November 27, 2008

two heads are better than one

since we've broached the subject of leggings as pants and whether it's acceptable or not, i figured this would as good a time as any to post this article i wrote for a class. keep in mind it was written for class, so suffice it to say i had to keep it mainstream (ie. no olsen, paris vogue team, or kova & t references)
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Pat Benatar, Edie Sedgwick, Flashdance's Jennifer Beals; all prime examles of women in history who boldly chose to eschew pants in favour of the cotton-spandex multitasker we know as the legging. Leggings made their mainstream debut in the 1980's, adorning the legs of foxy femmes such as Jane Fonda. They were originally considered strictly gywear, to be teamed with legwarmers and one piece leotards, while women stepped and kicked their way to buns of steel. But, over the course of the past decades, leggings that sneakily edged their way out of the realm of workout garb and onto the stems of the everyday woman. One can scarce walk down the street or hallway without being visually assaulted with barrages of stretchy black fabric. I suppose the allure is in part due to their inherent versatility. They come in varying lengths, hems, hues, and materials. While they are most commonly utilized as tights which provide more coverage and paired with short dresses or lengthy tunics; there is a rising epidemic, led by those wnting to push the envelope: leggings as pants. Leggings are the socially acceptable version of pajama pants or sweats, and they are inarguably the most comfortable legwear available. A main reason for their comfort is their second skin silhouette, carefully hugging every - and I mean every - bump and curve. Almost as though you're wearing absolutely nothing. This correlation is presumably where the root of the problem occurs: When is it too much? When have we crossed the line separating public legwear decency and indecency? One can argue that they're simply cotton jeans, and that jeans as tight as leggings certainly exist. Except that cotton is considerably flimsier than denim. This would lead us to believe that the qualm about leggings would not deive from their tissue thin material. Though this would not explain why tops that reveal half of a girl's butt are acceptable, but not the display of her entire backside. Perhaps it's the combination of sprayed on cotton and a protruding posterior that irks people, or perhaps it's just the unwelcome resurrection of an eighties exercise staple that has people in a tizzy. Whatever it may be, it's a guarantee that donning leggings will turn heads. Take it from someone who knows.
x
jessica

6 comments:

Meghan and Lana said...

hahah i lovvve it!!! great collage.
x

Kira Aderne said...

I love them!
Timeless to me :)

a kiss girl!

Irene (capuccinobar) said...

wwooooah, i love them anyway :)


xxx

Sharlo said...

hahaha
cool!!
for what class was this???
I like leggings as pants, as long as the tshirt is long enough. it´s trop compfyyyy <3

Lee Jones said...

i love the leggings : )

young-shields said...

Nic! I do find that its becoming more acceotable to wear leggings as trousers in my town...but showing the crotch is too far for me!

y-s x