I canNOT get over it. They are clothes of torture, garments of ghastliness.

I mean hospital gowns. Recently, my daughter had to wear one.

They instantly rob one of the dignity of an individual, and by exposing one’s back and backside, bring one down to the awful anonymity of a that sad creature, a “hospital patient” or, even more facelessly, “Bed no. 4568” or “Room 410B”.

But WHY? There must, I realize, be a specific reason why they flap open at the back like that. Perhaps, nurses and others want instant access to all sorts of skin and muscle, and it is less of an embarassment to show one’s backside,which looks alike on one and all, than one’s…er…frontside, which is rather more unique and more “private”….but why on earth must they have those awful two ties and no privacy at all otherwise? Instead of those two horrible ties, a strip of velcro could ensure instant access and yet ensure some semblance of coverage, too, when access is not required.

My daughter’s hospital gown was even more hilarious as it came with an assortment of press buttons which took 3 of us 15 minutes to figure out…the press buttons, pressed, created two sleeves…but of COURSE the back of the gown was nice and …free..and open, and if the situation had not been so serious, it would have had me laughing right then. Why were those press buttons needed for the sleeves? Why could they not be used for the back? I still cannot work it out.

And to add insult to injury, the gown often results in a feeling of chill and cold on one’s unprotected body in the air-conditioned hospital room, especially when one is ill and has low resistance or endurance. I always visualize a person in hospital having goose-pimpled skin with that kind of…er, exposure.

Here’s the lovely cartoon that brought on this post…

As Americans would say, of things which are not good….”bummer”!!