The Yoga Pants trend

[Deafjeff]

I've seen several of these threads in my time here and it seems they turn nasty quickly.

It is my dearest wish that this thread not turn nasty or bad in any way. I merely hoped to express my opinion on certain clothing types and their levels of appropriatness in certain envronments, while trying to be respectful of everyones right to dress as they like and I was hoping it might generate discussion here on the Lounge. I sincerely hope no one thinks it was my intention to trash talk or turn up my nose at anyone else for what they wear and I hope talk here remains as cordial as it is in most other threads I have been priveleged enough to be a part of while here. Just wanted to clarify this. But the discussion seems to be going fairly well anyway so please continue my fellow Loungemates

 

[LizzieMaine]

I was just a bit concerned with how casual everything seems to have become lately, to the point that people are wearing stuff that I think many would consider not really appropriate for certain settings.

To get back to this original point, of course there are clothing items that are not appropriate for certain settings, and to argue otherwise is to deny a fundamental reality. If I needed a lawyer and I walked into an office and saw the receptionist lounging around in a t-shirt and yoga pants, would I think "Hey, this is a professional, well-run office and obviously I should trust them with my confidential matters?" A lawyer who allowed such slackness in his or her office is likely to be slack in other things, and that's not someone I'm going to trust. Nor would I be too interested in receiving an exam from a doctor in sweats -- obviously such a doctor is more interested in getting to the gym than in taking care of patients. And I wouldn't think much of a schoolteacher who showed up for class dressed like a skateboard punk. Authority figures need to dress the part, or they lose a great deal of their authority.

 

[sheeplady]

The only time I care about yoga pants is when my students are doing their final business presentations. They are not allowed to wear t-shirts, sweatshirts, gym clothes, sneakers, flip flops, ball caps, or jeans. Anything other than that I consider pretty much "very business casual" and appropriate to wear. If a student approached me and honestly said they couldn't afford a pair of dress shoes or a pair of pants, I'd be totally sympathetic and waive my requirements. But I've never had that happen.

Other than that, flip flop and yoga pants wear it up. Really couldn't bother me less.

 

[Undertow]

Out of all the smiley icons, there's not a single one shaking a fist at yoga pants. So for your viewing pleasure, please direct your attention to...*drum roll*

:brick:

 

[Flicka]

To get back to this original point, of course there are clothing items that are not appropriate for certain settings, and to argue otherwise is to deny a fundamental reality. If I needed a lawyer and I walked into an office and saw the receptionist lounging around in a t-shirt and yoga pants, would I think "Hey, this is a professional, well-run office and obviously I should trust them with my confidential matters?" A lawyer who allowed such slackness in his or her office is likely to be slack in other things, and that's not someone I'm going to trust. Nor would I be too interested in receiving an exam from a doctor in sweats -- obviously such a doctor is more interested in getting to the gym than in taking care of patients. And I wouldn't think much of a schoolteacher who showed up for class dressed like a skateboard punk. Authority figures need to dress the part, or they lose a great deal of their authority.

I'm briefly going to be serious: Here no doctor would ever appear to a patient without a white coat (or rather, white 'scrubs'). My sister (who's just finishing med school) saw a British reality show with doctors in and she was just apalled at the - in her mind - inappropriateness of them wearing 'ordinary clothes.' 'So unhygienic! And how is the patient supposed to feel when that guy looks like he just waltzed in from the street?' But in Britain nobody seemed to bat an eyelid. Don't know how they'd reacted to say a guy in tight-fitting lycra though.... What I mean is that what may seem right may vary, but the general idea that some things belong in certain places and others don't is pretty pervasive.

We actually discussed this in depth during my course in anthropology and religion - the idea of cleanliness and sacredness in most religions rely on ideas of appropriateness. Like one anthropologist said, we wouldn't store our flatware in our underwear drawer no matter how clean our clothes are - it's just the wrong place. And in a court of law, for example, we need to dress up the situation with a little 'sacredness' or it would just be an ordinary room. So I would say that appropriateness matters very much to the human mind.

While I'm in my serious mood, I am also going to admit I get ticked off when men talk about the way women dress as if the women are somehow responsible for taking responsibility for men's reactions (like looking) because men themselves are somehow unable to. So I thought I'd sort of tongue in cheek would point out that we too 'see' things but we don't think that means you should wear drop crotch pants. Because that would take all the fun out of my day!

...and there went my serious mood!

 

[nihil]

Interesting how we all complain about the judgment and "looks" we get for wearing vintage, yet we have no problem judging what others wear.

Wise words.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It may just be a generational thing, but if ever I see a man in tight-fitting lycra he'd better be a competitive skiier, one of the Flying Karamazovs, a premier danseuse, or Batman. Otherwise I'm going to just hang my head and sigh.

 

[Flicka]

It may just be a generational thing, but if ever I see a man in tight-fitting lycra he'd better be a competitive skiier, one of the Flying Kamarazovs, a premiere danseuse, or Batman. Otherwise I'm going to just hang my head and sigh.

Or Spiderman... Otherwise I agree.

 

[reetpleat]

I agree completly with what has been said so far. You can dress like a million bucks or like a hobo but its certainly who you are that should be judged the most. Wether your a good person or not matters more. I was just a bit concerned with how casual everything seems to have become lately, to the point that people are wearing stuff that I think many would consider not really appropriate for certain settings. People not knowing this or just plain not caring about it is in my opinion a bit sad. Just wanted to tell you fine gents and ladies that.

It has been my understanding that college girls have been wearing sweat pants to class for 20 years, and pajamas in the last 10, so I can't help but see this as an improvement.

 

[reetpleat]

I couldn't possibly care less what individuals do as long as they stay off my lawn while doing it. I do, however, care very much about *why* individuals do what they do -- what it is about the culture that motivates them to make the choices they do, and what the larger impact of those choices might be. Anyone ought to wonder about those things -- if we're truly as independent as we like to think we are, we ought to be asking ourselves those questions about everything we see and experience.

I see your point, but there is still an assumption that FLers way, or doing things the way they were done in the past is superior to the reason and way things are done now by "modern" people. If they don't like their lifestyle, they can change. if they do, I don't feel I have much to say against it..

 

[reetpleat]

To get back to this original point, of course there are clothing items that are not appropriate for certain settings, and to argue otherwise is to deny a fundamental reality. If I needed a lawyer and I walked into an office and saw the receptionist lounging around in a t-shirt and yoga pants, would I think "Hey, this is a professional, well-run office and obviously I should trust them with my confidential matters?" A lawyer who allowed such slackness in his or her office is likely to be slack in other things, and that's not someone I'm going to trust. Nor would I be too interested in receiving an exam from a doctor in sweats -- obviously such a doctor is more interested in getting to the gym than in taking care of patients. And I wouldn't think much of a schoolteacher who showed up for class dressed like a skateboard punk. Authority figures need to dress the part, or they lose a great deal of their authority.

I wouldn't want to be a teacher showing up at a high school in a tie and 3 piece suit. It would take a lot of work to gain the studen't trust. And yes, you must hve some trust and rapport to expect to teach them much. here in Seattle, we are pretty casual. Many professionals wear nice jeans, polo shirts, fleece, etc.

 

[LizzieMaine]

But on the other hand, a teacher who presents himself as a peer and a pal isn't going to get anywhere either. A teacher *isn't* a peer or a pal, a teacher is a teacher. An authority figure -- and undermining that authority for the sake of rapport isn't going to win real respect. More likely, the kids will suss out the situation and walk all over such a teacher.

All my teachers dressed professionally -- suits and ties for the men, appropriate business wear for the women. I don't recall that this made learning any more difficult.

 

[scottyrocks]

It's different today, and the more inner-big city you go, the more different it is. You also have to be comfortable in what you wear. I could get away with a casual dress shirt, sport jacket, slacks and no tie and be fine. Adding the tie could work, but may be too much. On the other hand, I would never dress like my kids. I'd feel ridiculous, and the kids would look at me like, 'Does he really think he's one of us?' on a number of levels. In fact, I would never wear what kids wear today. I think it looks ridiculous but I would never say it out loud to them. It's not my place and it's in bad taste to criticize, especially when it's not asked for and serves no real purpose. Live and let live. And if I was asked what I thought, I would say something like, 'It's not my style,' not, 'It's bad, or, 'I hate it.'

Male teachers wear I teach don't go any further than a dress shirt, sweater and slacks. Jeans are often worn.

 

[scottyrocks]

To get back to this original point, of course there are clothing items that are not appropriate for certain settings, and to argue otherwise is to deny a fundamental reality. If I needed a lawyer and I walked into an office and saw the receptionist lounging around in a t-shirt and yoga pants, would I think "Hey, this is a professional, well-run office and obviously I should trust them with my confidential matters?" A lawyer who allowed such slackness in his or her office is likely to be slack in other things, and that's not someone I'm going to trust. Nor would I be too interested in receiving an exam from a doctor in sweats -- obviously such a doctor is more interested in getting to the gym than in taking care of patients. And I wouldn't think much of a schoolteacher who showed up for class dressed like a skateboard punk. Authority figures need to dress the part, or they lose a great deal of their authority.

There's a big difference between a law office and Wal-Mart. In fact, I would bet it's safe to say that not a whole lot of lawyers frequent Wal-Mart, regardless of what they may be wearing. Just kinda pulling your leg there a little (I know there's no yoga pants).

 

[LizzieMaine]

I see your point, but there is still an assumption that FLers way, or doing things the way they were done in the past is superior to the reason and way things are done now by "modern" people. If they don't like their lifestyle, they can change. if they do, I don't feel I have much to say against it..

It boils down to a question of worldview, really. There are plenty of people around today who can't wait to tell us how superior so-called Modern/post-sixties Culture is to anything that preceded it, and it's only natural, especially here, that there are going to be those of us who strongly dispute that. What moderns might call "open and casual" many of us here consider "hopelessly chaotic." And what moderns would dismiss as "buttoned-up and repressed" many of us here would consider "well-disciplined." There's never going to be an agreement among us on these points, and therefore there will always be discussions like this one. We don't dispute that there's been a mass casualization of culture. But many of us believe that this has not been a good thing.

 

[LizzieMaine]

There's a big difference between a law office and Wal-Mart. In fact, I would bet it's safe to say that not a whole lot of lawyers frequent Wal-Mart, regardless of what they may be wearing. Just kinda pulling your leg there a little (I know there's no yoga pants).

You'd be surprised --in my town, we have no other local store for department-store type stuff, and the nearest mall is fifty miles away. I regularly run into the local movers-and-shakers at Wal Mart. You deal with the Devil or you don't deal at all.

Getting back to the main point, though, recall that the original poster wasn't necessarily criticising yoga pants at Wal Mart. He was suggesting that there were places where it's not appropriate to wear such garments. I'd suggest a law office is certainly one example of such.

As for me, I'm rarely offended by what I see people wearing at Wal Mart. I'm too busy being offended by the worthless Chinese rubbish on the shelves.

 

[Son_of_Atropos]

A couple things.

First, a few folks in this thread believe the following: A person can wear whatever he or she wants. However, no one can draw any conclusions about that other person's dress or appearance. Furthermore, the person that makes the conclusions is viewed as doing something wrong or bad. The these folks I ask, "When did judgment and criticism become bad things?" Criticism does not necessarily include malicious intent or harm. Saying, that color doesn't work for him is considered abhorrent?

Does the "do what you want" attitude apply to all walks of life? Can I tell the bank, I'll make my loan payments when I feel like it? If a person has a messy home, is he not a lazy, slob?

Second, I find it ironic that people embrace the "do what you want" attitude when that sort of attitude has led to the "relaxed" clothing atmosphere we are currently in.

By the way, based on my comments, you cannot make any conclusions or draw any preconceived notions about me, Son_of_Atropos.

 

[Flicka]

The primary conclusion one can draw about a person who dresses in a way one doesn't like, is that he/she is dressed in a way I don't like.

However, we mustn't forget that clothes are very much part of our social persona. We signal status, which groups we identify etc with our clothes. And that helps us navigate in a society where we meet so many new people that we need to use - to a certain degree - that sort of subtle signals. So yes, we draw conclusions about people based on clothes - we should because people are using clothes to send out signals. But that sort of very quick assessment should never replace our duty to look at people as individuals and realuse that we are not entitled to cast people with certain personal qualities because if what, say, socio-economical group we think they belong to.

But I think Lizzie's point is an important one: clothes is one of our ways of signalling social roles and some people shouldn't appear as persons primarily but as the parts they play. So when I presided over a case, my personal tastes or opinions weren't meant to shine through. I wasn't there as ME, I was there as a judge. And then the clothes I wore mattered because they were part of the structure of the trial. Same with teachers, policemen, nurses and doctors. So in those situations there is more to dressing than aesthetic preferences.

But when people go to Walmart or the beach or out to party, then it's fair game to say that they look like idiots and Uggs are the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled, because clearly we all have those opinions. If some dresses ugly it's fair to draw the conclusion that he/she dresses ugly. However, I do think we should be very careful before we draw very far-reaching conclusions about a persons moral and personal qualities on their trousers. Stick to their behaviour instead fir those things.

 

[herringbonekid]

Haha, that's so true! And somehow the people who tend to wear that sort of outfit is always the ones for whom the fashion was most notably not created.

oh, i've seen many perfectly shaped young ladies walking around in 'yoga pants' (which basically resemble opaque tights) that leave little to the imagination. should be a cause for celebration from a male perspective right ? if you're a male with no imagination maybe. to me the whole 'style' just seems like such a desperate lunge at sexiness. if you have a really nice bum be a bit more modest about it please. i don't wish to study every facet of it while i'm on the way to the supermarket.

 

[Edward]

oh, i've seen many perfectly shaped young ladies walking around in 'yoga pants' (which basically resemble opaque tights) that leave little to the imagination. should be a cause for celebration from a male perspective right ? if you're a male with no imagination maybe. to me the whole 'style' just seems like such a desperate lunge at sexiness. if you have a really nice bum be a bit more modest about it please. i don't wish to study every facet of it while i'm on the way to the supermarket.

I posted about this last night, but it seems not to have registered for some reason. Very often in this last couple of years I have seen young ladies in London wearing leggings which probably look solid black when not being worn, but once donned lave nothing to the imagination. It wouldn't be the first time that I had looked up from my book at the wwrong moment as the tube pulled into or out of a stop, only to be confronted with the sight of a young lady walking past with her knickers basically on full display. I can only make one of two assumptions in such circumstances: either she forgot to put her skirt on once tights had been donned, or she hasn't realised just how much is visible through them.