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Leggings. You just shuddered when you read that, didn't you? If you didn't, you're either much younger than I am or you live to emulate celeb fashion trends. All the 'it' girls are sporting them these days, and they show up quite often at Go Fug Yourself. Leggings, in an array of colors and patterns: worn with short shirts, under skirts, under shorts, with tunics, and worst of all...beneath high fashion, elegant gowns. Combined with heels, sandals, sneakers, thigh high boots or Uggs...though I thought for sure we left them in 1986 to die a painful but well deserved death, they're back with a vengeance. Not on THIS body, but seemingly everywhere else. I was curious about how this particular style arose, so I did some research. Here it is...the story of LEGGINGS.

By definition, leggings are any type of fitted clothing used to cover and protect the leg...originally, they were two separate items, one for each. Which makes me think of chaps and then I think of the Village People and I am SO not up for that today...wait, what was I saying? Oh, right. Two separate items of clothing. They've been worn for warmth as well as protection dating all the way back to the 14th century, and since Native Americans wore a form of them I'd imagine even earlier. During the Renaissance period, men wore them and called them 'hose'; Scottish men wore them under kilts (I would imagine their bits would get mighty chilly otherwise, eh?) and called them 'trews'. Even when pants took over, men in cold climates still wore them as a layering device. Women wore them all the way into the 19th century under their skirts, again, as two separate pieces of clothing for each leg.

Most interestingly, leggings have a military history...before combat boots, soldiers relied on a form of leggings made of canvas with a stirrup to keep dirt and rocks out of their shoes and provide ankle support. Though they've been replaced, leggings are still worn for ceremonial purposes. Who knew?

Back in the 1980's, a fitness and aerobic craze (curse you, Jane Fonda!) began and suddenly women all over the world were wearing the modern version as streetwear. For exercise wear, a blend of Nylon and Lycra is commonly used. For streetwear, it's a combo of cotton-Lycra or cotton-polyester-Lycra. The definition has changed to become 'tight, form fitting trousers that extend from the waist to the ankles.' Shouldn't THAT be enough to deter you from ever slipping on a pair???? By the early 1990's, leggings were outselling JEANS. ARGH!

Initially, leggings were all ankle length and evolved to have stirrups...some even had FEET. Since we're at this point in history, I can now share with you my own personal legging experience. I think it was 1984 when I bought my first pair, to correspond with my torn sweatshirt. Yes, I had just seen the movie FLASHDANCE. And I was a MANIAC about fashion, for sure. My first pair was black, and I wore them at least three times a week, with sneakers. As they became more readily available, I branched out and began wearing floral prints with crew neck, oversize sweaters and heels. As my angst adolescent mood grew darker and Madonna came along, I discovered stirrups...with black knee high boots and shirts with tails. I'm not kidding. I have pictures. The allure faded by 1987, and by college they were banished from my closet and replaced with jeans.

Along came the 1990's and In Living Color...and leggings were back again, in a 'short' form. I jumped on the bandwagon and wore these with knee high boots, too, lord help me.

Grunge saved my life and reintroduced me to jeans, thankfully...and I vowed to never wear leggings again. And I haven't. First off, I'm too damn fat to be wearing them without a butt cover. Secondly, my mother in law wears them. I don't EVER want to go there, thank you very much. But I do wonder what she thinks when she turns on the E! Channel and sees Mischa Barton sporting a pair of black capri length leggings, just like hers. And I wonder what Mischa would say if she saw my mother in law...at 68, dressed just like her. Heh heh.