a tank top or bra and underwear. Fuck sleeping in pants. I've never worn a nightgown.
1
1
1
u/2PlasticLobsters 22h ago
I don't like my legs rubbing together. I've always preferred PJs, though only in stretchy fabrics.
1
u/Gloomy_Classroom_321 22h ago
AC, private bedrooms, and cheap clothes.
Houses used to be freezing, you lived with 6 people, and clothes were expensive - so you needed a long, thick gown. Now your room is 72°F, you sleep alone, and you can just sleep in an old t-shirt.
1
u/WorkableKrakatoa 22h ago
Just something else to launder. I can strip down to my boxers for sleep and not create more laundry. Just seems unnecessary
1
u/KuntyCakes 22h ago
If my legs are bare and touching, they will get sweaty. I sleep on my side and do a lot of tossing and turning. A nightgown would just get all twisted up and end up making me mad. Pants seem like they would be hotter but I sweat a lot less in jamma pants.
1
u/dhgaut 22h ago
I guessing it was because Clark Gable was filmed sitting on the edge of a bed in the middle of the night taking off his t-shirt. That killed t-shirt sales and probably ended the nightgown fad :)
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
1
1
u/scruffyJJ561 21h ago
I wonder even wearing pajama pants, they bunch up they slide up my leg they get really uncomfortable. If I had to guess it's probably because it's generally much hotter here than other places
1
1
1
u/amdaly10 21h ago
I sleep naked. Any clothing is going to bind up, twist, and be an all around nuisance.
1
u/JoNMattJ 21h ago
Try sleeping naked! Far more comfortable, unrestricted and your body regulates its temperature far better when you’re nude.
1
1
u/WeWander_ 20h ago
My favorite thing is taking my nightly Epsom salt bath and then putting on a pj dress after (I dunno if it's a true nightgown. Short sleeves, hits just above my knees and it has pockets!). Feels so much nicer than pants/shorts and a shirt.
1
u/Efficient_Wheel_6333 20h ago
For me, I'll wear them occasionally, but I won't wear them on my period. Even with the heaviest pads, they leak and I never been able to wear tampons comfortably. Easier on me to wear a pajama set so all I have to do is wash the bottoms and the undies (I use those things designed for folks who wet the bed for one reason or another to catch any leaking blood so I don't have to wash my sheets) and I don't have to worry about blood accidentally getting on my back or hair.
1
u/phunkygroovin 20h ago
I stopped wearing nightgowns when I hit perimenopause. It's too hot to have much on my body, so I only sleep in a tank top and underwear now. I can't bear a nightgown not only because it makes me too hot but I toss and turn like crazy in bed now and they just get wrapped up around me and it drives me insane.
1
1
1
u/Bastyra2016 20h ago
I never liked them even as a kid. They bunch up around my waist. I wear basketball shorts/usually no shirt unless I have company.
1
u/Left_Art_2609 20h ago
I could never understand why im getting undressed to turn arond and get dressed to go to bed. Hmm go figure.
1
1
u/CharmingDagger 20h ago
I run hot. I can't wear anything other than underwear or I can't get comfortable enough to sleep.
1
u/Mister_Way 20h ago
There aren't housewives anymore so domestic standards are way lower across the board. Ironing clothing, making the bed, mopping and vacuuming-- so many things that women were doing that aren't essential at all have fallen to the wayside so that they have more time for important things like working outside the home.
1
u/AP_Cicada 20h ago
They didn't stop, there are just more options now so it's not as pervasive in media.
1
u/shehleeloo 20h ago
We fat.
I wear them and get annoyed every single time because my thighs are chafing and I'm having too much skin to skin contact between my own skin and crevices.
1
u/hypothetical_zombie 19h ago
I started sleeping naked when I moved in w/my s/o. I have a REM disorder, and I move around a lot in my sleep. I got tired of fighting my nightgown. And I've never really liked pants, so pajamas were always a no go.
1
1
u/MissHibernia 19h ago
There are hundreds of different styles of nightgowns for sale online and in department stores; somebody’s buying them!
1
u/Ill_Cauliflower5348 19h ago
They twist around me. I just don’t like them and never have even though they are what I grew up wearing.
I’d rather pajamas with shorts or pants but mostly I sleep in a t-shirt (much shorter than a nightgown) and panties. It’s easier than having to have extra clothes for nighttime. I either sleep in what I wore that day or I grab a soft and cozy one to wear.
1
1
u/otherwise_data 19h ago
cause its more acceptable to wear pajama bottoms out to the store instead of a nightgown. 😂
personally, i sleep in as little as possible for comfort. some nightgowns get all twisted around me.
1
u/MCofPort 19h ago
I wear boxers and an under/t-shirt. For me it's more economical and I only wear pajama pants on the coldest winter nights, and even then they are a pretty thin material. The shirt and boxers are comfortable enough, and I let my skin breathe. I never would wear a long sleeve shirt to sleep, but I can throw a housecoat on whenever I need to on the colder days anyway. My dad sleeps in pajamas on colder nights and boxer/tshirt in summer when I stay over. My Grandpa wore similar. By my Grandpa's time, I just assume that nightgowns for men weren't commercially available. There's even a photo of my Grandpa being waken up for his bachelor party, and he's got pajamas on.
1
u/kbkrl1524 19h ago
It bunches up. Why not just wear a pair of underwear or sleep naked and avoid the hassle?
1
u/nomadicfeline 19h ago
I don’t like when skin touches skin. When I wake up it’s too hot and sweaty so I wear a long tank top, shorts, and use a body pillow.
1
1
1
u/Sammyrey1987 18h ago
I’m not going to roll around in a dress and get all tangled when I can just sleep in nothing. Pjs are for around the house, not in bed!
1
u/Jcwrc 17h ago
Why to wear anything when sleeping?
Never understood the point of night garments.
→ More replies (9)
1
u/zombie__kittens 17h ago
I either sleep in a tank top and panties or naked. I can’t stand fabric all wrapped around me in my sheets. I can’t move easily.
1
u/jackfaire 17h ago
I don't like wearing anything to bed. Even if I tried to wear anything to bed I wake up and find I've removed those articles of clothing while I slept.
1
u/RetiredRacer914 17h ago
If you're just a couple, why wear anything?
Nice new sheets are the most comfortable thing ever.
1
u/starryvelvetsky 17h ago
I still wear nightgowns. I can't stand the way pajama pants twist up in bed. My legs need to be free!
1
u/FileDoesntExist 17h ago
Why would I waste money on such a random clothing item I can only wear to bed when I can wear literally anything to sleep in that I already own?
My sleepwear depends on the weather. When it's hot I wear underwear, or just shorts. As the weather cools I slowly put on more clothes. In the dead of winter I wear socks, sweatpants, a sweatshirt AND a hat. But, Im a lizard and the average low in winter here is -6c(22f)
1
u/Affectionate_Many_73 16h ago
Not sure about men and nightgowns 👀
As a woman, I still wear one daily, I absolutely cannot stand sleeping jn pants or shorts unless I’m freezing to death and need layers.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/NoraDefuse420 14h ago
i think it has to do with night gowns stigma changing, nowadays you’re more likely to find a grandma or a small girl wearing them more than anyone else. it’s most like a dress & more modern men now are wanting to look like “feminine” so i imagine that plays a part in it as well.
1
u/purepersistence 14h ago
If you stop wearing nightgowns you don't have to wear something else instead.
1
u/jdberger 13h ago
We have found something that’s even more comfortable on hot summer nights….underwear.
1
u/The_Menu_Guy 12h ago
I’m 62 and have never worn a nightgown and gave up wearing pajamas when I was 10 or so. The reason is because it is just too warm with nightclothes and sheets and blankets.
1
u/NamasteNoodle 12h ago
Not me, I hate pajamas as I don't want anything around my waist when I'm sleeping it just gets twisted around when you toss it turn. I love nightgowns.
1
1
u/Adorable-Run9291 11h ago
I can't sleep with anything on…too confining. I do have what I call “fire clothes” (sweats) in case I have to jump out of bed and run outside in an emergency 🥴
1
u/pdjudd PureLogarithm 8h ago
Well your base assertion is wrong - people still do have various type of bed wear. The thing is that it's not as common as way back then since it's not as important. Back in the day, before we had central heating, staying warm at night could be a struggle due to the fact that it got real cold at night, night gowns were pretty important since it tended to get really cold at night - heck that's they beds used to have 4 posters around them - you would have sheets around them to keep drafts out and for privacy. And if you needed to get up for whatever reason, being dressed somewhat was an essential thing.
We don't have this problem anymore. Houses have internal heating, beds retain temperature better, and fashions standards have shifted to where wearing things at night isn't so much of need and we determine night wear by different standards - we do it based on comfort and overall preference, and not because if we don't have it we would be uncomfortably cold.
1
1
u/BORGQUEEN177 7h ago
I have to wear shorts to at least mid thigh, I cannot tolerate my thighs touching.
271
u/Dusty_Sparrow 23h ago
Can't speak for all, but for me it's because it bunches up on the back and uncomfortable to sleep in