Leggings. Yoga pants. Why are these the most hotly controversial items in a woman's closet? Beats the hell out of me. First, our own blogger opened up the debate with an seemingly innocent post, and now, Veronica Partridge's vow to "no longer wear leggings” in public has gone viral, with the blogger defending her stance on Good Morning America.
In Partridge's (Christian) view, the thin, form-fitting pants invite men to look at a woman's body and to "think lustful thoughts." A view that was echoed by her own husband Dale, who admitted he finds it hard not to look at a woman in leggings.
"After talking to Dale, it hit me a lot harder,"
wrote Partridge. "If it is difficult for my husband who loves, honors, and respects me to keep his eyes focused ahead, then how much more difficult could it be for a man that may not have the same self-control? Sure, if a man wants to look, they are going to look, but why entice them? Is it possible that the thin, form-fitting yoga pants or leggings could make a married (or single) man look at a woman in a way he should only look at his wife?"
She then vowed to restrict her leggings and yoga pant wearing to the home, or to situations where they're paired with a shirt long enough to cover her back side. Of course this is her prerogative, and at least she's not pretending to tell other women how to dress.
"I also want to set the best example of how to dress for my daughter," added Partridge. "I want her to know, her value is not in the way her body looks or how she dresses, but in the character and personality God has given her."
And this is where Partridge falls down. If she wants to teach her daughter to value herself for the person she is—and I applaud her for that—then (pardon my French) she's going about it ass over tit. What she is doing is effectively passing on the message that she, her daughter, and women at large are responsible for the thoughts and feelings of men at large who, by her account, were born without a scrap self-control. Poor things.
For the record, men can choose to focus their eyeballs wherever they like. If they look, that's their shout. If they look away, equally their call.
No one is responsible for another person's thoughts and actions.
I once knew a woman so controlled by her partner that he had to vet anything she purchased—shoes, dresses, etc—before she could keep them. Needless to say, she made a lot of trips to the returns counter. The only thing sadder than him dictating how she dressed was the fact that she let him.
Brace Yourself: Meggings Are Here
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