Ah, the age-old question: Do we define leggings as pants? Should they be worn in place of jeans, dress pants, or the more expensive, yet not-as-comfortable, jeggings? Is it socially acceptable to ditch the denim and wear leggings 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year? Do we have to cover our butts when we wear them? Are they only acceptable at the gym or with a sweatshirt?
Short answer: Yes, leggings are pants. You can wear whatever top you want with them, everywhere and every day. Logistically, they are not pants, but they totally are pants. Leggings are that one multi-faceted closet-staple that – especially in college – are acceptable for almost every occasion. Class? Leggings. Gym? Leggings. Out to eat with roommates? Leggings. Library? Leggings. The only time I would not recommend wearing leggings is to a job interview or anything remotely professional, where you may run into prospective employers or important contacts for future networking. But if you are just taking on your daily tasks, it’s leggings all the way.
Leggings have proved to be exponentially versatile. You can dress them up with boots and a cute top or make them casual with sneakers and a sweatshirt. They’re the warm option for air conditioned classrooms, and can be doubled up when it’s -10 degrees outside. Or you can even buy the coveted fleece-lined leggings, with the extra layer of soft fleece to keep you as warm as sweatpants would.
Not to mention that they come in tons of different styles and colors, so you don’t always have to go for classic black. You can get capri, ankle-length or stirrup style. There’s cotton, rayon, jersey-knit, velvet, sweater and so many other fabrics to choose from. Plus, they make leggings in literally every single color. Grey, brown, navy, red, green, pink, etc. Plus, you can find some with cute cut-outs, mesh paneling, embroidery, and patterns. You can get them high-waisted, low-waisted, or with the convenient fold-over option.
Now, this is not to hate on jeans. Even though denim is without a doubt less comfortable than leggings, there are so many cute jeans in the stores now that it is almost impossible not to want, need and buy them. I went through two and a half years in high school were I wore nothing but leggings and did not own one pair of jeans, because I thought they were super uncomfortable and restricting. But I learned investing in pairs of jeans made of good fabric, that have stretch and a little give in them, goes a long way in the comfort department. So live your denim life to the full extent, because you definitely are not cheating on leggings.
They’ll always be the reigning choice of pants.
Cover Image Source: Camille Dipaola