When “Project Runway” mentor and career educator Tim Gunn hosted a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, an online Q&A;, two weeks ago, he expressed his sentiment, one that many resonated with, on one piece of clothing.
“On the topic of is it a dress or a top, when did the legging become a pant?” He wrote in response to a question. “When? I want to know when it happened. It’s vulgar. Plain and simple. It’s way too much.”
Soliciting varied responses and garnering more than 2,200 points on Reddit, his question of when leggings had become socially acceptable stuck with me for long after the Q&A; had ended. While I don’t completely agree with his statement, I understand where Gunn was coming from.
As college students, many of us run on only a few hours of sleep during at least at some point in our college careers. It can become a struggle to walk to class, let alone properly dress ourselves. For some women (and men) on campus, this translates into slipping into a pair of comfortable elastic-banded leggings and running off to class. It’s easy, comfortable and at least somewhat more presentable than sweatpants.
The debate on whether leggings are pants or not is definitely not a new one, yet the controversy still exists today. As a skin-tight garment, leggings can be revealing. This is generally where the debate stems from, as whether or not it’s appropriate to wear such a skin-tight piece of clothing without covering one’s bottom is questioned.
Some students think leggings are just not suitable anywhere outside of the comfort of their own homes.
Jonathan Dîrnu, a fifth-year philosophy student, said he doesn’t think leggings are as functional as pants, and serve the same purpose as sweatpants.
“They can be worn at home but it’s just like if I was wearing swim trunks or sweatpants to class. You can do it, but I feel like that’s weird,” he said. “I’m not a fan but I understand why it is a thing.”
As a fashion and style enthusiast, I personally have gone the last couple of years without owning a pair of leggings except for the ones I work out in. Nonetheless, I’m not ashamed to admit that I have worn leggings as pants in the past.
Overall, I just prefer my legs to be covered in thicker fabric than stretchy polyester. Elastic waistbands also terrify me because of my poor eating habits. Like many style choices, it’s a personal preference.
When worn a certain way, that is, when one’s bottom is covered, I understand how leggings as pants are more than appropriate.
Naeha Lakshmanan, a second-year biochemistry student and an avid wearer of leggings, said she wears them for both style and comfort, but primarily for comfort.
“I love them because they’re more comfortable than jeans,” she said. “I wear my leggings with a big shirt or sweatshirt, especially when it’s rainy or midterm or finals. Other leggings that are just black I wear under formal dresses.”
Crystal Boceta, a second-year communication studies student, shared the same perspective. Both students only wear leggings with long tops.
“I wear them on school days when I’m pressed for time and want to be comfortable,” she said. “I’ll wear leggings as pants when I have a cute enough and long enough top and boots that I can dress it up with.”
It’s in this way that my view deviates from Tim Gunn’s view on leggings. In a lot of ways, I see leggings as a replacement for tights. There’s nothing more or less to expose than if you were wearing a pair of over-the-foot tights. If you’re covering a bit more when wearing a pair, especially with longer tops like tunics, there’s no way that the item can really become vulgar.
In the very own words of Gunn himself, you can simply “make it work.”
Do you make leggings work?
