Yoga Pants

Well, I did it!

I wore my yoga pants out in public, not just to run into the grocery store. I wore them to music class with the girls and shopping for several hours. Yes, it bothered me. I had pulled my hair into a pony tail and dressed to exercise. Then, my friend was coming over for coffee. She would be leaving in time for me to go to music. The problem is that music started an hour before I remembered. When I realized this, I had to immediately run out of the house. Abigail had already missed once because I had the time written down wrong.

When I got to music, a lady introduced herself to me like she had never met me. (Our kids had been in the same class for at least four weeks.) This lady didn't recognize that she had seen me out of ten other moms and I had personally talked with her child. That'll do something for a person's self-esteem, won't it? The only thing I could think was that she couldn't recognize me because I had on yoga pants.

There isn't anything sinful about yoga pants/exercise pants/sweatpants. I had just made the personal decision not to wear them in public. In my mind, it says several things about myself.

For me, wearing yoga pants in public says that I don't care what I look like, that I am going to be comfortable. Yoga pants are very comfortable, well, unless I pass by a mirror. Yoga pants also tell me where my exercising and eating has gone wrong.

I am also very sensitive to older ladies' opinions of me. Many older ladies that I respect would never wear "lounging" clothes in public. These are the same ladies who wouldn't wear pants to church or to the doctor 's office or on an airplane, etc.  I know there aren't many of these ladies around, but in my mind, if I ran into them at Kroger, I would be embarrassed.

There has come a time in our society that personal comfort should have top priority over everything. Just because you can wear something doesn't mean you should. Wearing what's appropriate for the occasion is important. Our society's sense of propriety is gone.

When I hear my own mother comment on the first lady's sleeveless dress as inappropriate, I am shamed. I have no problem wearing sleeveless. But I am also reminded that that bothers a generation gone by. Pride in self presentation, respect for elders and propriety are virtues that have seemed to have disappeared.

If I run into you at Kroger and you're wearing your comfiest clothes, I'm not going to reprimand you. I probably won't even notice. I'm a lot harder on myself than you, I promise.

The modesty of yoga pants is a completely separate debate. There is a reason that I am not posting a picture of myself in yoga pants.