When thinking of an operating room, we all have the picture of the short sleeve V-neck shirt and accompanying baggy pants in a not-very flattering shade of sea foam green. How is it, then, that these outfits have come into the medical mainstream despite the obvious fashion faux pas? The obvious need for sterile clothing was first noticed in the early twentieth century when doctors finally dropped street clothes for more sterile white gowns. These gowns, though, reflected all of the light in the operating room and created quite the eye strain, and plus, the blood on bright white was a gruesome sight. In order to reduce the eyestrain though, the green nursing scrubs that we know today were introduced to provide contrast, while reducing strain on the eyes.

Modern nursing scrubs though, have evolved to allow for personal expression, and increased functionality. Scrubs now come in various colors to quickly identify a person’s specialty or unit. For example, neonatal staff may wear a shade of lavender while emergency staff wears dark blue. This makes it easy to distinguish people in the often hectic environment of a hospital. The more “personalized” scrubs that we see today chiefly show the wearer’s fashion sense by means of the hairnet. Originally introduced in the 1940’s, the hairnet, available in all sorts of colors, prints, and styles, has become the main way in which surgical staff personalize their scrubs.