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Legging Bonfire

So 2020

By Christa LeighPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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When a colleague gives you socks with his face on them, you make plans to wear them the same day.

Can we puh-lease make a huge pile of Spanx and Lululemon?

I realize this sentiment might culminate with my name on some kind of list as domestic terrorist, but hear me out.

As a business owner and former corporate survivalist, I’ll admit that the first two or three months of freedom from heels and a bra were COVID’s bright shining silver lining. I can remember the last day I spent in the office; how I came home and kicked off my heels in normal fashion, allowing my feet to kiss the refreshingly cold tile, feeling the familiar relaxing of my calves into the evening as I poured the obligatory glass of red wine.

Like everyone else, I figured this would last a few weeks. When they shut our office down and we all went in search of business on Zoom, I played the game. Nice shirt, makeup done, looking at least alive amid the stress of our collective situation. But the botttom half...

I used to only own leggings for running. Having moved to the Windy City a few years ago, I got used to the idea of wearing leggings as part of an ensemble in the winter- I found I could turn my office staples into trendy Midwest winter gear by layering and adding boots. So when this all started, I had a few go-to pairs of the garment so many of us have come to love as a second skin. As the dust settled on my work wardrobe and my less-than-sensible collection of three-inch heels faded into the dark corners of my closet, I found myself addicted.

I ordered Spanx. All of them. I ordered fleece-lined could-be-pamaja leggings. I bought the softest, most comfortable leggings ever made at a boutique, to, you know, support small business in the week after Thanksgiving.

Do you remember when jeans used to be casual and comfortable? I don’t even know where my jeans are. Leggings have become my uniform, my go-to, my COVID security blanket...

You might be thinking, “If you love them so much, why would you want to send this trend the way of the dodo bird?”

Here’s why.

We all needed a break. It was good to see Carson Daly with a mop top and Savannah Guthrie looking like her electricity went out with COVID. The subtle reminders that we are all dealing with the same thing created a unity that made everyone seem more human. And it was nice.

But the comfort came with it’s own price- the more I felt I had been given permission to dress just this side of homeless, the harder it became for me to keep a routine. When the routine finally crumbled into dust and everyone in my house was surviving on DoorDash and in danger of contracting scurvy from binge-watching Breaking Bad in the basement, I realized something would eventually have to be done.

As our state eases up on lockdown, one of the things I am honestly looking forward to is the simple mental connections that get made when we get up, dress up, and show up. With zero offense to stay-at-home-moms who were rocking the legging trend far before it was trendy, I have lost some sense of self in all this. If I had been a stay-at-him-mom, I would have also had to find a way to want to dress for the job, to intentionally not be lazy with my appearance. I’m confident I would have done that just fine IN leggings, as many of the moms I know do. They’re the real heroes here, the pioneers of pulling off comfort and style and still getting it done every day. My leggings made me lazy. They excused me from things like putting on makeup and wearing a bra. They made me happily invisible... And it is for that reason- for me at least- that I’d like to see the end of the trend.

women
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About the Creator

Christa Leigh

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