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PSA: Please wear layers to your vaccine appointment

PSA: Please wear layers to your vaccine appointment

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Unless you’re going for a baroque vibe

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A man wearing a face mask sits in a chair with his shirt unbuttoned and half of his torso exposed as he gets the vaccine.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis receives the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo by YANNIS KOLESIDIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Vaccine selfies — vaxxies, if you will — abound as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19 every day. People are anxiously awaiting their turn to get the jab, perhaps so anxiously that they forget to think about what’s best to wear for the event. 

One of the most recent vaxxies to make the rounds is of the French minister of health. He’s wearing a typically boring dress shirt, but it’s completely unbuttoned as his bare arm is stuck. He gazes solemnly into the middle distance as he tastefully conceals his nipple with the shirt. 

Other European officials have gone even farther. The Greek prime minister’s vaxxie calls to mind classic paintings of women with one breast exposed. One member of the UK Parliament opted to go entirely topless when he received the shot. 

To be clear, unveiling this much skin is not a requirement for getting one of the COVID-19 vaccines. It’s just tough to get to the top of the arm meat — where the vaccine needs to be injected — with a tight, long sleeve in the way.

Health centers generally recommend wearing layers and short sleeves. You could opt for a nice casual polo, the classic cardigan over a tank top combo, or simply remember to wear an undershirt with your button-up. You could also lean into a baroque off-the-shoulder look with a loose enough shirt. For the sake of your local health care workers, though, I can’t say I recommend going for full Renaissance, Birth of Venus vibes. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what outfit you choose, as long as you get the vaccine.