Queen Media Collective

In 2016, I have gone back and forth with people about the same topic: women wearing leggings as pants.

First of all, let me start by explaining that I am a girly girl, but I like to be comfortable. I wear makeup, dresses and jewelry on certain occasions, but most of the time I like to dress for comfort. My least favorite thing to wear is jeans. Jeans are SO uncomfortable to me and I can not stand them! So in my down time, I like to wear yoga pants and leggings. If I am going shopping or going to get food or something, there is no way I am going to be wearing some uncomfortable jeans.

Although some women may wear leggings for attention, I really do wear them for comfort. It bothers me when people say things like “women wear leggings to get attention and show off their shapes.” I think it is messed up for women to be judged when their legs are completely covered up. For example, a lot of girls wear leggings to parties with a nice top. Jeans are uncomfortable to dance in and you have to worry about skirts and dresses rising up so aren’t leggings a nice medium? They are light and still stylish.

One of my previous jobs I started off wearing jeans to work every day. However, I noticed that the other women there would wear leggings and yoga pants so I decided to follow suite. Why be uncomfortable if I don’t have to be?

As soon as I started wearing leggings I noticed guys around my job were looking at me more. It was a little uncomfortable, but I didn’t care. They could look all they wanted, as long as they didn’t touch me. So a couple months pass and then I find out from an anonymous source that my boss was worried about me and called me a “walking sexual harassment case” because of how I dressed. When I found this out I was sooo upset and disgusted! The other women at my job were wearing leggings and yoga pants just like I was, but it wasn’t an issue, because they weren’t as thick as me or as young as me. I couldn’t understand how an article of clothing suddenly transformed me into a walking sexual harassment case. I didn’t flirt with anyone at my job, and I barely interacted with anyone at work unless it was work related so for him to say this behind my back I was appalled.  Men cant control themselves and suddenly that’s my problem? I was really pissed, but my source told me this in confidence, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

A month after I heard this news, my other boss approached me and told me that I wasn’t following the dress code. I asked him how and he said my leggings and yoga pants. I told him that the dress code says nothing about leggings and he responded to me saying “We don’t need to see all of that jigglin’”. I stared at him in awe and then he laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. Of course I brought up how the skinnier women at work wore leggings and no one complained, but that was ignored. After this convo I was going to go to HR, but I just did nothing. I did nothing, because I was scared of what would happen. I didn’t want to create awkwardness in my workplace. However, if I could go back I would do it all differently. Now the next women who work at this place will have to deal with this type of treatment which is NOT okay. After that 2^nd incident, I went back to solely wearing jeans just because I was sick of this being such a hot topic. Meanwhile, the other women continued to wear their leggings faithfully. This bothered me every day.

The last convo I had about leggings was with a man. He told me “I see you wore leggings, because you wanted your shape to be seen, you aint slick.” It irritated me so much, because I genuinely wore them, because we were going to be hanging out in a closed environment and I wanted that comfortability. When will women stop being objectified? I refuse to wrap myself up in turtle necks and jeans, because men can’t stop objectifying us. It isn’t fair. Men wear joggers and basketball shorts to be comfortable and no one says anything. Well I see yoga pants and leggings as our equivalent. We could wear basketball shorts and sweats, but leggings and yoga pants are easier to stylize.

Multiple people have reposted memes or statuses that contain the message “ladies, please stop wearing leggings as pants”. However, I feel like it depends on how they are worn and what type of leggings they are. The leggings that are see through and thin, yes ladies need to stop wearing them. They look extremely ratchet and trashy. The other problem is leggings that don’t fit probably. If your stomach is bulging out over the top that’s not okay. Please get a bigger size legging and pull it over your stomach. No shade, but women need to know that it is 2017 and the ratchet legging look has to go. However! If you get some leggings that are made of thick material, do not show your panties and you can fit them, I am all for it. I do not feel like wearing leggings as pants is asking to be sexualized. Period point blank.

In 2017 I vow to speak my mind in situations such as these. I am sick of objectification and I will do all I can to stop it.  I will start demanding the respect I deserve as opposed to being the passive woman I have been my entire life. It’s time for change.