How Accepting Leggings as Pants Made Me a Better Feminist
By Jess Eagle • May 31, 2013 • Body Image, Editorial, Observations
I’ve come around on leggings.
For years, I was one of the most adamant legging haters in the country. When I saw a girl/woman walk by wearing leggings “as pants” my stalwart go-to reaction was: eye-roll + “echh” + one or more of the following:
“Leggings
aren’t
pants”
/ “That’s not even flattering” / “Does she think that looks cute?” / “Put some pants on.”
I was so proud of my patronizing disdain for this superfluous, sure-to-be short-lived, trying-too-hard-to-bring-back-the-‘80s trend. Except it turned out to be not so short-lived. It’s been a good seven years since my leggings-hatred hatched, because it’s been a good seven years since leggings “came back.”
I didn’t always hate leggings. In fact, I distinctly remember loving one particular pair that I had as a kid: white ones with neon purple, pink, and orange geometric patterns on them. (It was the early ‘90s. They were
awesome.)
But something happened in my psyche sometime between 1994 and 2006 that totally altered my opinion of long spandex-cotton bottom-wear and made me believe they were unacceptable to function as anything other than thick tights. By the time I was a college freshman in 2006, my opinion of leggings was set in stone: Thou shall not wear leggings with anything but a skirt or a dress. Thou shall not even wear them with oversized sweaters or long button-downs. Thou shall
especially
not wear them with normal-length shirts, “as pants.”
And it wasn’t just that I personally rejected these fashions in my wardrobe. Nay,
I judged every woman who wore leggings in any way I deemed sinful. I judged them
hard.
The wrath of my leggings-judgment poured down frequently via disapproving glares and silent head-shaking.
But then my slightly-younger, slightly-more-stylish cousin started wearing leggings as pants. She embraced the look and rocked it. My cousin made me realize that leggings created the option of simultaneous style
and
comfort.
On paper, it seems like such a simple revelation, but it was not. At the time, I was about to start writing my Master’s thesis on 1920s flapper fashions and Simon de Beauvoir’s theories of the “eternal feminine.” I was thinking a lot about the uncomfortable, often medically dangerous things women do to contort their bodies to fit some unrealistic feminine ideal. In the past: Chinese foot-binding, African neck rings, Euro-American corsets and crinolines. In the present: high heels, spanx, false eyelashes, tight (like, circulation-cutting-off tight) jeans, corsets (…still).
In contrast, I began to develop a soft spot for soft, body-hugging (not body-squeezing or -contorting) leggings. As
Amanda Hess wrote
for Slate’s XX Factor earlier this month,
leggings aren’t
pants, and they aren’t tights, either. She’s says they’re better than both because they’re more comfortable.
“Pants are great if you’re a woman with the perfectly-calibrated corporate-sanctioned ratio of waist to ass to leg. What are you, a ringer for the jeans industry? It’s time to stop squeezing our lower bodies into constrictive denim prisons and instead envelope them in a forgiving cotton-spandex jersey. Never again will we be forced to choose between visible ass-crack and bulging muffin top.”
As for tights,
“Tights have exerted their control-tops over our torso-crotch areas for too long. They snag on everything. They warp in the wash. They create itches that cannot be scratched. The discomfort of the toe seam is, frankly, egregious. But it doesn’t have to be this way: Sturdy. Footless. Washable. Leggings.”
Hess concludes that leggings have subversive power (my word, her meaning) because they’re not really meant to look good, but rather to feel good. When the fashion police and legging-haters of the world (AKA me pre-2012) look down their noses and scoff
“Those aren’t pants. Put some real pants on,” what they’re really saying is “You’re not conforming.
Women wear pants, skirts, or dresses. Leggings aren’t any of those. You need to conform.”
And, it’s taken me a long time — about seven years’ worth of judging women for wearing comfortable, trendy not-pants — but it’s finally, fully dawned on me: I was judging women for not conforming, too. All this time, I thought I was the system-bucker because I avoided this trend like the plague. But it turns out I actually missed out on years’ worth of system-bucking via comfy, trendy bottoms.
OH GOD. Excuse me while I crawl off to a corner now and die of self-disappointment.
But no! No actual dying today, because I’ve discovered my conformity-based-judgment and I’ve reformed. Practically a 180-degree reformation! I’d say about 175; I sometimes wear leggings, and I definitely never judge other people for wearing them.
Sure, maybe it has something to do with the fact that skinny jeans and yoga pants have become norms, so after a while leggings seem to be just another part of the leg-hugging gang. Because
I’m not the only one
to come around on leggings recently.
But it’s definitely more than that. Because my leggings-conversion was the start of something bigger, something really significant for me: my journey to stop internally judging women for wearing things society considers(ed) to be “slutty.”
No, I never thought leggings were slutty. But realizing that I was wrong to judge women for wearing leggings made me realize that I was wrong to judge women for wearing other things. I’m ashamed (and frustrated) to say still haven’t quite conquered that mean girl (or is it a man?) in my brain, with her supposed high-standards and apparent Colonial fashion-sense, who whispers “slut” from the depths of my Repressed-Stuff Brain Cave when some a girl wearing stilettos, high heels, and a low-cut top walks by.
It’s an on-going process, beating internalized
slut-shaming, but awareness is definitely the most crucial step. And I defy anyone to tell me that conquering internalized slut-shaming isn’t hard work, given that our entire culture judges women on what they wear, draws the line between “attractive” and “slutty” with invisible ink, and rarely questions slut-shaming, even in the case of a
16-year-old rape victim
— it’s hard work, even when we’re feminists and uber aware.
But my leggings epiphany has shown me that I need to tell my Creepy Subconscious Slut-Shaming Cave Dweller to shut up. Judging a person based on what they wear is weird and wrong. And in the case of women, it furthers sexual objectification and the idea that appearance is a woman’s most important characteristic.
Leggings have shown me that judging women for “not wearing pants” is almost as bad as judging them for wearing pants instead of skirts, like they were doing 70 years ago. (Yeah, it hasn’t been that long. Weird, right?)
Leggings may very well represent a new level of comfort for the 21st-century young woman, who doesn’t let thick, tough denim hold her back, or uncomfortable, footed, seam-filled tights slow her down.
And leggings may also mark a new, subversive frontier in women’s fashion: where there used to be only skirts and dresses, there appeared pants; now, where there used to be only skirts, dresses, and pants, there appeared leggings.
Written by Jess Eagle
Reposted with permission from House of Flout.
Reposted with permission from House of Flout.
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Guest • a year ago see moreI've worn leggings-as-pants for the past 7 years, except for the days it`s been warm enough to wear dresses. The hatred towards leggings has always made me immensely uncomfortable, but still not as uncomfortable as pants made me.Since entering high school, I have not owned one pair of pants that fit me properly and comfortably. Not one pair of jeans, not one pair of dress pants, not even causal khakis - nothing. I'm of average height and weight, but my body proportions do not fit the norm. Basically, to put it blunty, I have a huge butt in comparison to the rest of my otherwise-proportional body. Before leggings came along, the only thing I found comfortable was a flowy, kneelength dress. I live in Canada though, so that's not an option every day.Pants are just not made to fit me, and it used to make me hate my body. When leggings came along, and they were fashionable, I finally began to love my body and my bubble butt, because I could finally look fashionable! Of course there was something much more important now... I was finally comfortable at school and work! I didn't have to attempt wearing dresses and pantyhose in January anymore!This article meant a lot for me. Thank you so much for writing this & admitting you were wrong! You have no idea how good it feels to know we`re all capable of opening our minds and coming together.tldr; just shedding some light on why one may choose to wear leggings-as-pants-
WMPlem > Guest • a year ago see moreMy problem with leggings-as-pants is not that I don't understand the appeal of comfort, it's that I truly look awful in them, and I don't personally know many people who are an exception to that. I would far prefer to wear a loose fitting pair of pants (or a full skirt) than something that emphasizes my thighs/butt. When I wear leggings, I feel fat and insecure. Then again, I also won't wear mini skirts or tight fitting tops, because I know I wouldn't feel comfortable with how they made me look or feel. To me, dressing well is all about being honest with yourself, and finding clothes that you are both physically and mentally comfortable wearing. If you feel that you look good in the leggings you choose, and they feel good to wear, more power to you. My silent judgment is not "that's slutty", rather "do you really feel confident wearing those, or o you just not care"? I'm sure that makes me an awful feminist, but hey.-
delizabeth3 > WMPlem • a year ago see moreKind of, yes. Maybe try to content yourself with loathing your own body and leave other women's bodies out of it.-
WMPlem > delizabeth3 • a year ago see moreI applaud you for responding in the last constructive way possible. If you had even the most rudimentary understanding of self-esteem issues, you know that "try to get over it" is an absurd thing to expect. Additionally, those judgments are not an active, deliberate response. Sure, I'd love to think "you go girl" about someone dressed poorly, but that isn't something you can just decide to do. Again, you've made a snarky recommendation that isn't reasonable to expect someone to have the power to just change. Having enough self-awareness to understand why one feels the way they do does not merit condescension and absurdly unattainable recommendations.-
delizabeth3 > WMPlem • a year ago see moreYou're right, it is hard to control your immediate response to something. Sorry for the unhelpful advice. Maybe this will be more useful: save that judgmental poison up in your own head - do not go out of your way to openly justify your behavior born (apparently) of your own low self-esteem on a blog post that is largely about self-acceptance. I guess I don't care what you think about women in leggings in your head. The crappy behavior on your part was laying it in this particular public sphere. Does that clear it up for you?-
WMPlem > delizabeth3 • a year ago see moreActually, it does. I didn't realize it before, but evidently you felt threatened by what I wrote, and would rather I not share my thoughts. Unfortunately, the internet is no place for those who cannot handle a voice of dissent (especially a civil one), so I'd advise that you learn to cope with that reality more constructively.The reason I commented is because I think it's important for those discussing the "silent judgments of others" to understand that those judgments don't always come from a place of malice or "slut shaming", but possibly from a more innocuous place of projective insecurity.Next time, I'll be sure to talk about that in the abstract, so as not to open myself up to petty, judgmental, personal attacks when I was simply offering an alternative perspective. -
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Allison • a year ago see moreIt's something I'm still working on. I remember being shocked the first time I saw an adult/teen wearing leggings for daily pants purposes-- I could distinctly see the outline of her crotch! And she wore this to class! WHY? In my mind my knee-jerk reaction was completely different from my common arguments with my mother over how low-cut a top I was "allowed" to wear (male chest is normal, female chest is obscene??). Eventually I realized these two topics are more or less the same issue: policing women's clothing = policing women's bodies. Chests and genitals are not cultural equivalents, however, which I suppose is my hang-up about leggings. But the body parts other people choose to display does not affect or harm me at all; even if someone is walking around naked that's none of my business. So I try not to judge for leggings or anything else, but I still can't see myself ever being comfortable wearing leggings as pants.-
Athena > Allison • a year ago see moreIt's not "policing women's bodies." Most of us just *gasp* don't want to see your camel toe! I don't want to see your vagina either, does that make me a bad person who hates my fellow woman? No! I just think you should respect yourself better than to prove your feminist idealism by showing us your private parts or even the outline of them.-
Sandinista > Athena • a year ago see moreHelpful hint: As soon as you tell women that they should simple "respect [themselves] better"/enough to do whatever you want them to do, you are almost certainly policing their bodies or slut shaming or engaging in some other misogynist noise.If you don't wanna see my camel toe, may I suggest not staring at my crotch?-
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Sandinista > Athena • a year ago see moreI respect myself better than to care whether you like the way I'm dressed or not. How's that?-
Athena > Sandinista • 10 months ago see moreNo, you disregard your self respect by dressing in a way that leaves nothing to the imagination. Do you not feel attractive unless you are flaunting your body parts? True sexy and being feminine doesn't entail flaunting anything. Only the insecure do that because they think no one will notice otherwise.-
Frances Frumpy Mumps Locke > Athena • 4 months ago see moreWow. Just, wow. Do you only think you are worthy of respect if you're constantly "modest" and hiding your body parts? I feel sorry for anyone with this much bile built up over something they can't control (ie: other women's bodies).
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disqus_l1t8ev3ACJ > Athena • 2 days ago see moreIs it possible that you could just... not look? Don't look at their crotch. I'm sure that would make everyone feel a little more comfortable.
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Kristen • a year ago see moreI agree - I hated leggings-as-pants for so long until the past year and then decided, screw it, I just want to be comfortable too. But I don't think that wearing leggings is a form of progressive system-bucking; if anything, leggings are the most "conformist" item of clothing out there and, though more comfortable, are also designed to show off every little curve of women's bodies. I think its more important to think outside this framework generally. Wearing leggings isn't a political thing. Wear them if you want and don't judge women for wearing or not wearing them, but also - don't be deluded into thinking that you're "bucking the system" by wearing leggings.-
Pixx > Kristen • a year ago see moreI started wearing leggings when I was three and refused to ever put on actual pants because they were (and still are at age 25) so uncomfortable to me. So three-year-old me was definitely not concerned about showing off every little curve of my body--it truly was and remains to this day a comfort issue.Of course leggings look sexy on older women, but that is an added bonus in my book: I personally like dressing sexy and don't intend to stop, and I don't think that makes me a conformist or not-a-feminist. But when choosing between skinny jeans or leggings, I'm going to choose the leggings. Because they're comfortable.
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Cherry • a year ago see moreLol I literally don't give a damn what others want me to wear. I personally HATE jeans because they're restricting like nothing else. As lone as I'm not walking buck-naked down the street, y'all can be as "uncomfortable" as you damn well want. If you hate it so much, ignore my presence. No one's begging you to look at me hahaha. -
Lauren • a year ago see moreJust something worth thinking about: what's wrong with women who choose to wear corsets? I love corsets. I've always loved wearing old things and I like tight things around my waist (even as a kid - yes I'm odd). Very very few women in Western society, if any, are forced into wearing corsets - in fact most of the time when you wear a corset you're met with disdain and anger even. So why the ...still for the corsets? What upsets you so much about women wearing something that makes them happy?
This applies across many things. Of course women feels pressured to wear heels and other uncomfortable things. But I wear heels every day. For fun. I follow a blogger who wears false eyelashes everyday, even at home, because she loves them.
So fine, hate society for the pressures. But do not hate on women for conforming (often for survival) or for bloody enjoying herself.-
TattooedLittleMiss > Lauren • a year ago see moreI don't think she intended to hate on anyone for wearing heels or corsets. But there's no denying that both can be harmful to a person's long-term health, if worn often and to the extreme. I also love to wear corsets and heels. I used to wear the latter every day, never less than three inches. Most of my shoes still have at least a four-inch stiletto heel. But I've seen first hand the damage to your feet and legs heels can do and I acknowledge that. -
ana manea > Lauren • a year ago see moreI suppose it depends of the corset, but if you use it for what its intended and squeeze yourself, it makes you less able to do sports, short of breath easily, less flexible, weaker looking. that is sad.-
Juliet > ana manea • a year ago see moreIf I'm wearing a corset I'm not planning on going out to play soccer...I'm wearing it to feel sexy! Most corset wearers nowadays don't wear them full time or tight enough to cause permanent physical change.-
ana manea > Juliet • a year ago see moreThere still is something awkward in wearing something you can't wear if you want to be able to have fun spontaneously an run a little bit. That makes you unable to bend, unable to enter a car except awkwardly and etc. It's more restrictive than stilettos! I would be sad to see such a trend spray even for "non sportive events", as normally one should be able to act spontaneously at all times... I mean, I guess, wear it as a restrictive outfit if you are into masochism at home, but elsewhere... iich.
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TattooedLittleMiss > ana manea • a year ago see moreNot even people who waist-train wear corsets to that extent anymore. No more than two-four inches and certainly not the s-curve or wasp-waist of the late 19th century.-
ana manea > TattooedLittleMiss • a year ago see moreeven a loose enough corset (as long as its tightened at all, otherwise it's just a corset looking regular top) makes you unable to run, short of breath, less flexible, and etc. I did not even mention body deformation, which is one step more extreme
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Curtis Penfold • a year ago see moreAs a male bodied individual who loves wearing leggings, thank you.Screw the fashion police. I'm all for fashion anarchy. Everybody should just wear what they want. -
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Candles • a year ago see moreUm, no, I just prefer not to see the outlines of strangers' private parts. This has nothing to do with gender for me. I don't like leggings as casual wear because they're too revealing — and if men wore them I would be even more emphatic. I don't want to see your ass crack or your camel toe or your sealed sausage unless I'm already shagging it. If you're at the ballet or a gymnastics club or something that requires clothing like that, fine. But as casual wear it genuinely makes me uncomfortable. No matter who wears it.-
Brian > Candles • a year ago see moreCandles, just because you go around staring at people's crotches doesn't mean everyone does. Sounds like a personal problem.-
Jaime > Brian • a year ago see moreJust because you happen to see something doesn't mean you go around staring at it. There are plenty of girls where I live who wear thin, not-quite-opaque tights in place of leggings; it's hard to avoid seeing the things below them--and believe me, I've tried. To me, this also is not an issue of gender. I don't even shame people in my own mind--people should be comfortable with their bodies and with what they wear and all. It just makes me a little uncomfortable to see a bunch of strangers' (less than) privates when I'm going about my business. -
Anonymous > Brian • a year ago see moreMaybe its the fact that walking around with your cunt hanging out is just something you shouldn't do, regardless of who's looking, why is it that you want to jut your fat ass out too the world anyways?
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Frances Frumpy Mumps Locke > Candles • 4 months ago see moreIf the leggings fit correctly (ie: not too big or too small) then their crotch shouldn't be showing anymore than with yoga pants or a tight pair of jeans. I don't understand this argument at all.
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Hill • a year ago see moreI think as long as the top worn with leggings covers the crotch, leggings as pants can be really cute!If the top ends above the crotch, usually only a few people can wear that and still look good, not have camel toe or issues. Also, flesh colored, too tight, or too sheer are just not very flatering- but most people tend to get it right! :)Out of the right material and color leggings are wonderful! I much prefer them to jeans. Way more comfortable, and actually WAY less prone towards camel toe, and super flattering to my legs. -
Skeptical • a year ago see moreSpeaking as an avid advocate against leggings as pants, I disagree somewhat. On the grounds that if you are wearing leggings tight enough and see-through enough that I can discern every single detail of your ass, it's not a good bottom-wear choice.To be clear, I am not saying that you should dress to please others in any way, or that butts are shameful and need to be hidden from the world at any cost. I am not making an anti-feminist statement. I'm saying that there is a fine line between confident and fashion forward and uncomfortable for everyone.If you're wearing leggings that still manage to be comfortable and stylish without alienating every person who sees you, then you go for it.-
Lindsay > Skeptical • a year ago see moreAnd we have a winner for "Totally Missing the Whole Fucking Point."So sick of people playing the ~uncomfortable~ card. "It makes me uncomfortable" is code for "I don't like it" which is, wait for it, judgmental slut-shaming. Leggings aren't see-through. You can't actually see "every single detail" of a woman's ass. Stop making shit up to justify your misogyny.-
WMPlem > Lindsay • a year ago see moreNow that "slut-shaming" has become a buzzword, people are really mis-using it. To clarify, "I don't like it" does NOT equal "slut-shaming". Slut-shaming is insulting a woman for expressing her sexuality in a manner inconsistence with patriarchal norms. Don't dilute the term my misappropriating it. I realize it's easier to label and dismiss anyone who disagrees with you as a slut-shaming misogynist, but that convenience comes at the cost of accuracy.Also, unless you are speaking on behalf of every pair of leggings ever produced, you cannot make the assertion that they do not have the potential to be see through, at least to the extent of showing undergarments (or lack thereof). -
Sandra L Mort > Lindsay • a year ago see moreWhere do you get from "I don't want to see ANYBODY'S bits and pieces" to "misogynistic"? Frankly, I think seeing boy bits is even more uncomfortable than girl, since they're external. Just blech. Mind you, I don't criticize people with different tastes than I do, but I still strongly prefer modesty for all sexes and genders.-
Athena > Sandra L Mort • a year ago see moreOh girl parts are external as well, the clitoris just doesn't stick out as far as the penis. But the existence of camel toe proves that either can be seen through thin leggings, and that no one who isn't intimate with you WANTS to see those private bits and pieces through those leggings no matter how proud of them you are. And also, in reference to the person you were responding to, throwing around big words you don't fully understand like "misogynistic" doesn't make you any more right.
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Average Jane > Lindsay • a year ago see moreThe award for missing the whole fucking point goes to you Lindsay. As a woman, am unimpressed with how girls, and other women, disregard others. Just because its what YOU like doesn't mean that EVERYONE else has to deal with it. I hate leggings because they are worn rarely for comfort, and are generally made to be semi- transparent, or have some sort of embroidering to draw attention to asses. I may be old fashioned, but as a member of the main target market for these see-through skin covers, I am disgusted that it is now acceptable to wear them, and I'm only 18. If grandparents are cringing at the sight of these hybrid pants, maybe they shouldn't be something worn everyday.-
Pixx > Average Jane • a year ago see moreJust because you're a woman doesn't mean you win a "get out of misogyny free" card. I don't personally give a damn whether my clothes make you comfortable or not. I don't dress for your comfort, and I don't give a toss what you think I should be wearing. My body is not open for public commentary. People like you--people who think that you have a right to tell me what my body should look like it, simply because you said so--are the problem. Yes, telling a stranger that she needs to change her clothes because you decided she doesn't look acceptable IS misogyny.-
marty > Pixx • a year ago see moreYou say in one statement that you "don't give a damn" and in the next that your body is not open for public commentary. Pick one or the other... If you really don't give a damn, then you shouldn't care if anyone comments on your body or not.Wear what you want, but don't get upset if people gawk at you and stare. If you truly don't care, it's a non issue, right? -
WMPlem > Pixx • a year ago see moreThe irony here is that you in fact care so deeply about sending a public message to the people you purportedly don't care about that you can no longer claim you are genuinely "wearing what you want", but rather that you are dressing to deliberately evoke a negative response so that you can casually toss around the word misogyny and carry that more feminist-than-thou aire throughout the rest of your day. -
Athena > Pixx • a year ago see moreIf you go out with crotchless panties next, let us know. I want to see you tell off the staring public and screaming about your right to express yourself. Oh right, there IS a line to be drawn isnt' there?! One must have standards after all. LOL-
Guest > Athena • a year ago see moreum, LOL, if someone wants to go out with crotchless panties, why shouldn't she? You may have noticed that in the animal kingdom, no one feels the need to cover up their body parts. It is only humans who teach that genitalia are "unacceptable" and "shameful".If you personally don't feel comfortable wearing leggings, then that's fine. But you shouldn't tell other people to change their clothes because they aren't "modest". Modesty isn't a virtue; it's a social construct. If I'm not embarrassed by my camel toe, why do you really give a fuck?-
WMPlem > Guest • a year ago see moreDrawing comparisons to the animal kingdom seems a bit contrived. Sure, modesty may be a social construct, but as humans, we conform to these constructs - to some extent - to maintain our place in the societies in which we live. If you want to adhere to someone else's social norms and gain unwavering acceptance, find a group with norms consistent with your extant preferences, for instance, a nudist colony.
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