Warning!!!!! I am wearing leggings.
Recently I read a blog post written by a woman about why she decided to give up wearing leggings or yoga pants. You can read her post here. While I respect this woman's right to her opinion and her decisions, I find the whole idea that I might be responsible for the lustful thoughts of men insulting to women in general while giving guys an excuse for bad behavior. Why aren't men responsible for their own lustful thoughts? Don't they have any control over them? Is it true what they say about why men name their penises? Answer: "So they aren't led around their entire life by someone they don't know?" What if my wearing sandals or shoes with toe cleavage incites these same feelings in men with feet fetishes?
I think men are better than this. Yes, women also have lustful thoughts...even us women of a certain age and back in the "old days" it was never proper to admit to this. When I see men wearing kilts, I, well, let's just say luckily I have control over those thoughts and my actions. I think their legs look so nice and there is a rumor about what they don't wear beneath their kilts. It's not so much that I want to look under the kilt but more would like to just touch those nice calf muscles. But, I can't imagine a guy ever deciding not to wear a kilt or never go without a shirt in fear that it might incite lustful thoughts in women. Maybe it is assumed we don't have these thoughts or just understood that we use our lustful thoughts responsibly.
I am a baby boomer and in my 60's. I am not perfect by any means and most parts of me have aged as they should. I don't usually wear leggings mostly cause I am a jeans and t-shirt sort of girl. Over my growing up years, I often fell victim of thinking I should dress differently than I do. I tried different things but always came back to what made me feel like me. I gave up shoes with heels and pointy toes and accepted my life of T.J. Maxx and Eddie Bauer.
I have noticed as I grow older, there is even more judgement about what a woman should or should not wear after the arbitrary age of 50. No skinny jeans, short skirts, and no sleeveless tops? That is bullshit. We can wear whatever we want and whatever we feel good in. Wearing confidence is probably much more lust inciting than wearing any specific type of clothing.
Today I put on a pair of leggings, nice, warm, non see through ones with undies under them that do not show my lines of demarcation. I asked my husband if they incited lustful feelings in him. Luckily for him, he said "yes". Despite what Veronica Partridge thinks, I feel that most men aren't creeps that need to be protected from their own lustful thoughts. I tend to think better of the opposite sex. Most of them, anyway.
I have nice legs partly cause I come from a long line of women with great legs but mostly cause I run and do yoga. Yeah there's a little abdominal overhang (what I fearfully label the dreaded apron) but I earned that and have three beautiful children to show for it. If I have the dreaded twinkling camel toe, it is covered up by my longer shirt. So is my once perfect ass. I will apologize (and will secretly be pleased) in advance if my wearing of leggings causes any lustful feelings - in men or women :).
So no matter what your age or body type, wear what makes you feel good about yourself and what is comfortable and what is you. Don't wear what someone tells you is "appropriate for your age". Age is just a number. And don't be held hostage by the fear that you will be responsible for someones lustful thoughts.
I think men are better than this. Yes, women also have lustful thoughts...even us women of a certain age and back in the "old days" it was never proper to admit to this. When I see men wearing kilts, I, well, let's just say luckily I have control over those thoughts and my actions. I think their legs look so nice and there is a rumor about what they don't wear beneath their kilts. It's not so much that I want to look under the kilt but more would like to just touch those nice calf muscles. But, I can't imagine a guy ever deciding not to wear a kilt or never go without a shirt in fear that it might incite lustful thoughts in women. Maybe it is assumed we don't have these thoughts or just understood that we use our lustful thoughts responsibly.
I am a baby boomer and in my 60's. I am not perfect by any means and most parts of me have aged as they should. I don't usually wear leggings mostly cause I am a jeans and t-shirt sort of girl. Over my growing up years, I often fell victim of thinking I should dress differently than I do. I tried different things but always came back to what made me feel like me. I gave up shoes with heels and pointy toes and accepted my life of T.J. Maxx and Eddie Bauer.
I have noticed as I grow older, there is even more judgement about what a woman should or should not wear after the arbitrary age of 50. No skinny jeans, short skirts, and no sleeveless tops? That is bullshit. We can wear whatever we want and whatever we feel good in. Wearing confidence is probably much more lust inciting than wearing any specific type of clothing.
Today I put on a pair of leggings, nice, warm, non see through ones with undies under them that do not show my lines of demarcation. I asked my husband if they incited lustful feelings in him. Luckily for him, he said "yes". Despite what Veronica Partridge thinks, I feel that most men aren't creeps that need to be protected from their own lustful thoughts. I tend to think better of the opposite sex. Most of them, anyway.
I have nice legs partly cause I come from a long line of women with great legs but mostly cause I run and do yoga. Yeah there's a little abdominal overhang (what I fearfully label the dreaded apron) but I earned that and have three beautiful children to show for it. If I have the dreaded twinkling camel toe, it is covered up by my longer shirt. So is my once perfect ass. I will apologize (and will secretly be pleased) in advance if my wearing of leggings causes any lustful feelings - in men or women :).
So no matter what your age or body type, wear what makes you feel good about yourself and what is comfortable and what is you. Don't wear what someone tells you is "appropriate for your age". Age is just a number. And don't be held hostage by the fear that you will be responsible for someones lustful thoughts.
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