Is this really why women wear those sport's leggings?

[GymRegret]

According to dp it's to make other people look at their figure 🙄

I tried to argue that they are for practicality but I'm starting to think he's got a point.

I personally don't wear them and don't think I will if they will just make people stare at my bottom.

I think I've been quite naive.

Yeah if he’s talking about those ones I agree with him. They draw so much attention to the butt that you cannot wear them without that being the motivation, or at least a side effect you’re happy with.

Normal leggings are totally different.

Was just about to say do you mean cycling shorts / leggings? Although they don’t really look attractive at all. Ive never heard of padded leggings, I think my generation wanted to avoid having a big bum so it seems alien to think that anyone would want to fake that. This thread has made me glad I’m getting on a bit.

Absolutely. Some leggings are just functional bits of gym wear and other leggings definitely give off a 'look at me' vibe. I never understood the spray on flesh coloured leggings (skins) that were the fashion a few years back that were so snug you could see the perefct outline of the womans vulva. At first glance they make the wearer look naked from the waist down. I can't believe people wore those in public with the view that they were just inconspicuous sports wear.

I wear legging when I go to the gym.
I can tell you I am not wearing them for your dh to look at me or any other sad bloke for that reason. If I thought sone sad looser was leering at me when I’m working out I would report him to the staff,
Dd sometimes wears Gymshark leggings which are the ones posters have mentioned. She trains a lot in a bodybuilder gym. She wears those because they are on trend. Think about why males spend £££ on a brand such as converse or Nike or football shirts covered in advertising. It’s purely down to advertising and being successful in making your product be ‘the one’ that certain people feel they should wear.
All dds gym friends wear Gymshark. It’s just a trend. Again I can assure you that not o r single one of them is trying to attract the attention of your dh or any old out of shape bloke for that matter.
The only blokes they are interested in are fellow gym members who will be wearing similar type clothing ie tight shorts, low cut vests which reveal their chest.
I do agree womens fashion isn’t great. It starts at a very young age being less practical than boys clothing.
Just look at the fit of girls PE shorts compared with boys shorts. Look at the silly impractical shoes marketed at girls for school, then compare them with the far more practical ones in the boys section.
As an aside this is why I love the trend to wear midi, floral loose fitting dresses along with trainers. It’s very practical.

The scrunch bum ones are absolutely about emphasising figure, not sure why else they'd be worn? Not that I think there's anything wrong with wearing certain clothes that show off your figure, I certainly dress to my figure most of the time.

The scrunch bum ones are designed to make your bum look good. Even then its nuanced as to who the "people" they are targgeting are. Often women's clothing choice are about demonstrating something to other women rather than men. Or its about looking attractive to a specific man. Or its about looking attractive but that doesn't = wanting to be leered at.

Regular leggings can be flattering but are usually just worn because they are good for sports. I find them less likely to slowly work they way down and show my bum than tracksuit bottoms, and I think lots of women find loose shorts chafe more. But also - its actually harder to find trousers that are either not super clingy or clingy but made of thicker fabric these days. It definately feels like women are directed towards those trousers more.

I used to climb with an ex. It’s hard to climb in baggy clothes because they get caught on rocks and the ropes, so I’d wear leggings and a fitted tshirt. He accused me of doing it to get people to look at me. One of the reasons he’s an ex.

Yoga is hard to do in baggy clothes because when you do different postures, gravity can leave you exposed as clothes ride up.

Women wear the clothes they wear for practical reasons the majority of the time. And if they don’t, isn’t that their choice and nothing to do with anyone else?

Wearing those ones that accentuate the bottom and a crop top is saying look at me. I do have normal leggings but always wear a top that covers my bottom! My running leggings are not skin tight either

Men did used to wear codpieces to encourage the eye to that area. It was a sign of virility and status. I think women wear ruche leggings to enhance the buttocks as a sign of youth and fertility.

Women’s padding for cycling looks like a massive T-shaped sanitary towel. It doesn’t cover the buttocks and it certainly doesn’t enhance them!

I suspect most wear them for comfort. You can't really wear them to look good. As OH would say Max Wall lives.

Yes of course some women do. Or do women never dress to get attention?

Well, my opinion/theory is that some of those leggings are feminine, modern versions of ye olde codpiece. Minus the option of storage.

They’re called ‘scrunch bum’ leggings. First time I saw any was at a bus stop in town - they were in a sort of pinky-flesh colour, so from a distance….😱

IMO anyone who wears them is an exhibitionist. So if that’s the sort the OP’s OH means, IMO he’s right.

Scrunch bum leggings are worn for the male gaze and there is nothing wrong with that if that is what the wearer wants. But it is disingenuous to pretend they are wearing them purely for practicality.
Regular leggings are ubiquitous on all shapes and sizes of women, whether sporty or slobby, and totally unremarkable. Which is why women who want to look sexy wear scrunch bum rather then generic leggings.
I don't see what is wrong with noticing and remarking on that.

OP

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is think, "What would the OP's husband like me to wear today?"

Could you let me have his number so I can check I'm wearing something he approves of?

Well you don't have to wear them.

In the past, we wore shorts for the gym

I was at the dentist last week and it was the first appointment of the day and the receptionist was taking in a delivery, walking back and forwards through the waiting room in the arse enhancing pattern leggings and I felt like I shouldn't be there. Like she was just in her underwear or something and I've never felt like that about any clothing before.

I know what you mean. People wear them for everyday chores, not for jogging. And they are especially popular with teenagers. You say nobody makes anyone ogle, but I, a woman, find myself mesmerised and compelled to study every bit of cellulite, every saddle bag in them. They are vulgar, men or no men looking at them.

I don't agree but I am always drawn to looking at people's legs and bums when in tight clothing.

🫣 shame on you! Exposing your legs for the attention of men 😉

I work out really hard sometimes for 90 to 120 minutes (Hyrox training). I sweat like a shower and I move quickly. I don't want anything flapping. I like tight leggings and a tight tank top - they hold everything in, and are like a second skin. I can put them on and just gooooo!

Scrunch bum leggings are awful, hopefully they'll be short lived and we can all look back and laugh/cringe soon. There's no way they're not worn to get other people to look (whether on purpose or by unfortunate accident - that's you, woman in front of me in Pilates on Tues!)

Agree. I’ve been looking for longer baggier shorts I can wear to the gym that my husband wears but I can’t find any made for women. Baggier running shorts are still too short to do leg presses so either I have to wear skin tight longer shorts or leggings or loose shorts which show everything when I’m on the machines!