Leggings as Pants - In School

[MamaMootz]

Just read this article on MSN:
http://moms.today.com/_news/2012/11/19/15282497-leggings-as-pants-cover-your-butts-one-principal-tells-girls?lite=

Was wondering what the EH consensus was on this.

I think that people today are more focused on dressing for comfort and not so much for etiquette's sake. Gone are the days of suits, changing for dinner, and wearing gloves. However, I agree with the school principal in this case. Clothes are more revealing these days and people want to wear what they want to wear, but they need to keep it appropriate in a school setting and if the clothes show too much, then they need a dress code. And they need to follow it. I can be hard on my DD when it comes to this, but I still let her march to the beat of her own fashion drummer.

Thoughts?

[Harriet Jones]

Leggings are already banned at our middle school. They're considered undergarments, and no exposed undergarments are allowed.  Even if the girl is already fairly well covered.

[hyzenthlay]

I agree with the teachers, it simply isn't that significant a distraction.

[ClaireC79]

I don't have a problem with school kids (or middle aged people ie me) wearing leggings - but they should be with a long enough top or skirt or dress that they come below your bum - it drives my 12 year old nuts that I make her either change her top or add a skirt with most of her outfits (uniform for school so not an issue for then)

[Sharnita]

Wearing them as instead of tights with a dress - OK.

Wearing them with a shirt instead of pants - not OK.

[dawbs]

The fact that the school is obsessing over how young women dress, but only  as it affects the young men sits wrong with me.

[yokozbornak]

Wearing them as instead of tights with a dress - OK.

Wearing them with a shirt instead of pants - not OK.

Exactly!  My oldest DD's elementary school's dress code pretty much states the above. My daughter is a 1st grader so leggings are wonderful when she wants to wear a dress because she can play freely on the playground. 

What's worse is seeing adult women wearing leggings as pants.  Many pairs are just too transparent.  I own a pair that is completely opaque, but I wear it with a sweater dress that hits slightly above the knee.  There is no way I would wear them as pants!

[BabyMama]

This is my biggest pet peeve. I've had MANY a talk with DH about how leggings are NOT pants, and that DD needs to have a tunic or skirt over them. And my DD is only 5! Nothing makes me more crazy than seeing revealing panty lines--on a toddler, no less. And I saw a lot of that this weekend when I took DD to the zoo.

[HermioneGranger]

Wearing them as instead of tights with a dress - OK.

Wearing them with a shirt instead of pants - not OK.

I agree.  School is supposed to prepare you for the real world.  Well, in the real world, you can't always dress as you please. 

[cicero]

Wearing them as instead of tights with a dress - OK.

Wearing them with a shirt instead of pants - not OK.

I agree - i think wearing them with a dress/tunic/long shirt is fine.

Wearing them *as* pants - to me it looks like you forgot to wear a skirt.

[Hmmmmm]

Wearing them as instead of tights with a dress - OK.

Wearing them with a shirt instead of pants - not OK.

I agree.  School is supposed to prepare you for the real world.  Well, in the real world, you can't always dress as you please.

POD to this.

My kid's HS has a policy stating that leggings can not be worn unless with a top that hits at least mid-thigh. 

I don't see the policy as sexist at all.  The boys at their HS also have specific dress codes they have to adhere to.

What I used to really hope for was a policy of "no-cleavage" at school and in the office.  I really miss the days when cleavage was not seen until after 5 unless you were at the beach or by a pool.  But I'm in such the minority on this topic I know there is no hope.

[LadyL]

The fact that the school is obsessing over how young women dress, but only  as it affects the young men sits wrong with me.

This always bothers me too. I would prefer the lesson be on appropriate dress *in general* out of respect for the formality of the environment. School is casual, but not to the point where I think garments like pj pants or leggings are appropriate. PJ pants are at least more modest though so I think they get more of a pass - too casual and too immodest in the case of leggings seems like a reasonable line to draw for me.

[audrey1962]

My boss wears leggings and a shirt. It makes her look very unprofessional, which I've overheard others saying as well. No one says anything to her though as it's not our business. Her boss rarely sees her as they work on separate floors.

[Sharnita]

I think there is an assumption that this is about the girls. I doubt boys are exempt from the leggings rule - it is just not a fashion choice they tend to make. The school probably has a rule about sagging pants that applies to everyone but practically only tends to impact boys.

[rashea]

I agree with dawbs that they are framing the issue wrong. But, I also hate seeing these things being worn as pants with nothing else, at least at anything other than a club.