Blogger Ignites Controversy by Banning ‘Lustful’ Leggings from Her Wardrobe
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Whether as a fashion statement or just for pure comfort, Rihanna, Olivia Wilde and others are on the list of the many women who wear leggings as pants. But now, one woman in Oregon is taking a stand against the hip-hugging garments, claiming leggings inspire lust.
“Women today wearing leggings often can cause men to think of them sexually or lust after them,” Veronica Partridge said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Leggings have recently become more popular for women to wear as pants, according to Business Insider retail editor Ashley Lutz.
“It’s huge in retail right now,” she said on GMA. “You have it being acceptable for the first time in history for women to wear leggings wherever they want.”
Veronica has vowed to stop wearing the so-called “ath-leisure” trend in public, a proclamation inspired by her husband Dale Partridge’s opinion. He told her it’s hard not to look at women wearing leggings.
“I just truly wanted to be honest and say I know men talk about it all the time,” Dale said on GMA. “I know how men think. It’s a man’s responsibility, we get that, but at the end of the day, it’s not a bad thing that a woman is supporting us in not looking at them that way.”
Veronica blogged about her decision, writing, “If it is difficult for my husband to keep his eyes focused ahead, then how much more difficult could it be for a man that may not have the same self-control?”
Veronica’s blog post went viral, getting more than 30,000 Facebook shares and sparking comments such as, “Not wearing leggings is not a magic bullet that will stop men from looking…”
Others, though, agree with Veronica. A Huffington Post article on the issue asked men what they think, and some responses were “I personally think it’s hot,” and, “I won’t take you seriously as a person.”
Despite the firestorm on social media, Veronica said she’s not trying to start a movement and was just sharing her story on how the skin-tight pants are too snug for her comfort.
“I cannot control how a man thinks of me,” she said. “But I don’t want to encourage or entice those thoughts.”
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