Every year, the organization Improv Everywhere encourages people to ride the subway without their pants on one day in January. This year on January 12, No Pants Subway Ride (NPSR) spread to places they had never dreamed. The ever-growing phenomena had already been seen in 60 cities worldwide with over 4000 participants in previous years, but even founder, Charlie Todd, did not envision this year’s promulgation. “We have seen NPSR in Brooklyn in the past, but it was never like this, explained Todd. “Who would have known so many girls would join us today.”
When cheder ended on January 12th, scores of girls got into the subway to take the ride home. And not one of them wore pants. In a seemingly rare alliance between secularist and the Ultra Orthodox, NPSR was most alive in the deep sections of Borough Park. One subway car was spotted packed with young girls all pantless. Unbelievably, Borough Park was the most successful area. However, there was almost no one to see the magnificence of the prank because the girls all packed into the same cars, leaving all possible male onlookers to another. I tried to ask one participant, Shaindel Brachel Chaya Gittel, why so many of her friends had decided to join this year. “What are you talking about?” asked Shaindel. “We dress like this on the subway every day.” This came to the shock of The Observer, as we all know women generally do wear the pants in Orthodox families.
The Observer was unable to confirm or deny whether or not the adoption of NPSR was due to its being in its 13th year. Some theorize that as NPSR grew to its Bar Mitzvah, it now must be kept by the Orthodox community. Whatever the case may be, we continue to look forward to further collaborations across communities.