By Samantha Davis
Are leggings actually appropriate to wear in public? Are they appropriate for running errands or just running at the gym? What if you wear leggings under a long top? Or under a coat? If men stare lustfully at my body, is that my problem? Is it a woman’s responsibility to dress in a way that prevents men from staring?
The rise of leggings as casual wear likely parallels our crazed weekend schedules. With running from the drugstore, to picking up groceries, to dropping off the kids, to social responsibilities…who has time to think about a “real outfit” when we can just throw on leggings and go?
Well Christian blogger Veronica Partridge shared her personal decision in her post “Why I Chose to No Longer Wear Leggings” …and it went viral. The post garnered a whopping 89,000 shares on Facebook and a feature on Good Morning America. Praise, comments, and criticism streamed in.
After talking to friends about leggings and if they cause men to think lustfully about women, Partridge spoke to her husband about the issue. She writes that her husband answered honestly saying, “Yeah, when I walk into a place and there are women wearing yoga pants everywhere, it’s hard not to look.”
Partridge attests, “If it is difficult for my husband who loves, honors, and respects me to keep his eyes focused ahead, then how much more difficult could it be for a man that may not have the same self-control?”
The blogger further explains her decision stating, “…I made a personal vow to myself and to my husband. I will no longer wear thin, form-fitting yoga pants or leggings in public. The only time I feel (for myself) it is acceptable to wear them, is if I am in the comfort of my own home or if I am wearing a shirt long enough to cover my rear end. I also want to set the best example of how to dress for my daughter. I want her to know, her value is not in the way her body looks or how she dresses, but in the character and personality God has given her.”
The comments received by the blogger garnered praise and criticism, but Partridge boldly states at the beginning of her article that she does not intend to direct women in how they should dress or not dress.
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Blogger Stops Wearing Leggings to Avoid Tempting Men