Public Shaming Is Necessary to Enforce Social Decorum, From Gym Attire to Public Conduct
Source: Elle Purnell. "Shane Gillis Outcry Shows We Need More Public Shaming." October 15, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that how we dress and behave in public shows respect, or disrespect, for the people around us, and that society should disapprove of people who ignore basic norms, from skimpy gym clothes to littering. She thinks the threat of social disapproval keeps people in line, and that families and communities have gotten too lax about it.
Conclusion
A healthy society requires public shaming (social disapproval, dirty looks, exclusion) to enforce basic norms of dress and conduct, including provocative gym attire and other antisocial behaviors.
Premises
- How one dresses and behaves shows respect or disrespect for one's surroundings and the people in them, and dressing and conducting oneself well recognizes one's own dignity and that of others.
- Shared public spaces such as the gym are not personal spaces, so people owe fellow members of society basic duties of decorum (e.g., not littering, not blocking sidewalks, not wearing underwear or pajamas in public).
- Some people, including women who respond to Gillis's joke by posting revealing athletic wear, treat their right to self-expression as superior to these duties and show contempt for social decorum.
- Public shame works ideally as self-policing: if people know they will face disapproval or exclusion for inappropriate behavior, they are more likely to avoid it altogether.
- Shame is only effective when the threat is credible, and it is best enforced by close-knit social groups (parents, friends, church ladies, mentors), whose enforcement has weakened, as shown by a comedian having to make the case.
Assumptions
- There is an objective, widely shared standard of appropriate dress and conduct that can be applied across contexts.
- Revealing athletic wear is a violation of social duty comparable in kind to littering, public defecation, or drug-fueled harassment.
- Women who post revealing photos in response to Gillis are primarily motivated by seeking male attention or asserting a right to defy norms, not by comfort or athletic function.
- Public shaming is an effective and proportionate means of norm enforcement, and its benefits outweigh harms such as bullying, body-shaming, or chilling effects.
- Traditional institutions (family, church, community) were historically effective and legitimate in enforcing norms, and their decline is a loss.
- Dress and conduct norms are not primarily a matter of individual autonomy or are legitimately subordinate to social duties.