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I hate leggings.
When speaking to a male friend recently, he asked me what colour leggings I wore to a party. I dropped the phone. When I picked it up again, I calmly told him, ‘I wore purple tights…’ And then screeched, ‘Not leggings!’
‘But what’s the difference?’ he asked.
That’s the problem. People today don’t know the difference between tights, leggings, stockings, and in extreme cases, pants. Undergarments have become outer garments. Stockings have become tights, which have become leggings, which thanks to Lindsay Lohan and American Apparel, have become perfectly acceptable as pants.
Just to clarify, stockings are the lowest elements of the undergarment food chain, usually made out of flimsy cotton or silk and used purely to keep legs from being bare. Then there are tights, usually opaque, which are worn for a more fashionable look with dresses. Lastly, there are leggings, which are the thickest of the three and are generally stop at the ankles. They are meant to be worn for comfort, perfect for expectant mothers, rambunctious 12-year-olds, or extras in Olivia Newton-John’s Let’s Get Physical video.
Leggings are the epitome of lazy dressing. Would you stop at your bra before you left the house? No. So why stop at other undergarments? Comfort is not a valid excuse; sweatpants, bathrobes and Crocs are comfortable, but would you wear them to a party? Leggings are inappropriate in any setting. They’re not thin enough to wear under dresses and not thick enough to wear as pants. Girls in leggings are not cool; they are the frontrunners in the evolving fashion-forgetting structure. Who cares about tailored trousers or cigarette pants? Throw on leggings, boots, and voila, it’s an ‘outfit’.
I told a friend six months ago, upon seeing a girl in thin tights and a barely-there sweater, that I could see the progression now: pants become leggings, which become tights, which morph into stockings, and finally garter belts and panties with shirts.
I’ve since seen a girl in opaque stockings and a t-shirt. I just shook my head. We all know what’s next.
Text © Eboni McGriff.
5:16 pm on March 20th, 2009
chill.
11:15 pm on April 2nd, 2009
get over yourself, i was one of the forerunners of legging-wearing in my school, everyone had something bad to say about it. the following year they were all in them. go figure. they’re not undergarments, undergarments generally don’t cover that much flesh, and also, they are not a substitute for panties. i wouldn’t stop at my bra because that covers hardly any of my torso, whilst leggings cover my entire leg.
the only people who shouldn’t wear them are boys and fat girls.
6:20 pm on April 8th, 2009
I COMPLETELY agree with the article. In some cases leggings can be cute, but from observation I think some girls/women are taking the legging situation to an extreme. Lately leggings are getting more and more sheer and the tops they are being paired with are getting smaller…in which case you have girls walking around with their butts exposed WTF! To make matters worse since they are stretchy and somewhat comfortable it seems that bigger girls are the ones doing this. We can see EVERYTHING! Didn’t you look at yourself in the mirror before you stepped out of the house? Forget a panty line…if I can see what color and style underwear you are wearing that’s just downright inappropriate.
6:42 am on April 22nd, 2009
Leggings, tights and stockings are not a substitute for pants. Yes, it is lazy, in my opinion. Some people may say “Oh, its so hot outside..”, or “These are so comfortable.” Who cares…have some more dignity and self pride. Layering is one thing, but when you only wear ONE layer, it really isn’t layering
Wearing them around the house is one thing, or maybe to sleep in, such as lounge wear or pajamas. Wearing them out while meeting with friends or going to school is another. I wouldn’t let my daughter wear leggings/tights and a t-shirt to school. Parents shouldn’t buy them just because they are cheaper.
11:58 pm on May 14th, 2009
i think girls look sexy in leggings and a shirt, especially curvy girls (think: jessica biel or beyonce) with sexy full legs
6:32 pm on May 17th, 2009
well thats lame.
people can wear what they want, and just because its not what you like, doesn’t mean its wrong!
leggings are meant to be worn normally. get over yourself if you’re this obsessed with people who you think dress badly.
8:30 pm on July 11th, 2009
i agree. i think leggings are horrible and the woman who wear them have no fashion sense. one of the worse fashions ever and just cos a lot of woman like them, doesn’t mean i have too!!!!
9:03 pm on August 15th, 2009
I agree with what you said about some people wearing stockings and leggings incorrectly is disturbing for me personally xD
But I disagree with it being a fashion faux pas. If you think about it leggings are kinda like the good ol’ traditional jeans. There are different types of leggings with different shines/zippers/etc and different tights with lace/color/etc.
I do feel like it is somewhat becoming a uniform for some college and high school students. But again you can say the same for jeans the past decades.
Another thing just because you know the name of what your wearing does not mean you are or know how to wear it the right way. And similarly, just because someone does not know the name does not mean they do not know how to wear it right.
I kinda felt like this article had an inconsistency. You say that everyone dresses the same and it sounds like you are favor creativity and uniqueness. But I do not know if you have even considered people wearing it differently as another way of trying to be unique —not my kind of unique but unique nonetheless :] haha. Also the article sounds more like a rant than anything. Sorry.
12:38 am on September 7th, 2009
Oh my God! I thought I was the only one who thought leggings (especially the disturbingly sheer versions of today) are just a bad souvenir from the 1980s; the worst fashion decades of them all. Lately, I’ve been questioning my hatred of them because they seem to have inched themselves onto runways (like Max Azria) but I agree that it has a lot to do with the fabric, your body shape and what you pair it with. Basically, it just goes back to the person wearing them. Any female with a thread of self-respect and dignity left will not wear leggings that are as sheer as tights with a short t-shirt. That’s just slutty and disrespectful. It’s not because you want to show your a” (no matter how fabulous it is!) that everyone else wants to see it. If you want to wear leggings, stick to the fashion basics: buy a good quality pair and PLEASE wear a longer shirt on top…We don’t want to see the junk in your trunk! Be classy for God’s sake! THAT never goes out of style:)
5:13 am on September 25th, 2009
I came here looking for a definition of the difference, have seen conflicting ones. I already agreed with Rossella’s definitions.
A few years ago I saw a college student wearing full-length thermal underpants with a skirt with a deep split — hence I could see the underpants. Did not look like a choice that could ever become a trend!
I think I still have a pair of heavy footless “tights” — which are probably heavy enough to wear with decent-length skirt. And golden Lurex — right in fashion
So many buildings are too warm for a person to wear winter-weight clothing — all my sweaters are just lying there in drawers — dresser drawers, that is.
1:23 am on October 6th, 2009
I don’t really have a problem with forgetting fashion…