Leggings are not pants!
It seems to be the rallying cry of a generation (mine), aimed at younger generations (including my daughters’). To be totally honest, most of the time I just ignore it as so much irrelevant internet noise in a world already full of irrelevant internet noise.
But from time-to-time, elements of the “leggings are not pants” battle percolate up and grab my attention. When teenagers are banned from wearing them in schools because of outdated and sexist dress codes, for example.
The reasoning behind each and every one of these bans (and similar bans on shorts or tank tops) is basically thus: the men and boys in your life cannot control their sexual urges, and therefore you must be prevented from wearing clothes that reveal or highlight parts of your body men may find arousing. Because men and boys cannot be expected to control themselves, their thoughts or their behaviour, natch.
Whether you like them or not, leggings-as-pants needs to become a feminist issue.
One middle school in Illinois went so far as to plaster its hallways with signs asking, “Are my pants lowering your test scores?” I mean REALLY. Even more disturbing though, are the scores of school districts who publicly say that teachers – yes, teachers: adult men in positions of responsibility and influence with tween and teen girls – are distracted by tight or revealing clothing on their female students. If it were up to me, any teacher who uttered those words would be fired. On the spot. Because guess what? It’s up to them to rise above those thoughts, and it’s up to them to control themselves and their behaviour.
Yesterday I came across this post and the accompanying Good Morning America feature, by a Christian blogger in the US who had recently felt a strong conviction from God that she must stop wearing leggings and yoga pants, because men (including her husband) admit they find it “hard not to look”. (A cursory look at her blog, however, reveals that she has no trouble wearing tight skinny jeans. Maybe God can help me understand the distinction there.)
Stop telling other women or girls not to wear leggings, or how, with what, under what circumstances, and so on.
Reading her post got me all hot under the collar again. And it’s not because I even care that much about what people choose to wear (I don’t), but because I find it frightening how many women are willing to accept the “modesty” argument made by this blogger and all the well-meaning school administrators who have run afoul of the press in the past year or so.
Here’s the thing, sisters: whether you like them or not, leggings-as-pants needs to become a feminist issue. And so do short-shorts and tank tops. Why? Because the premise against this type of clothing is always the same, and it’s a bastion of the rape culture that all decent people abhor:
Heterosexual males cannot be expected to control their sexual desires, therefore it is incumbent upon all females (regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation) not to arouse them.
And by extension, if you ignore this advice: You got what you deserved.
You see? It’s not a convoluted logical puzzle, it’s a journey of one step. Don’t dress sexy, or we cannot be held accountable for the consequences.
And it’s based on a misogynistic fallacy: that men cannot regulate their own sexual thoughts and behaviour; which is patently wrong and, by the by, totally unfair to all the decent men out there who can and do. Every day.
As women, mothers, daughters, sisters and feminists, we need to overcome our personal taste objections – NOW – and stop telling other women or girls not to wear leggings, or how, with what, under what circumstances, and so on. We need to raise our sons (as most of us already are doing) to treat every woman and girl they encounter with respect, no matter what what she’s wearing (or not wearing), no matter how drunk or sober, no matter what. We need to insist that the men and boys in ours and our daughters’ lives do the same.
So please, do us all a favour. Stop saying, “leggings are not pants” and focus instead on something constructive like, “what I wear is not an invitation”. Leggings should be whatever the hell you want them to be.
Your body, your choices. End of story.
Leggings are part of society’s efforts to sexualize women and girls. Most females feel the need to be sexually attractive and spend thousands of dollars on makeup, hair, nails, and clothing to attract members of the opposite sex. It’s particularly sad when girls as young as 8 or 9 buy into this sexualized culture. Women promote this because they want to appeal to men and be considered sexy, but they forget that maybe women have more to offer than just an attractive face and body. This also explains why women are never happy with themselves, always trying to be ‘perfect’, model-like. Maybe we should teach acceptance of oneself, and look for the inner beauty within each of us.
I’m sorry, but you’re expecting the impossible here. People can control their actions, but they cannot control their thoughts, particularly sex based ones reaching back into humanity’s evolutionary past.
What you wear will definitely be noticed by men, like it or not, wether you care, or not, wether you approve or not. They’ll think what their genes tell them to think about an attractive female form, regardless of wether this fact suits feminist theory, or anyone’s desires, or not.
It will even happen in teachers minds, too. Yup, this is just reality.
Now, *acting* upon such thoughts is a totally different issue and self control is in fact achievable and a very good thing.
But the basis for the distraction is no more the observers fault than yours. It’s just nature…and let me be clear once more..this is about the thoughts, not actions.
Base your choices upon what to wear as a woman making conscious choices knowing the benefits and drawbacks of various types of dress, and don’t expect the entire world to change in ways it will never change, with respect to thoughts, to serve how you wish to look at it. If you’re putting camel toe out there on display for example in your leggings are pants… it will be noticed…like it or not.
And this fact should go into your decision making and value judgments. It doesn’t mean anyone else isn’t responsible for their actions, but neither should anyone be making decisions without the real world and it’s risks in mind. If I walked down an alley and was robbed, ok maybe I shouldn’t have had 500 bucks on me in plain view…but it doesn’t absolve the mugger. Both things can be true at the same time.
Same for leggings and skin baring outfits in general.
It
Control your own outwardly physical behavior, sure.
Control your *thoughts* in contradiction to all of human history’s evolution? Not a chance.
I get the argument, sure.
But men are going to think they’re hot if they’re hot (or not), period and no force on earth is going to stop it. This isn’t rape culture, it’s physiology. You innately decide if you like someone’s looks or not without even thinking about it, same thing.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it, think it’s not fair, or it’s inconvenient. It’s just true.
So when deciding to wear your leggings, or not, take these facts into account.
It’s a question of public decency, nothing more.
“Leggings are not pants” is not meant to be anti-feminist. Leggings, as a fashion item, were never meant to be worn as pants, but as a underpinning to a long blouse or tunic. Fashionably speaking, leggings worn as pants is a big fashion “don’t”. Ironically, women who usually wear this trend as pants, are those who really shouldn’t…again, from a fashionista point of view.
Why not just walk around naked? I mean, men need to control their sexual urges, of course. Just like dogs need to be able to control their urges so we should dangle pieces of meat in their faces.
Yes, I just compared men to dogs. Because some of them ARE like dogs (not all). You’re stupid if you think that men aren’t raping you with their minds when you wear pants that look as if they’re painted on.
There is something called being a TEASE. Don’t tease dogs. And don’t tease men that are like dogs (or are not like dogs but at least struggle with it). My husband was the one to enlighten me on how men think, and I want to HELP the struggling ones by dressing in a modest way.
Wow. “You’re stupid if you think that men aren’t raping you with their minds when you wear pants that look as if they’re painted on.” Maybe you need to find yourself a smarter class of men, as it sounds like you don’t hold the ones you do know in very high regard. It’s not my responsibility to dress for anyone’s lack of restraint; if every man’s a would-be rapist, mental or otherwise, maybe they should check themselves as they’ve got bigger problems than what someone else is wearing.
Sarah – yeah it bothers me that you compared men to dogs and made the specious claim that they can’t hardly control themselves but you compared women to meat. So self-loathing I can’t even – glad your husband was able to enlighten you. Eyeroll.
What kind of world are you living in? For one, re-read what I stated: “Because some of them ARE like dogs (not all).” Notice the, “not all.”
Rapists, perverts, and men who go to strip clubs and the like (yes, all men that go to strip clubs are perverts. ALL), are like dogs. Some of these pervert dogs have more self control than others. These men are real. These men love it when you dress half naked.
Then there are respectable men. Men who admire beauty. Men who have self control. These are not like dogs. However, these same men, because they’re not like dogs, don’t want to see other women that are half naked. These respectable men only want to look at their wife. Respect them and cover yourself within reason.
Don’t be a ho.
“Yes, I just compared men to dogs.”
…and women, to pieces of meat.
“You talk about the “right” to dress “sexy.” And what is sexy? Well, sexual appeal of course. Why are you *trying* to be sexually appealing to someone like my husband? That’s my job. In the bedroom; thank-you very much.”
And what if you didn’t have a dog.. Erm, sorry, husband that you can take for granted?
Would you ever feel like looking appealing to others while searching for a partner?
This isn’t only about you.
It’s about every “me” in the world, and the right to be appealing/sexy, even if the world has people like you or your well-trained, housebroken husband
As a man, a woman who dresses in that way may be more appealing sexually, but That will rule her out as someone I look at, approach, or consider dating. I don’t choose women based on physical appeal, but rather on heart characteristics. I don’t choose to look at or speak to women who are obviously physically putting themselves out there.
Also, what’s wrong with being single and celibate? We can live healthy happy productive lives with fulfilling relationships without making everything about copulation.
As a decent man who has never assaulted anyone, has only loved his wife (at least in real life and not in my mind) and who works with men and women on a daily basis as a registered nurse, and a Christian, let me add my voice to this issue, at the risk of inviting feminist trolls.
If we are looking at Christianity, we must look at the whole Bible. The Bible tells men to not look at women lustfully and women to dress modestly. I think both are important. I don’t have license to look at women, no matter if they are at the beach or if their dresses like nuns. Period. It’s my kind, and I’m responsible for it. And women should be sensible. Should we have laws? No. This is America. Freedom. Freedom with reaponsibility. If I look at a woman, it’s my fault. It’s just a question of ladies, what point are you proving by showing people every part of your body? If you want to do that…ok…I just won’t look I guess, but just know many men will. It’s there fault for looking, sure…but do you really want to do that? It just makes you a target for the wrong kind of guy. It’s not your fault, of course, but it’s the same reason we all wear travel wallets in foreign countries. It’s just smart.
Be smart ladies. All men and all women are fallen and capable of great wickedness. Be smart.
Amen. Well said.
Yes. This whole thing makes me so sad. Let’s rise above this pettiness. As women we need to be bigger than this.
i would accept her argument of just not feeling comfortable wearing them…but bringing religion into it made me lose it. all of the supportive comments because she’s so into her god made me ill. what about all of those women wearing hijabs? they feel they want to do that because of their god, yet all the so-called christians are freaking out about a headscarf (which covers more of the body if they hadn’t noticed).
me? i still believe leggings aren’t pants 🙂 but then again, if you’re going to wear them, no VPL’s people!
pretty soon we’ll be wearing those old timey woollen bathing suits to the beach again to hide our ankles.