As I sit here musing on some of the content I've just encountered in the Daily in an article entitled, "Why, leggings, why?" do you know what I'm wearing? Go ahead, hazard a guess. They're not pants but right now they're functioning as such. They are lined in fleece. (FLEECE, for god's sake!) It's lovely. They are forgiving and can be pulled on and off with ease — I never have to waste time unbuttoning and zipping. My butt is the size of Jupiter so why not drape it boldly in some tight Spandex? Please look at my childbearing hips. Yes, I am wearing leggings as pants right now. I wore my leggings to CVS today to buy toothpaste. I flaunted my way around the Mayer Campus Center and I think a lot of people could see that I have legs and thighs. I ran into my friend Sadie, and she was wearing leggings as pants too. It warranted a high-five.
What I'm sayin' is, ladies (and gents), all these prescribed definitions of what is and is not attractive … they're so tiring (and sometimes silly, and sometimes mean). Who determines what is and what is not "flattering?"
My most recent favorite look has been pairing long skirts with layers upon layers of enormous sweaters. Quite opposite to the body-hugging leggings look, this cloaks my body in a shroud of cotton and wool — mystery — and allows me to spend the day in a shapeless cocoon. It feels good. And in turn, I feel good. Can we take a moment to re-think the purpose of fashion? Shock of all shocks, what you put on in the morning does — not — have to be chosen with the intent of attracting someone's sexual attention.
So hey, y'all, I urge you to wear whatever you want. What is "in?" What is "trendy?" Why do we care? We need more articles in the Daily championing the diversity of women's bodies, not policing them. Come on, Tufts.
See you in the mom-jeans aisle. Oh, and here's a letter of support from our friends, The Leggings:
Dear Editor,
No longer will we go unheard! What an outrage! On Wednesday in the Daily we have been maligned. We, the leggings of Tufts University, are so much more than pants could ever aspire to be. We are comfortable! We are plain and go with pretty much everything. You can wear us during exercise and you can wear us during sleep. We come in many different colors. Oh, and "flesh-colored" is not a color. You may have meant "beige" or "tan" but there are many colors of flesh besides those. In any case, we do not appreciate the slander of any of our compatriots! We can make you feel great about yourself! We tuck in nicely to your boots! We appreciate your bodies, whatever shape or size they are. We are sorry that some people "feel self-conscious when they wear us to yoga, and couldn't imagine feeling OK with wearing us as fully functional trousers" but other people feel differently! Some people actually prefer us to pants, and we would appreciate your acceptance too.
In a highly scientific survey conducted on Nov. 2, the following Facebook status was "liked" 46 times. This sounds like support to us:
Dear authors of articles about leggings as pants—
1. Stop policing women's bodies. Seriously. Telling other women what to wear is unacceptable and writing things like "no one wants to see that" is hurtful. You're not funny.
2. Assertions like "no one looks good in leggings" are simply incorrect. Your ignorance of how great I look in leggings is really upsetting, as is your prescribed definition of what is attractive.
Sincerely,
I'm being funny, but I'm also not kidding.
As this witty yet poignant Facebook status points out, telling women what to wear or what not to wear is hurtful and tired. Don't you have more important things to do?
Sincerely,
Kathryn Robinson, Sadie Lansdale and The Leggings of Tufts University
