I saw something on Instagram recently that said ladies shouldn’t wear sweatpants. My first thought was, “damn, I like sweatpants.” Then I quickly switched to something more along the lines of, “you’re not the boss of me.”

I feel like I rather often see all sorts of lists or internet memes that say ladies don’t do this or that. Or do this or that. Here’s the deal though. There’s almost always exceptions to the rule. And I almost always maintain that rules are made to be broken. Today will not be the day that I let someone’s innocent overgram or retweet be the reason I feel guilty about wearing the oh-so-amazing and incredibly comfy sweatpants.

Here’s my middle ground. You (the Internet) think wearing sweatpants is lazy and unkempt. I think wearing sweatpants is amazing. Here are a few of my suggestions for landing somewhere in the middle of this heated and controversial topic. (Yes, I’m being dramatic for comical effect. It’s neither heated, nor dramatic.)

1. I never, ever wear pajamas in public. Regardless of your age or lifestyle situation, I do not think pajamas are public attire. If I saw you at Walgreens at 3:00 am, sleep-deprived and pain-ridden, wearing your favorite Tweety Bird pajamas (that’s a nod to my big sister), then I most certainly would not judge. However, 2:00 pm at Walmart is not where I’d consider this attire acceptable. True pajamas are not for public wear. If you must wear something comfy and/or baggy in public, get acquainted with yoga pants and sweatpants and of course, Nike shorts. Those can be worn in public without looking like you don’t at all care about life. (Side note: driving to the Starbucks drive through does not count as a public appearance, and I have certainly been known to wear pajamas for that outing. Only God can judge me.)

2. I think you should always look your best. Do I always follow this? Absolutely not. Somedays I flip the mirror the middle finger and roll out regardless. (Not literally. Again, that’s comic relief.) I don’t think all women have to wear lipstick or that we simply must wear makeup or curl our hair. I do think, though, that we should always attempt to put our best foot forward. If you leave the house doing nothing to look your best, what does that say about your approach on life? We don’t all have to be gorgeous centerfold models wearing the most expensive and latest trends with not a single hair out of place. I’m certainly not. I do think presenting yourself in the best possible light is a must. Wearing ill-fitting clothes with unmanaged hair and dirty shoes is not doing that. Do what you can to look your best.

3. Wear “nicer” versions of sweatpants. I will continue to wear sweatpants at home, and I don’t think Hitler himself could stop me. Here’s the trade off though. Rather than wearing paint-stained, holy, half-bleached sweats from 2002, I can wear lounge clothes that look somewhat nice and fit decently. This has actually been something I’ve been working on through my quest for a beautiful life. I had a tendency to not buy nicer lounge clothes because I already had comfy items that I could wear at home. Granted, they may be old as dirt or ugly as homemade soap (I don’t even know what that means.), yet I already had them and they were fine. After all, no one would see me wearing that 1997 softball tshirt with flannel pajamas from 2002 with just the right number of holes. That’s not what matters though. I see me. My husband sees me. You might would even see me if you dropped by unannounced delivering freshly baked cookies. (That’s my attempt at working on your subconscious. You’re getting very sleepy…. Bring me cookies!)

On a serious note though, I shouldn’t be selling myself (and my husband) short just because I don’t want to invest in lounge clothes that no one else will see. Granted, I will likely continue to wear those favorite flannel pajama pants until they literally disintegrate. I will, however, not wear them with the baggiest, ugliest tshirt that I own. I will also primarily wear nicer lounge clothes. I will buy thing that are nice and pretty and fit me well to wear around the house. The looking-your-best principle should also apply at home.

I provide all of these tongue-in-cheek “rules” while 100% understanding that there will be those days. Somedays you will just want to be lazy at your own house. You might have yesterday’s make up smeared down your face. Your hair might be 100 levels of greasy. The only thing you might want to wear are those over-sized sweats from college. It’s ok. We all deserve a bit of down time where you throw complete caution to the wind. On the regular though, try to look your best. You’ll feel better personally, and I’m sure those around you will appreciate it. I believe doing things for your self esteem is of utmost importance and these are a few ways to nurture that. Most importantly, understand that there’s always gray areas. No one can tell you what’s “right” or “classy.” You get to decide and make your own rules.

I am making a commitment to not be “too slouchy” even at home. However, if you try to take my sweatpants away from me, I might kill you. You’ve been warned.