在繁华的上海，一年四季，总有一些居民喜欢穿着睡衣在街头巷尾闲逛，这已成为这座城市一道独特的风景线……
这是否是上海特有的文化现象？
说起来颇为费解：“睡衣外穿”——这种看似不太符合常规的行为，在上海这座国际化大都市，却屡见不鲜。
（图via视觉中国）
对于“睡衣外穿”这一现象，您是否能够理解？
这是不文明的习惯，还是自由表达的体现？
（图via视觉中国）
以下是GlobalTimes (Metro Shanghai)近期刊登的一篇评论，部分内容附有中文翻译。
Shanghainese in pajamas should be embraced
In Shanghai, it is a common sight to see residents wearing pajamas in public spaces: leisurely strolling along the sidewalks, enjoying a park visit, or shopping at the bustling wet markets. The city is adorned with colorful cotton pajamas, leaving many newcomers bewildered about why China’s most modern and stylish metropolis has such a prevalence of “uncivilized” locals.
在上海，我们时常能看到一些居民穿着睡衣在公共场合活动：在马路上闲逛啦，公园里散步啦，菜市场购物啦……在这座城市里，各种五颜六色的棉质睡衣随处可见，让许多初来乍到的人感到困惑：上海作为中国最现代化、最时尚的城市，为何会有这么多本地人如此“不文明”呢？
I too was perplexed when I first relocated to Shanghai a decade ago. I once assumed that the “pajama trend” was confined to underdeveloped regions of China, such as my hometown in Central China’s Hunan Province.
十年前，当我刚来到上海时，我也曾感到十分困惑。我一直以为这种“睡衣现象”只在欠发达的地区才有，比如我老家。那是湖南的一个小城市，很多人都喜欢穿着睡衣出门活动。
But to my astonishment, the situation is not much different here. It is just as common to see someone in pink linen PJ’s on the subway as it is to see someone in a three-piece suit.
但令我惊讶的是，上海的情况也是如此。地铁上，穿粉红色麻布睡衣的大妈和穿职业正装的年轻人挤在同一车厢里，这奇特的景象我们早已习以为常了。
Many people, however, contend that wearing nightwear in public spaces is both inappropriate and impolite. Although “treating the city as one’s home” is a slogan used by many Chinese cities to encourage citizens to maintain cleanliness, native Shanghainese who wear their “home clothes” outside seem to have taken the slogan to an extreme.
然而，许多人认为在公共场所穿睡衣是不合适的，也是不礼貌的。虽然“城市是我家”这句口号大家都听过，但最初这是用来号召大家不乱扔垃圾的，并不是让你穿着“家里的衣服”在外面随便走动的。
Nevertheless, I have gradually come to appreciate Shanghai residents’ unique fondness for pajamas and the historical and cultural reasons behind it.
然而，在上海生活久了，我也逐渐理解了上海人对于睡衣的那份独特情有独钟。这背后还有着深刻的历史和文化渊源。
Once regarded as an exotic and luxurious Western garment, it is said that in the early 20th century, when foreign-style nightgowns were first introduced to China, they were so expensive that only a handful of the wealthiest locals in Shanghai could afford them. As a result, displaying one’s fancy pajamas outside became a status symbol in China.
现代的西式睡衣无疑是舶来品。早在20世纪初，当国外的睡衣远渡重洋来到中国时，它们可是昂贵的奢侈品，只有上海本地的富商才能负担得起。拥有一套精美的睡衣，穿着出去溜达，那可是身份和地位的象征。至于普通百姓？他们不穿睡衣出门，并不是因为不好意思，而是根本买不起啊。
Even though affordable pajamas are now widely available, in the eyes of some Shanghai locals, especially the elderly, wearing one’s PJs in public is still considered fashionable – or at least – acceptable.
当然，现在的睡衣价格亲民多了，大家也都能买得起。但在一些老上海人眼里，在外面穿睡衣还是很有型的！就算不“潮”，但至少是无可厚非的。
Many nightgowns that you might see people wearing as they window shop on Nanjing Road East or Xintiandi are, in fact, trendy, high-end, and meticulously crafted. Uniqlo pajamas, for instance, are similar to everyday sportswear. Chanel and Givenchy also offer luxurious pajama-like clothing priced at thousands of dollars.
更何况，现在很多睡衣设计得非常时尚。如果你去南京路步行街或者新天地逛逛，那里一些人穿的睡衣可是高端大气上档次，做工精良颜值高。想想优衣库卖的一些睡衣，长得和咱们平常穿的休闲运动服也没啥两样嘛。就连香奈儿、纪梵希等奢侈品牌，也曾推出过“睡衣风”的服装，价格可不便宜。
Alexander Wang
Pajamas have even evolved into a local fashion icon that blends leisure, art, personalization, and nostalgia. During the 2017 Shanghai AW Fashion Week, some models posed in intricately designed nightgowns at Shanghai’s shikumen (traditional stone gated communities) in tribute to this distinctive regional attire.
某种程度上，睡衣甚至成了本地的某种时尚符号，集休闲、艺术、个性与怀旧于一身。在去年的上海秋冬时装周上，一些模特就特意穿着睡衣去石库门拍摄，向这一独特的地域文化致敬。
Yet Shanghai’s PJ culture continues to draw criticism from local authorities, who are concerned that it may tarnish the city’s cosmopolitan image. A decade ago, prior to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the city attempted to ban its residents from wearing pajamas outside.
不过，上海的“睡衣文化”也曾经引起过当局的不满，他们认为这有损于上海的大都市形象。十年前，在2010世博会即将举办时，上海一度尝试禁止居民穿睡衣出门。
“In one residential community, the ‘dress-code supervising volunteers’ patrol twice a week to ensure that there are no people wearing nightgowns,” China Newsweek wrote in a 2009 article. “Standing at the gate of the community, they stop anyone in pajama who is leaving.”
“齐八小区的文明着装劝导队每周活动两次。他们……衣着整齐地站在小区门口，看到有穿睡衣的居民要出门，志愿者便会上前劝阻。”《中国新闻周刊》2009年的一篇文章中写道。
According to the article, if any citizens complained that the volunteers were meddling too much, they would be reminded with slogans like “foreigners may see you (wearing pajama) and that’s embarrassing!”
文章里说，如果有居民抱怨这些志愿者管得太宽，志愿者就会提醒道：世博会时，外国人参观完园区出来以后拿着相机到小区乱跑，很有可能到我们小区来……不能给上海丢脸。
It is understandable that Shanghai is keen on maintaining its image. But do pajamas really matter to foreigners? In 2008, American photographer Justin Guariglia published a book featuring portraits of Shanghai’s fondness for PJs.
上海注重形象，这可以理解。但是……区区睡衣而已，老外会那么在意吗？早在2008年，美国摄影师Justin Guariglia就在上海街头拍摄了许多穿睡衣的人，并为此出版了一本书。
“It’s primarily a Shanghai fashion phenomenon, and a rather charming and rather elegant one at that,” said Guariglia, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal in 2008. “There has been a raging debate in Shanghai media over people wearing pajamas in public, and I support the pro-pajama movement. I hope it becomes more accepted around the world.”
在《华尔街日报》2008年的采访中，他是这样说的：“这（穿睡衣出门）主要是一种上海的时尚现象，很有魅力也很优雅。虽然当地媒体对于‘居民该不该在外面穿睡衣’有过激烈争论，但我是支持这一趋势的。也希望在全球范围内，有更多人可以接受它。”
Though I personally would not wear a nightgown on the street, I am perfectly fine with others wearing whatever they prefer. In fact, Shanghai could consider adopting Western culture’s “Casual Friday” practice, where workers can wear whatever they like to the office on Fridays. But the Shanghai version should be called “Friday Jammie Jam.”
我个人不会在街上穿睡衣。不过，其他人在街上穿自己喜欢的任何衣服，我都觉得没问题。西方文化里有“休闲星期五”的传统，员工们在周五时可以想穿什么穿什么，上海也可以借鉴下这种传统啊—— 不过上海的版本估计得叫“裤衩子星期五”啦。
I hope that local authorities will not impose a dress code on residents. Let’s continue to keep Shanghai open, inclusive, and diverse – not only to the outside world but also to its own locals.
希望上海不要再限制居民的着装了。魔都是开放、包容而多元的——这种“开放”和“包容”不仅对外界，对本地的人民也应是如此啊。