I won’t wear leggings in public Elizabeth Fritz
the choices as endless as the prices are shockingly variable.
Gone, too, are the days of wearing a simple black pair – leggings have since been injected with a serious dose of funk, with the likes of cut-outs, mesh, lace, fish scales, leather trapping and more.
Take those from Melbourne textile designer Captain Robbo. These self-styled ‘‘Adventure Pants’’ are hand-printed, with designs ranging from clouds to foliage and old maps.
Wolford boutiques sell leggings, too, made of velvet. The company’s website calls them ‘‘easygoing, sexy looking’’, ‘‘a useful and sophisticated essential for the entire year’’. And this is true; women do wear them all year long – to the gym, the supermarket, the park, to cafes, on planes and to the movies.
You can sleep in them, too. Some leggings even promise to give you that pert butt-lift look, but mostly they just promise to make you look ‘‘sexy and shapely’’. Well, I’m not so sure about that.
As mentioned, the price range is staggering. You can order a red stretch-satin pair by Balenciaga at Net-a-Porter for $2980.
There are a lot of leggings on Net-a-Porter, and quite a lot of them do look very sophisticated. And who doesn’t want an instant butt lift?
So, why have I never worn leggings in public?
Well, maybe realism and honesty have something to do with it. I know that some women, in the right conditions, look bloody amazing in leggings – there are thousands of pictures on Pinterest to prove it. But I also know that the vast majority of women aren’t like that – and that I’m one of them. So stepping out in what is essentially a second skin doesn’t get me all excited – and certainly doesn’t make me feel confident.
I know that leggings share a lot of information because I see that information all the time. No wonder one male wrote that he enjoys them because they don’t leave much to the imagination.
Leggings routinely reveal the wearer’s choice of underwear, which is often a G-string (a classic pairing, you could say).
But do we really want to broadcast this sort of information any more than we want to draw attention to our flabby bottoms, muffin tops, massive thighs, rolypoly bellies, big bottoms or rippling cellulite? Are they really the best choice?
Leggings draw the eye. I know this because they draw mine, every time. I challenge you not to look at a woman in leggings – it’s impossible.
When I’m dressed in something too revealing, or uncomfortable, I look and feel uncomfortable. And that’s how leggings make me feel.
They may be versatile, affordable and convenient, but they’re not flattering.
For me, leggings diminish my power and my confidence. So while I love the funky designs, colours and patterns, they are simply not for me.