Who Are You Dressing For? Do You Really Care What They Think of Your Ass In Those Leggings?

Upon reading "Leggings Aren't Pants. They're Superior." by Amanda Hess at Slate.com, I was reminded of three things: (1) I need a new pair of black leggings;
(2) Why don't I have more patterned leggings?

My Current Leggings Wishlist

(3) Someone out there is always going to be critical of what I (and you) wear.

You can't please everyone - so why not wear something that makes you comfortable? As Hess points out, "Leggings aren’t pants... It's time to stop squeezing our lower bodies into constrictive denim prisons and instead envelope them in a forgiving cotton-spandex jersey... Leggings aren’t tights. Right? Tights have exerted their control-tops over our torso-crotch areas for too long... They create itches that cannot be scratched. The discomfort of the toe seam is, frankly, egregious."

However I have to disagree with her about leggings being unfashionable. While it's true that many just throw them on like sweatpants, there are so many designs and fabrics available, and so many tops you can pair them with that's it's hard for me not to think of them as fashion. Exhibit A: these super-stylish bloggers:

Style Me BAD   /   The Glitter Thread   /   Small4Style   /   Tutus & Tiny Hats   /   Style Bizarre

The majority of comments I see and hear against leggings are about the pelvic area - our front and back naughty parts - and how nobody wants to see that. It seems that most of these comments, though, are directed at women (and men) who don't have the ideal small round posterior or flat lower abs. For such a sexualized society, we're very anti-flesh - we seem to prefer less of it - but that's another blog. Think of how many models and thin girls are told they look chic and stylish in their leggings. Once upon a time, they were even called "fashion forward".

But if you don't want to see a jiggly butt sticking out from under an oversized tshirt, you can look away, you can change your line of vision. Neither I nor anyone else have any duty to your eyes, we don't have to dress in a way that makes you (or anyone else) comfortable - just ourselves.

Muscles Leggings   /   Conan Meggings Source

Some people commented that the Muscle Print Leggings were really creepy but what if that's what the girl wanted? She has every right to dress in a way that creeps people out. I'm not a big fan of male anatomy but I wouldn't tell a guy he can't wear "meggings" just because his accentuated package (a la Conan) made me uncomfortable. If he wants to express himself through spandex while emphasizing his jiggly bits, I think it's only fair to point out that women do it all the time with their boobs.

Legging Wishlist Sources:   1   /   2   /   3   /   4

[DAILY OUTFIT] Let March Begin With More Things To Do & Being Slightly Overdressed

I love my black suede trench, makes me feel like an anti-hero in a comic book. After this past (busy) weekend, I'm not sure how long I have to wear it. Texas spring is slowly rolling in like a warm stuffy blanket. This past weekend was also quite busy for me and this month gives no sign of letting up. Friday my friend Yuki had photography showcased at Denton Square Donuts and we went to the reception. Wearing the pictured outfit, I felt a tad overdressed.


Why so Startled?

Saturday and Sunday, we celebrated my sister's 24th birthday. Then this coming week will be our youngest sister's 18th birthday and that's a big one. She wants three new piercings in each ear but I doubt my parents will be happy if I gift her that.

March also marks the beginning of convention season. Alex has been working her ass off to complete the required inventory for two back-to-back anime cons at the end of the month. Her skills in chainmaille have grown tremendously since she started two years ago and her jewelry reflects it. The only glitch right now is how behind I am on her website.



We're wanting to add hairbows with bottlecap details that I will sew and draw before the first convention. However, my mornings are being taken up by what Alex calls an "ongoing, steady gig" a.k.a. a part-time job. Not that freelance design wasn't paying off, but when my old boss called me and offered me my old job back, I became greedy for stability. Six days in and I can't help but wonder if a steady income stream is worth waking up to 30 minutes of traffic and feeling tired all day from lack of sleep. I even forgot to ask for more money.

Good news, though, is that a little extra money means going to go see things like Naked Geek Girls Reading at All-Con on Friday. I was kicking myself for missing Nerdlesque, which included Ms.Pac-Man, Harley Quinn and Marie Curie Gone Wild.


View More Pictures on at Dallas Observer

[GEEK OUT] Come to the Dark Side, We Have a Sense of Style

Predictable as I am, I found myself wanting to cross over to the Darkside after a double-feature weekend. Imwent to see Beautiful Creatures with Alex and her mom on Saturday then Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters on Sunday with my sisters. I'm easy to please when it comes to action and fantasy movies; I loved and recommend both if you haven't seen them yet.

Both movies, though, confirmed that I would be a villain just for the wardrobe. It's a thought I had before as it seems the bad guys have a bigger sense of drama when it comes to getting dressed.



Kendra the Witch in Beastly, for instance, employs volume in different places to seem a little out there. The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Huntsman, on the other hand, uses cold, rigid angles to express her dark dominance. The Darkside always demands a bit of showmanship, such as Ridley's plunging necklines.



Ridley Ridley Duchannes is a Dark Caster and Siren Beautiful Creatures, which means her true nature was bad and she was always meant to be a seductive villain. I think the black lace on sheer does a pretty good job of conveying just that. And while Gretel's outfits were pretty kickass, I couldn't help falling for the evil witches' outfits.



They do, however, have a bit of "Just Walked Out of Hot Topic" mixed with "What Century Are You From?" (which permeated through the movie in general). I couldn't take my eyes off the horned witch in Outfit #3 - I'd like to add a red skirt with a pointed hem in the middle to my closet.

Images via Hollywood Movie Costumes, IMDB, Fanpop and Fiercekrieg.com.

[STREET SNAP] Girls On Two Seperate Ends of the (DFW) World

I stepped out of the house this weekend for a little fun. Friday, I went to UNT's presentation of the Vagina Monologues, which is becoming tradition with my friends. It's an emotional rollercoaster but incredibly empowering. My favorite is still My Short Skirt, which inspired a blog last year. This year they added Eve Ensler's open letter to Todd Akin about his comment, "If it’s legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down..."

On our way up to the Student Union's Lyceum, I spotted the co-ed on the left who seemed surprised that I asked for her picture. I love the tights and high-heel sandals look. On Saturday, I stopped by Charming Charlies in Arlington to check out the 50% Off Clearance Items thing I received in my inbox. It was pretty picked over but I liked the store associate's dress and boot combo on the right.

[GEEK OUT] DC (Comics) Fashion Week ~ Superhero Style That Could Save Wardrobes

Drawn by artist Katrina Navarro about a year ago, these amazing designs recently popped up on The Mary Sue. I love how much detail she put into the designs, taking into account details from the character's original costume. I also enjoy that the designs are NOT costumes, but made up of pieces that you can buy a regular clothing stores - which is exactly what Navarro wanted:

"As you can tell, I love comics and superheroes. At the same time I also love fashion. I thought wouldn't it be great if I could go out dressed up like a Superhero but in a not so obvious way where people would ask me: Why are you wearing a cape? What’s the the mask?"

Black Canary / Raven / Green Arrow

Robin / Supergirl / Wonderwoman

These six are my favorites but you can view more at Project: Rooftop. Also, it seems that Navarro's tumblr is down or I would have a link.