It’s no secret that yoga pants have evolved to the point that they’re not just for yoga anymore, as the popular active wear has become synonymous with grocery shopping, Starbucks runs, child-wrangling, and everything else in between. But not everyone is a fan of yoga pants. Every now and then someone will go viral for ranting on the internet about how “leggings aren’t pants,” and one high school even felt the need to ban yoga pants because of boys getting distraction boners.
Last week a Rhode Island man joined the ranks of anti-yoga pants crusaders with a scotching hot take to the Barrington Times, East Bay Rhode Island’s local news source. In a letter to the editor, Alan Sorrentino wrote that the popularity of yoga pants outside of the yoga studio are “the absolute worst thing to ever happen in women fashion.” As an actual woman, I can think of a few notable exceptions that are worse than yoga pants, but that’s besides the point. But that was just the start of Sorrentino’s rant, and it only went downhill from there.
Not since the mini-skirt has there been something worn by so many women who should never have it on in the first place.
From casual to formal, weddings, funerals, shopping, and even for the workplace, yoga pants are everywhere on women of all ages, usually paired with a blousy top and a pony tail hairdo. What a disaster!
Like the mini-skirt, yoga pants can be adorable on children and young women who have the benefit of nature’s blessing of youth. However, on mature, adult women there is something bizarre and disturbing about the appearance they make in public. Maybe it’s the unforgiving perspective they provide, inappropriate for general consumption, TMI, or the spector of someone coping poorly with their weight or advancing age that makes yoga pants so weird in public.
A nice pair of tailored slacks, jeans, or anything else would be better than those stinky, tacky, ridiculous looking yoga pants. They do nothing to compliment a women over 20 years old. In fact, the look is bad. Do yourself a favor, grow up and stop wearing them in public.
Besides, why would you want to wear something that’s seen on dozens of other women every day, everywhere? I thought women didn’t like doing that for obvious reasons. Yoga pants belong in the yoga studio. What’s next? Wearing a “Speedo” to the supermarket? Imagine if men did that. Yuck!
To all yoga pant wearers, I struggle with my own physicality as I age. I don’t want to struggle with yours.
Sorrentino’s letter is problematic for a number of reasons. First of all, I have never seen a woman wear yoga pants to a wedding or a funeral. Secondly, I don’t know what’s worse, the claim that women should basically be put out to pasture after the age of 20 or that mini-skirts are “adorable” on children. Dafuq?
Not surprisingly, many women took umbrage with the letter, and as a result, about 300 women held a “yoga pants parade” in Barrington on Sunday as a show of solidarity that woman have a god given right to be comfortable while running errands. The event was popularized with the hashtag #yogapantsparade as many posted pictures on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL67WH1F2io/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL6x5erA8Wz/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL7TMQ5Bzav/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL7S0qTjWsH/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL7jz-Dhm0B/
The author of the letter later claimed that he received death threats over his opinion, which admittedly is not great either. Beyond throwing a parade, it seems like an “agree to disagree” would be the adequate response here.
(Via BroBible, Boston.com)
