Comfort Clothes: Athleisure and Feminism
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“Again with the sweatpants?” my roommate says to her boyfriend as she’s wearing a button down and jeans while he sports a t-shirt, most likely a couple of wears into the week. The boyfriend is not unlike every other college student I see walking down the street. It seems like today’s college students always appear to have just finished working out, are on their way to the gym, or are counting the walk to class as exercise (that might just be me). Being subject to the cruel and unusual punishment of school uniforms my whole life turned me into someone who dresses up anytime the opportunity presents itself. Though I am learning to break that habit, the everyday fashion trends of the past few years have still been disappointing. As I prepared to write a blasphemous hate article on athleisure, the results of my research altered my opinion. While I am not an athleisure enthusiast, I am a feminist, and the link between these movements was surprising to me, as it might be to you.
Image Courtesy: The Jumping Frog
Athletic wear was revolutionized in the 80s when spandex material was discovered and marketed as “lycra.” That’s right, tight-fitting clothes were now in style. Spandex made it possible to make formfitting clothes for cheaper. As Spandex evolved into yoga pants, brands like Lululemon began marketing their product as “the perfect pants” for working women who wanted the convenience of a versatile outfit that you could work out in, but also take to the streets. As Kate Hudson puts it in a 2019 episode of Netflix’s Explained, “It just suits the modern woman.” Historically, form-fitting clothes were deemed scandalous—now moms are wearing them to pick up their kids from school.
According to the founder of Lululemon, Chip Wilson, the word “athleisure” was coined around 2011, and made to fit the ongoing trend of wearing “workout” clothing out in public. My grudge against athleisure comes from the fact that as Americans, though we are wearing more workout clothes than other populations, we are not working out more (according to statistics). However, when I stopped to think about the purpose of these clothes, I was reminded that those who do not participate in gym culture are still active every day. The convenience of this style of clothing is so that we can remain unrestrained and comfortable in our everyday activities, a luxury of lifestyle that had been afforded to men much earlier than women. While I feel no need to hop on a soap box about how pants only became an accepted and marketed form of feminine style (for American women) in the 60s and 70s, it is important to note that we have made significant strides in the 21st century not only in women’s dress but more recently in the nonbinary and unisex world of fashion.
Image Courtesy: MODEDAMOUR
What does this mean for the modern woman and those alike? It means freedom of expression and comfort within the spaces that we occupy. As fashion becomes more diverse and genderfluid, clothes become a powerful statement of acceptance and confidence. It’s now becoming socially acceptable to wear comfortable clothes that suit your body type and personal style while focusing on more important things than your image or the expectations of others. Sometimes a helpful reminder about how far a trend has come can illuminate more appreciation for the clothes that we wear. The great creatives and activists within the fashion industry prove once again that it’s not just about the movement, it’s about the right to move.
Strike Out,
Writer: Paris Feazell
Editor: Blake N. Fiadino
Tallahassee