Recently, a friend of mine who is a popular voice in the mom-hood on social media posted a meme she created in which she jokingly pointed at women who wear jeans instead of yoga pants and wrote, “explain yourselves.” Ok, I thought, challenge accepted.
I hate yoga pants. There, I said it.
I would never, ever shame another woman for wearing them (or anything else for that matter) and if I’m being totally honest, I actually think yoga pants look fabulous on other women than they do on me but I still don’t like them. They look and feel like pajamas or workout wear, which is exactly how I treat them. For me, personally, yoga pants make me feel like I look exposed, unprofessional, and like I don’t give a shit about how I dress.
I wear jeans – or (gasp!) skirts and dresses every day because they make me feel good. Taking an extra minute to dress myself in a way that I think is nice is a small piece of my own self-care that I use to get through a tough day. And that is no different than the reasons why my friends who swear by yoga pants wear them – because having comfort in their day is part of their self-care. I totally get it.
Yoga pants have become a ubiquitous wardrobe essential for moms everywhere for obvious reasons. They really do hug the body in flattering ways that can help moms (myself included) feel less self-conscious about our post-partum bodies. And the fabric used to make them is usually soft and flexible in a way that makes them feel like a natural extension of our own skin. For those reasons, I totally understand the craze and I that’s why I wear them at home.
But you know what else is super comfortable? Jeans.
There is something rock and roll about wearing a pair of old jeans that makes me feel a little tiny bit like my old pre-baby self. I can match them with funky sweaters, concert tees, dressy blouses, heels or flats, it doesn’t matter. Jeans can be just as cozy as yoga pants especially those worn pairs that fit like a glove and hug in all the right places.
But more than how they look they make me feel put-together, which is a huge feat as a mom of little ones. On the days that I wear yoga pants, I feel like I gave up. Sure, I’m comfortable as hell but I would feel like everyone is staring at me if I left the house wearing them. I’ll take my boot cut dark blues over what feels like feetless tights any day of the week.
In a sea of stretchy, seasonably patterned yoga pants, my jeans may stand out but I’m no less comfortable than my Lycra-clad mom squad.
