Leggings as pants and who should/can wear them...

It was brought to my attention that someone was commenting about my leggings and my friend who is a consultant for LulaRoe and sells leggings.  They didn't have a problem with them per se - just didn't think they were appropriate to wear out of the house.  More like pajamas.  My friend also had someone comment on her sale posts about how she hated the look of leggings and would never wear them.  (And since that time has fallen in love with them and purchased from her, FTW) Then the other day I had someone tell me that "big" people shouldn't wear leggings.  Okay.  So here's my humble opinion and if you don't like it, then I'm okay with that too.  Feel free to click away.

#1 - Yep, I've said it in the past and I'll say it again, leggings are not pants.  But I use them as pants.  Especially when I work out.  So I'm a big fat hypocrite.  Mostly I have a problem with my daughters wearing leggings as pants and showing body parts to teenage boys that should be left to said boys' imaginations.  Nobody wants to look at my old parts and I want to be comfortable when I'm working out.  When I wear them out and about I tend to wear tunics, long sweaters, long sweatshirts, etc... over them.  I'm 40 not 14, and I most certainly don't have that body any more.  I wish I had the confidence to wear leggings with shorter clothes on tops as true "pants".  I do not.

#2 - Okay.  This next part is hard to write so I'm doing a lot of deep breathing and pausing here.  Sorry if it gets disjointed, but I think people need to hear this.  I have been in two relationships where I was teased about my weight.  Maybe "tease" isn't quite the right term.  One of them referred to my body as "repulsive".  I was told I should get plastic surgery.  I was told I was fat.  Made jokes about fat people and shopping at Mason City Tent and Awning, etc...  I got VERY self conscious.  I wore big baggy clothes, stopped wearing makeup, kind of gave up on my hair, etc...  Even though I work out, there are areas of my body that will never look like they did when I was younger.  I had two kids and, I'm not gonna lie, I gained a TON of weight with both.  And for a while I allowed myself to be heavier than I can even imagine today.  I had zero self respect.  Zero.  I work my ass off (literally) to try to be a respectable weight.  I never imagined I could wear the tighter fitting clothes I wear today out in public.  But my friend got me started with leggings and they make me feel pretty.  And comfy.  And I'm not going back.  I'm going to assume the people that comment on how I look are just not happy with themselves like I was so unhappy with myself. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and I'm not going to judge you.  I'm actually going to pray that you find the peace I have found with how my body looks and can feel happy with yourself.  Hopefully you will pay that forward the next time you feel the urge to judge someone else.

#3 - I regret not telling this directly to the person who commented on "big" people wearing leggings.  But we need to stop.  We need to stop worrying about what others are wearing no matter what the heck size they are.  There are enough people tearing us down, including ourselves in our own heads.   We need to stand up for each other, support each other and build each other up.  If wearing leggings makes you feel comfortable and pretty then I say go for it.  If wearing a pair of dress pants and 14 layers makes you feel comfortable and pretty, more power to you.  I don't care if you're a size 2 or a size 32, wear what makes you feel confident, comfortable and pretty.  And rock it.  If you want my honest opinion, as long as modesty is play, I could give a crap less what you wear.  But I have found I am far more likely to notice and comment "cute leggings" now that I have a love of them myself.  I probably won't comment "cute khakis" - but they are probably very nice!

#4 - I love LulaRoe.  I also buy leggings from Walmart, Shopko and even Goodwill.  I am not and will never be a clothes snob.  I can't afford it.  My primary place to shop is used or "previously owned".  I'm okay with that and I'm okay with that fact that you may not be.  You're entitled to your own opinion, but you don't get to judge my friends and I, and I will tell you that next time.  I am super proud of my friend that is a LuLaRoe consultant.  She's changing people's lives.  If you would have told me that leggings and clothes could change someone's life, I would have laughed at you.  But I've seen it and I've lived it.  That's what I think Lula is about, inspiring people to be confident, comfortable (both in their clothes and in their own skin) and supporting each other as we break out of our comfy shells!  If you don't want to try, believe me I understand.  But please don't judge those of us who do.  

So to close, I'm going to answer my title "Leggings as pants and who should/can wear them", the answer is anyone and everyone who wants to.  And we should all be okay with that.