Friday, December 17, 2010

Leggings ARE Pants

I was standing in line at a convenience store earlier today and I couldn't help but notice the way a girl ahead of me was dressed. She was in her early 20's and was wearing this kind of funky, black, asymmetrical blouse that would have probably looked pretty good if it was paired with jeans or dressier pants, but it just didn't fit with the hot pink sweatpants she was wearing. The thing that really caught my eye, though, was the way she was wearing the sweatpants. She had them rolled down to her waist, but she much have hiked them up to her tits before rolling them because the things seemed to be permanently wedged in her ass. I could also see the entire outline of her panties and, when she turned around, her lovely camel toe. Seeing this got me thinking about fashion and the whole argument that I see all over the Internet about how leggings are not supposed to be pants.

Now that the New York weather has turned cold and snowy, I've had put away the light dresses and dig out the winter gear. As many of my readers know, I'm not a big fan of jeans (or of pants in general for that matter), so my winter wardrobe includes many pairs of leggings.

I was a child of the 80's and an athlete my entire life. From ballet, to gymnastics, to volleyball, to daily jogs and gym workouts, to the style of the moment in middle school, much of my life has involved regularly wearing spandex in some way, shape, or form. Even before leggings came back into style a few years ago, I often opted for comfort over fashion and went for the "I just came from the gym look." I spent many a weekend in the library during school in a t-shirt and leggings and I could care less what anyone thought of it.

Now, I understand all of the arguments against wearing leggings, but I think leggings have gotten a bad rep. Like the girl in the store this afternoon, I've seen many people make the same fashion faux pas wearing all kinds of pants, so why do leggings get singled out?

If leggings are not pants, shouldn't yoga pants not be pants, either? I mean, both are essentially the same--stretchy and clingy--but the yoga pants flare out a bit at the bottom to resemble a regular pant leg. No one, however, complains about how leggings look at the calf. Everyone comments on how allowing the outline of your leggings-clad butt to be seen is a crime against humanity, but no one seems to comment on the same when yoga pants are involved. Arguably, though, if your leggings fit (and by fit, I do not mean you should be trying to pull them up over your head) they probably shouldn't be riding up your crack in the first place. The same goes for camel toe--that only time I've had a camel toe in leggings is when I've intensionally pulled them up to make one (and I don't go out in public that way, trust me). I've even worn unitards and have never had a problem.

So let's take back our right to dress comfortably and to not be scrutinized by following these three simple steps:

1. Don't wear $5 leggings. If you look in the mirror and can see the shimmer of spandex (aka the "see-through look"), throw them away and go spend $20-40 on a decent pair of thicker leggings. They'll probably last four times as long as the cheap ones, anyway, so you won't be out any cash in the long run. My favorites, especially for winter, are the long underwear bottoms you can get a sporting goods and outdoor stores. Some even have a thin fleece lining that will keep your legs warm on the coldest of days, but they make a variety of weights for a whole range weather.

2. The waistline of your leggings is supposed to sit on your waist--imagine that! Some designer leggings are actually made to sit higher on the body so that they can be rolled--if your's aren't, don't try to role them. Ever.

3. Know how much butt is too much. Most leggings haters seem to say that any visible butt in leggings is too much, but I disagree. If you are coming form the gym (or you want people to think you are), I don't have a problem with tops that don't provide coverage, though body type plays into this, too. If you aren't doing the athletic look, though, I think butt coverage is a must. How much, though, is subjective IMHO. I've seen some women pull off a little bit of the lower butt cheeks peeking out under the top but this really only works if you have skinny legs and a not-overly-large butt. And please make sure rule #1 is already in effect before doing this.