Why thousands took their pants off across the world today and boarded the Metro
A world without pants can be liberating. Think about it. When you’re home alone, binge-watching a show on Netflix and suitably stuffing yourself with junk food, cosily nestled inside a blanket, what are you missing? Wait. Ironically, the one thing that you don’t miss at all? Pants. It’s always a pair of pants. Sadly, thanks to centuries of conditioning that have successfully turned nudity (even partial) into something shameful, we are stuck with donning a piece of clothing that often makes us uncomfortable.
But rebels have their way. On January 7, in many parts of the world, people decided to board public transport sans pants. Scores in New York City, despite the frigid weather, were celebrating the 17th annual "No Pants Subway Ride".
They weren’t alone. In Montreal, Canada, many rode the Metro pantless, otherwise donned in winter. According to the Montreal Gazette, this silly tradition of wearing no pants was started in 2002 by “Improv Everywhere”, a New York City-based comedy collective, as a kind of prank involving a handful of guys has grown into what organisers have dubbed “a celebration of silliness and nothing more”.
Soon, however, others took to it like a movement, and the event has since spread around the world to more than 60 cities including Tokyo, Jerusalem and Moscow.
DJing the @improvevery #NoPantsSubwayRide after-party at @bar13nyc tonight!The original concept of the ride was to create the scenario of stepping into a crowded subway everyone acting normal but you notice that somehow everyone forgot to wear pants ...… https://t.co/s6hqhVXMSk pic.twitter.com/y1Wh9wSkvB
— Conrad DIRTYFINGER (@DIRTYFINGER) January 7, 2018
Prepare to go pantless during Toronto's No Pants Subway Ride. #NoPantsSubwayRide @ImprovEvery @TTCnoticeshttps://t.co/rToiqUo9Rc pic.twitter.com/d7PoaAtk2K
— InsideToronto (@InsideTOnews) January 7, 2018
Johnny and our brave street team bared all today in the freezing cold for the #NoPantsSubwayRide!! ???????????? @JohnMingione @toddandjayde pic.twitter.com/iyV9VnzgjP
— 95.5 PLJ (@955PLJ) January 8, 2018
Feeling a little warm? The annual #NoPantsSubwayRide happens today. Grab your cutest undies and your @Metro TAP card. Theater group GuerilLA has organized rendezvous points at 6 stations so you can meet up with fellow pants-less peeps. https://t.co/DGKc0UKV9P pic.twitter.com/2tBdzFHyaC
— 89.3 KPCC (@KPCC) January 7, 2018
Baby, it’s cold outside but it’s electric down in Metro. Go DC! Go DC, go! #nopantsdc #NoPantsSubwayRide @WTOP pic.twitter.com/qE1jV0s9T2
— Liz Anderson (@PlanetNoun) January 7, 2018
Are you in? No Pant Subway Ride 2018 Berlin. Here are soem tips and rules to make it fun for everybody even pants wearers : https://t.co/oK194PoyUt in German #Berlin #npsr #NoPantsSubwayRide pic.twitter.com/uXMJSxi9ig
— Uwe Falkenberg (@property2010) January 6, 2018
Across the ocean, the Brits too joined in. The Express reported that hundreds left their trousers and skirts behind this Sunday afternoon to take to the London Underground to mark the annual event. Even further away, in a very different part of the world, rail passengers in Jerusalem stripped down to their underwear.
Other cities participating in this whimsical tradition include Adelaide, Amsterdam, Atlanta, Berlin, Boston, Brisbane, Calgary, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dallas, Hamburg, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Munich, Phoenix, Portland, Prague, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Warsaw, Washington DC and Zurich.
The cold Sunday did not deter some brave New Yorkers from baring their legs for the annual #NoPantsSubwayRide https://t.co/VFpOEF3uhf pic.twitter.com/20Jju3Wew5
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) January 8, 2018
#EU saw 17th annual #NoPantsSubwayRide; held for laughs.https://t.co/HlhcRBT7xx pic.twitter.com/nl7hMWhwNX
— Hyper Observer (@HyperObserver) January 7, 2018
British people is crazy…lol????#NoPantsSubwayRide pic.twitter.com/gjvsFV8GYL
— slacker (@slacker68780539) January 8, 2018
#NoPantsSubwayRide 17th edition???? @nycfeelings @ImprovEvery @nycgo @NYCEventsTweets @nycgov @thewelcomehub pic.twitter.com/oskQkdRC5Y
— NewYorkCity4All (@NewYorkCity4All) January 7, 2018
???????? Londoners take part in 'No Trousers on the Tube Day' -- the Brits' take on the annual #NoPantsSubwayRide which sees passengers worldwide try to keep a straight face as they travel half naked pic.twitter.com/9bwcEqWNMI
— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 7, 2018
What is obvious from photos of this unique event from around the world: people look happy. Despite the overwhelmingly cold temperatures and the idea of being in public without an “essential” item of clothing, people look pleased with themselves. And that speaks a lot. A world without pants is a world with more smiles.
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