Off the wagon for good

For years I have railed against the wearing of leggings in public. I’ve questioned how so many failed to realize the legging is not a pant. I’ve wondered how it became acceptable to wear little more than thick tights outside a dressing room. And I’ve marveled that this fad that I was sure would be a flash in a pan has lasted as long as it has.

But a few years ago, I got a pair of leggings FOR IN-HOME WEAR ONLY, of course. In those years I have loved staying home if only to wear those things. They are so stinkin’ comfortable! As soon as my outside-the-house responsibilities were over, I made a beeline for my bedroom; off went the pants and on came the leggings.

Then, like a wave, LuLaRoe posts flooded my Facebook feed. Grown, adult women started wearing leggings. Like, all the time. These were women wearing the leggings, not just college students who couldn’t be bothered to put on real pants to get to an 8 o’clock class. And they were all coordinated with cute tops and sweaters and boots… I found myself looking longingly at the comfy clothes and finagling a way to get home to put on my leggings.

After all that legging envy, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I finally fell off the anti-legging wagon.

Y’all, I wore leggings outside the house yesterday.

I recently bought what I thought was a shirt but after getting it home, realized it was a shirt dress. It was long enough to cover everything that nobody wants to see. I instantly thought it might – MIGHT – be the kind of thing I could wear with leggings instead of jeans. I put it on once with the leggings but chickened out and put on jeans. But yesterday, I took the plunge. I cannot recall a time I wore a more comfortable outfit.

Now, granted, I only went to a friend’s house (she was also wearing leggings!) and I didn’t go in public places, so I eased myself into the leggings-outside-the-house thing. But I did stop to think, “This is the day I get pulled over and go to jail and I get arraigned and people take pictures and I’m in leggings.”  

I should stop watching all those Law & Order reruns…

Like all who fall from grace, it’s the small steps you don’t notice that lead to the tumble. And for me, the in-home-only leggings was the first step down the slippery slope to full legging acceptance.

If I caved on the legging thing, I’m really worried about other fashion ideas I might change my mind about… white after Labor Day? Mixing prints? Wearing black and brown together? Perish the thought!

But y’all, if I ever cave on socks with sandals, lock me up and throw away the key. Just don’t throw away my leggings. 

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Here's a helpful guide:

It's still a no, but I get it now

Are leggings pants? No, no, a thousand times no.

Leggings are not pants. This is a non-negotiable, much like the no-white after Labor Day rule. Yes, they cover the legs like actual pants, but make no mistake about it: leggings are not pants. Pants have pockets, zippers, belt loops, and unlike leggings, have some extra fabric that allows the curves of your butt and legs to be left to the imagination. And lucky for us, pants are not in short supply; they’re available everywhere at every price-point. But we see people wearing leggings as pants everywhere. It’s an epidemic. And I have been on the front line of legging judgment, shaking my head at the legging-clad people I see all around me, wondering why their moms aren’t telling them the obvious – that leggings are not pants.

But following a stunning moment of clarity, I fear I must now show some mercy to those I’ve judged for wearing leggings. Because I recently bought a pair – to wear around the house! – and I cannot believe how comfy they are. The first time I put them on I contemplated canceling all my plans for the day so I could avoid putting on jeans. In the two weeks since buying them I have worn them at every opportunity, even going so far as wearing them until I had to leave the house and putting them back on as soon I returned home.

I love my leggings! And yet, no matter how comfy-cozy they may be, they are not pants. Perhaps this graphic will help clear up the matter:

Despite my new-found love of leggings, I cannot equate them with pants. But I will certainly be less judgy next time I see someone wearing them in public because I get it now - they ARE comfy! And I’ll probably put mine on as soon as I get home. But as snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug they make me feel, they will never, ever, ever be pants. Ever.

But they will be my favorite article of clothing no one sees.