In what might be the most 2025 headline of the season, people are now wearing pajamas to the airport on purpose — not for comfort, not for convenience, but as an act of political protest. Yes, pajama pants are apparently the new picket signs.
It all started when Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy made a pre-Thanksgiving request that some people took very, very personally. Speaking at a holiday travel briefing, Duffy encouraged Americans to bring back a little dignity to the airport by—brace yourself—putting on an actual pair of jeans and maybe a shirt with buttons. Not a law, not a mandate, just a suggestion to dress a bit more respectfully. Sounds pretty normal. But this is America in 2025, where a simple comment like “maybe lose the Garfield pajama pants at TSA” quickly became a national controversy.
Transportation Sec. Duffy again begs Americans to stop wearing pajamas on airplanes
‘Let’s be nice to each other is what we’ve asked. Maybe not wear pajamas or slippers on the airplane’
‘And I think it’s been received fairly well’ pic.twitter.com/TytzsTVWUx
— RT (@RT_com) December 2, 2025
Enter Cat Sullivan, a Los Angeles-based TV producer and self-described internet comedian, who decided to respond with what she called “malicious compliance.” Instead of jeans and a sweater, she strutted through the airport in a full-length, Old Hollywood-style gown. In one video, she’s seen walking across a snowy tarmac in heels and a feather-trimmed dress after landing in Wyoming. “I never bail on a bit,” she posted, likely while trying to keep her toes from freezing off.
Sullivan said the outfit was “insane,” “impractical,” and not at all warm — which, strangely enough, was kind of the point. It was her way of pushing back on what she called Duffy’s “insane directive.” Again, for the record, the “directive” was just a suggestion that maybe pajamas aren’t ideal for public transportation. But that hasn’t stopped the backlash from going full red plaid.
On TikTok and Instagram, thousands joined in. Hashtags like #pajamaresistance started trending, as if wearing fleece pants in Terminal B is now a revolutionary act. Democratic activist Johnny Palmadessa posted a video in his airport PJs with a caption accusing Duffy and President Trump of having misplaced priorities. His take: if people can’t afford nice clothes, don’t tell them how to dress.
Others chimed in with similar complaints, noting high airfare prices, lost luggage, delayed flights, and shrinking legroom — and saying the government should focus on that, not what’s on their legs. One traveler said she wears pajama pants, a T-shirt, and compression socks for long flights and has no plans to change. Another said she flipped a coin to decide whether to dress up or wear pajamas for her flight — and the pajamas won.
While the online outrage has been loud, not everyone is in protest mode. A few travelers posted their own dressed-up airport outfits, treating Duffy’s suggestion more like a throwback challenge than an assault on civil liberties. One editorial in the New York Post praised the push, calling out what it sees as a steady slide into sloppiness in public spaces, especially airports, where you’re more likely these days to see bathrobes than briefcases.
But clearly, for some, the very idea of dressing up for travel feels like a bridge too far. Many say the conditions of flying today don’t match the “Golden Age” Duffy referenced. Delays, high costs, and stripped-down service don’t exactly scream luxury. “I should wear my nicest suit so I can sit in someone else’s Biscoff crumbs,” one comedian quipped online.
Even some aviation journalists got in on the action. Benét J. Wilson wore pajamas on her flight and tagged Duffy in a post after her third delay of the day, joking that the comfy outfit might become her new travel uniform.
For his part, Secretary Duffy has not issued any follow-up comments on the pajama rebellion, and no one from the White House has weighed in either. Still, the debate keeps rolling — not because of any actual rule, law, or regulation, but because of a simple suggestion that maybe, just maybe, we could bring a little class back to the boarding gate.
Whether the pajama protest fizzles out or becomes a permanent fixture of holiday travel remains to be seen. But for now, the airports are full of flannel, feathers, and more opinions than carry-ons.
