I have seen this trend explode recently. The video might be poking fun of it, but it’s so true. Activewear is everywhere. It’s almost like it has become it’s own genre of clothing. There’s black tie, business, casual and now, activewear.
I admit it, it looks quite comfortable, but I just can’t get on board with this trend. For the record, I may be the last person on the planet not to own a pair of spandex or yoga pants. Not one. I think I’d feel like I was wearing my pajamas out around town.
So now I have to know, are you guilty of wearing activewear everywhere?
~Mavis
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Tracey says
Guilty as charged 😉 I adult so much better in yoga pants lol.
Chaucea says
A comment made years ago still holds true…
“Spandex is a privilege, not a right.”
Many, many people out there wearing ‘activewear’ need to heed this advice. 😉
There’s definitely an absurdly-high ‘revealing’ nature to some activeware that folks need to consider before trotting about in public–then again, that might be the exact point as to why they’re wearing it, too. 😉
Louise says
I do have some cotton, close-fitting black leggings. I wear them under tunics or long tops. Never, ever, is my behind exposed on those pants.
Elizabeth in Upstate NY says
I’m with you, Mavis, don’t own and will never own active wear. Jeans is as far as I will go. Need those pockets and belt loops.
That said, I watch the school kids walk home and am appalled at what is acceptable in the middle and high schools these days. Don’t they have mirrors that show them what they are really revealing? And keeping knees together is a long lost skill.
Teresa says
Oh!!! I agree with Elizabeth. The hi-schoolers! It wouldn’t be so bad if they had clothes that fit (not just active wear) so many of them wear a couple of sizes too small. I don’t care what size you are… WEAR CLOTHES THAT FIT! I don’t need to see anyone’s tummy, butt crack or other unmentionable places. I do own a few stretchy items that I wear only at home NEVER in public.
Catherine in MI says
I’m all about it. I wear yoga style pants 5 days out of the week. They are comfortable and allow me to move easily (I haul a disabled son around, including lifting him in and out of a van and all transitions). I always joke that yoga pants are to me what elastic ankle sweatpants were to my mom. Some day, I will look back at pictures and laugh, I’m sure.
I would rather go about my day comfortably and have people think I’m sloppy than spend the day hiking up jeans and rearranging my top while people think I look put together.
Yay activewear!
Butterflyweed says
Count me in for wearing yoga/workout pants most days. I’m wearing them right now and they RULE! I work from home and if I have a meeting or something, of course I wear something nicer. I do wear heavier weight ones-not the super revealing, thin Lulu Lemon ones. I think they look pretty good on most gals as long as they wear long enough tops.
Henrietta says
This video was hilarious! Yes, I do wear active wear, but only when I’m actually being active 😉
Tammy says
“Doing literally nothing in my active wear”….bwahaha….too funny.
I know people who must only have active wear in their closets. I don’t get it…and they aren’t very “active” either. I don’t think it is fooling anyone? LOL
Ashley says
I wear active wear for being active, plus lazy pants during the day once every few weeks (if I’m not leaving the house). I need to put jeans on to accomplish things, otherwise I have problems getting motivated. I don’t think other people look weird wearing active wear out and about (most seem to wear neutral stuff), but I totally feel like I’m in pj’s and am embarrassed to walk to the mailbox wearing lazy pants (yoga pants).
Kimberly says
The ONLY time I ever wear my “active wear” is when I’m at the gym-headed to the gym or home from the gym! Although I will stop at the grocery store on the way to the gym to buy something we absolutely have to have (like milk, eggs, etc.) only because it is easier to stop in the store when I don’t have three kids under age 5 with me!
Crystal says
I love leggings. They are comfortable in the summer in the heat, without the potential for either flipping up or having chafing of the thighs like you get wearing a skirt or sun dress. If I am not actively working out in my leggings, though, I tend to wear a skirt or work-out skort over them. But, my view is that I have a right to wear pretty much whatever I want as an adult, so long as it doesn’t break any laws. I am not going into public to be a pretty ornament for other people’s day, I am going in public to do things I need or want to do, and I will wear what I find comfortable to do so. Other people don’t have to like my leggings, as long as I like them.
Monica says
Guilty! Love wearing active wear!
Jenny says
I wear active wear (yoga pants or shorts, t-shirt and athletic-wear zipper jacket) around the house most days. I wear them for cleaning, or doing projects around the house, doing yard work, or other “get dirty” jobs. It’s much more comfortable than jeans, and I can bend, stretch and generally do what I need to do without worrying about messing up my real clothes. I will go to the grocery store or Home Depot in these clothes without hesitation. It’s not about pretending I’m a gym-goer or something. It’s about being able to do what I need to do without feeling constricted. I do wear “real” clothes if I’m leaving the house for more than just a trip to the grocery store. But for me, getting my stuff done in comfort is much more important than being dressed in “real” clothes to suit someone else’s idea of correctness.
Marcia says
It depends. I have a job, so I wear jeans.
On the weekend, I wear activewear – shorts, workout pants, etc. – generally to work out in, and also to lounge in.
I don’t go “out” in it too often, because I like having pockets.
Ellen C. says
I started wearing active wear this summer because I am so tired of sweating in my bra and good tops. Jeans also work up sweat and I got fed up with it. I wear capri leggings topped with long breezy tops or a sports dress. Yoga pants are another go to item – much lighter than jeans. When the weather changes for the better then I’ll put those jeans on and wear a bra again. I am totally fed up with sweating when I haven’t even moved! And I’m also tired of people body shaming others when they are just trying to be comfortable.
Michelle says
I don’t wear activewear as a daily outfit (I will wear workout clothes when I’m on the treadmill and then change after I shower). For some reason, I just don’t feel ready for the day unless I’m dressed in clothes that are not activewear or nightclothes. Maybe I’m old fashioned but I associate activewear with working out and I just feel better and more prepared for whatever life throws at me when I feel presentable 🙂 It’s not that I’m concerned with how people think I look, but how I personally feel when dressed and ready for the day. Does this make sense? I wish I were more articulate – lol!
Tamara says
You DO make sense and I am right there with you! While I don’t think we have to use the same standards our moms and grandmothers did in the 50s (no slacks when going to town!), we should have some respect for ourselves and consideration of others when in public. I know if my pants were down below my rear and my underwear only covered by my tee shirt you all would be appalled, and rightly so! Also, I find when I am dressed for the day I just get more done and am not embarrassed if someone comes to the door.
Tina says
I recently purchased my first batch of active wear for that very reason, to be active. I started walking several months ago and found it to difficult to walk three miles in denim Capris or denim shorts. Sweat pants are to heavy to be comfortable. So, I broke down and bought on clearance with coupon compression leggings and they have made being active more comfortable. I don’t go to the grocery store in them unless I’m stopping on my way from a walk, I personally don’t want my rolls seen more than need be!
Katie W says
I love looking “cute” because it makes me feel good, but dang it if those clothes aren’t uncomfortable to me. I hate pants and usually only wear jeans when it’s cold. I much prefer dresses, but casual dresses that aren’t too short or revealing or don’t require some special bra aren’t easy to find. So, on the weekends, I can usually be found in athletic shorts and a t-shirt. When it’s cold, I’m totally in sweatpants. I can’t wear my bright sweatpants out in public though, as I feel I’m in my pj’s. I do go to the gym, so my “activewear” is definitely used. But I like being comfortable and fitting “cute” clothes and tight yoga pants and tank tops do not fall in that category.
Also, leggings are not pants! Haha, sorry, pet peeve. If you aren’t wearing them under a dress, or a shirt long enough to be a dress, then you need something else.
Pam says
I’m with you. I could not leave my house in active wear ( if I owned any, which I don’t)I wouldn’t feel dressed.
Diane says
I own 1 pair of yoga pants and only wear them at home occasionally. I don’t work out but they are comfy lol. I have a big problem with the fact that it is now acceptable to wear yoga pants everywhere. Since when did it become okay to wear leggings as pants?! When did that happen? I even saw a young girl the other day working in a store wearing them…. so unprofessional. I guess I have turned into a crabby old lady (I am only 28 lol)
Katie W says
This crabby old 26-year-old is right there with ya! lol
Lissa says
I wear activewear to work out (clearance at Target thank you very much– no $100 gym pants for me). Sometimes, when I have a crazy day, I have my activewear still on (post workout) LONG after it is appropriate to do so. Since I look like a sweaty mess in said activewear, I’m certainly not wearing it to impress anyone– it’s clear I’ve worn the clothes for a reason. It’s also clear I’m not on my game enough to take a shower and get dressed (eeuwwww). I stayed with a friend recently (whom I adore) and she wore workout clothes every day all day. She didn’t work out once– we were too busy having fun. I have to tell you, it was pretty strange watching her put on workout gear as “clothes”. Oh well, C’est la vie!
Lauralli says
You need to watch Jen Hatmaker’s video about leggings (and also “workout” pants) to know where I stand! So, so true…..no matter the age! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O47HASywXnU
Stacey says
Weekends are all about comfort, so I am only found in my sweats no matter where I go. I don’t mind people wearing activewear. It actually makes me happy because I know they’re comfortable, too! I’m one of the most practical people on the planet, and it doesn’t make sense to me to dress up to go grocery shopping. Sometimes I wish people had better taste then to wear leggings that are meant for wearing underneath longer shirts or dresses, but overall I’m fine with the new trend.
Kim Lee says
I am older and also overweight but I still wear what I want. I do not wear yoga pants to work but evenings and weekends it is all about comfy stretchy pants! I go to the grocery store in my ( not too tight) black yoga pants and so what? Doing literally nothing in my cite wear? My favorite! Around the house and out walking active wear makes it easier to move and be active.
Maxine says
I think the term “activewear” covers more than skin tight spandex. My “bum around the house” clothes are drawstring waist velour sweat pants with a tank top in the summer and a hoodie sweatshirt in the winter. My sweat pants aren’t skin tight but they also aren’t appropriate for me to wear out in public. I’m old school. My mother taught me to always wear clean undies in case I’m in an accident and never wear anything in public that I’d be embarrassed to run into my husband’s boss in. Two good rules that I’ve lived by and work well for me.