"Sweats were Out! Dresses and heels were In! The notion of 'revenge dressing' — dressing up to make up for lost time, and to spite a virus that has no feelings — took hold."

"But then: delta. And after that: omicron.... So now the question is no longer what we will wear post-pandemic, but whether there will be a post-pandemic at all. We seem doomed to exist somewhere in the murky middle for at least another season, and hybrid work arrangements may keep us in the soft-pants space even longer. Rather than whiplashing back to expensive and impractical clothes, forecasters are seeing people dressing more for the version of themselves that they’ve discovered over the last 22 months... Key phrases are 'elevated loungewear' (coordinated sets in luxe fabrics) or 'relaxed suiting' (slightly oversize and slouchy suits with forgiving, four-way-stretch fabrics) or 'workleisure' (bike shorts paired with button-downs; nap dresses; house shoes).... Among those pandemic discoveries is mortality: Life’s too short to wear uncomfortable clothes, but it’s also too short to wear boring clothes. That might mean playing with gender norms, or wearing brighter colors to signal hopefulness, or deciding to never again press our toes into stilettoes. As for that 'revenge' attire, remember the timeworn breakup advice: Living well is the best revenge."

From "The ideas and arguments that will define the next 12 months" (WaPo).

As noted, the virus has no feelings, so "revenge" is misplaced... unless you're talking about revenge against the people who are imposing limitations and requirements on you. But these people don't care if your waistband binds or your shoes pinch. You're only hurting — or soothing — yourself.

I considered going on about "revenge," but I've been blogging daily for 18 years — as of 12 days from now — and I'm sure I've already done that. Yes. Here. Quoting Wikipedia:

"Of the psychological, moral, and cultural foundation for revenge, philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written: 'The primitive sense of the just—remarkably constant from several ancient cultures to modern institutions ...—starts from the notion that a human life ... is a vulnerable thing, a thing that can be invaded, wounded, violated by another's act in many ways. For this penetration, the only remedy that seems appropriate is a counter invasion, equally deliberate, equally grave. And to right the balance truly, the retribution must be exactly, strictly proportional to the original encroachment.'"

Consider the proportionality of Covid 19 and baggy, elastic-waisted pants.