To the author of "Ladies, Nike Shorts and Leggings Are For The Gym, Nowhere Else,"
You're right about one thing in your article, you have a vanity problem. And it sounds like you have a problem with being judgemental, too.
What I decide to wear is frankly none of your business and does not concern you in the slightest. I don't know why you think you have the authority to tell other women how to dress. But I'll tell you right now it isn't, and never will be, your place to do so.
I don't see the point in dressing in damn business attire to go to class or take an exam. If you want to, that's your choice. It isn't my place to tell you how to dress, just like it isn't your place to tell me how to, either. But I'd rather not have to walk 8 miles a day on campus in a pantsuit and shoes that make my feet bleed when I could throw on a pair of leggings and tennis shoes and actually be comfortable.
Your mother telling you "in order to feel successful, you must look successful" is true, but it doesn't have to apply to everything you do in life. Growing up my dad would tell me "not everything is a fashion show." Presentations and job interviews? Yeah, you should probably not wear gym clothes. But just going to class or running to the store? I don't see why I have to dress to the nines everytime I leave the house.
You should take your own advice and "grow up." Stop trying to demean women who just want to be comfortable. Maybe you're okay with wearing "jeans pinching your bloated stomach" every day, but I'm not. My comfort is more important than what other people think of me.
I don't need to look like I'm going down the runway to feel beautiful. I'm as comfortable with myself in leggings as I am in a dress.
It's disgusting trying to shame women based on what they choose to wear. I'm appalled that as a woman you decided it's okay for you to tear down other women for a choice that has nothing to do with you. This behavior is toxic and downright ugly.
I'm a grown ass woman regardless of if I'm wearing sweats or business attire. You don't get to tell me otherwise.
Sincerely,
The girl wearing leggings to class
