Leggings Are Not A Crime

Recently, various schools have banned leggings, yoga pants and other tight fitting pants for girls.

Cape Cod Technical High School pushed the ban on leggings through by claiming that the administration was simply preparing students for the workforce by encouraging them to wear more professional attire to school. This is simply a ridiculous reason; it would be a whole other story is all students were required to wear business casual clothing, but this is not the case.

Only girls are subjected and objectified into this category of being nonprofessional while boys are not scolded or punished for wearing unprofessional clothing like sweatpants, tanks, towel shorts, basketball shorts, etc.

Some administrations are still using the absurd reason that girls in tight fitting clothing are “distracting for male students and teachers.” This is simply outrageous; we don’t see boys being punished for wearing tanks that put their distracting arm muscles on display.

In the fashion industry, the lack of appreciation for leggings and yoga pants is understood. They are not the most fashionable articles of clothing and there are plenty of other choices. But, in terms of comfort and individuality, should a girl not be able to choose her own outfit?

Now, we should know when leggings and yoga pants are appropriate and when they are not. If you are interviewing for a supervisory position, it is often not the best idea to wear yoga pants.

If you are going to a social networking event for your job, leggings might not present the best image compared to a more standard business casual outfit. But, if you are going to school or taking a day to relax, only you should be able to dictate whether or not you can wear leggings or yoga pants.

There are more radical movements like Free the Nipple that battle against the sexual objectification of women, but even when the fights might seem small, like the banning of a specific article of clothing, it is imperative to keep the bigger picture in mind. The less we speak up about the unfairness of such regulations and the sexual discrimination that exists in terms of clothing and the anatomical human bodies, the more we allow ourselves to be entangled in these foolish and nonsensical rules and stereotypes.

Also, whether or not something is allowed or whether it is socially acceptable is completely different. It might not be socially acceptable for a male to regularly wear a speedo to school, but it is not widely accepted for a girl to wear a bikini to school either. But, if boys can be comfortable by wearing towel shorts and a tank to school, who is to say that girls can’t wear leggings and a sweatshirt?

For the sake of comfort, let’s lift these ludicrous rules.