“Why do you wear girl pants?”
It was a question I’d never been asked before and, honestly, didn’t know how to respond to. And, so, I opted for a beet-red face and a sharp shrug.
While initially asked by a sixth grader during my senior year of high school, it’s funny how much that flippant inquiry has stuck with me since; the entire question was grounded in her confusion surrounding my often “overly tight” pants. I, too, was confused — instead by why she found them so odd.
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I’ve always had an eclectic style. Interestingly, though, it took a sixth grader calling me out in the middle of art class to fully understand just how unusual my attire can be.
Seeing that, I now chuckle under my breath when sliding into what’s typically an unbreathable, constraining pair of jeans, khakis or shorts; I somehow manage to find form fitting bottoms of every style, from whatever store and for every season. I could have easily been offended by that uncomfortably public comment, but I found more humor in it than anything — after all, my “girl pants” make me happy and that’s all that matters.
Through realizing my preference for tighter pants, I began noticing that everyone has a unique style of their own — some in subtle, recurring articles they cling to and others in extensive wardrobes of varying colors, patterns and shapes.
We’re quick to judge opposing fashion senses as “odd.” For those more apt to ostentatious attire — from their flamboyant fascinators to their shiny shoes — an eye focused on “sweatpants” seems unimaginable. In fact, wearing them in public might seem downright disrespectful.
For those drawn to lounge wear — whether within or outside the comforting doors of their homes — there appears no need for glitz and gaudiness. In essence, it feels overly showy and generally pretentious.
Often, we make serious, solidified judgements about the estranged faces in our lives almost entirely based off the garb they gravitate towards. At the same time, we’re pleased by the fashions of those like-minded to us because, as humans typically do, we stick with what we know.
When we wake each morning, though, whether male or female, we riffle through our closets looking for what best suits the day’s mood. Further, for the unusual occasions that pop up from time to time, weddings, reunions, presentations and anything calling for attire “out of the norm,” we hold differing outlooks on what’s suitable and what’s just downright bizarre.
There’s one commonality among all of us, though: everyone has their own way of dressing that makes meeting each new day a little easier.
While we’re prone to the easy assumption that we all dress to visually please — hoping each accessory and article make a self-promoting statement — we’re all, instead, driven by a desire for self-comfort.
For some, getting through the day is easier with their hair tied overhead and their sweatpants hanging low — even if that’s not the opinion of Vogue and Elle-following characters.
Likewise, some are motivated by higher fashion — greeting the day with heels as high as the bright, morning sun and dresses as long as their list of to-dos.
My point: we’re all dressing for comfort, just in varying ways. Instead of making harsh judgments on one’s wealth, productivity or social status — simply based off the adornments they cloth themselves in — we ought to start acknowledging that we’re all just looking to dress for our own daily comfort.
For me, that comfort’s found in what some might call unconventionally tight “girl pants.” And it’s likely you have your own version of “girl pants,” too.
This first appeared on: https://thatsuperfluousman.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/sweatpants-or-suits-…