Sexy Beast
More Sexy BeastThe Trend from Hell
by Rebecca Dana
Rebecca Dana is a senior correspondent for The Daily Beast. A former editor and reporter for The Wall Street Journal, she has also written for The New York Times, The New York Observer, Rolling Stone, and Slate, among other publications.
Does anyone actually look good in jeggings? Rebecca Dana on the evil spawn of jeans and leggings.
I can’t feel my legs.
We are now three seasons into the 21st century’s worst fashion trend, in which women suck, pull, and squeeze themselves into denim-colored sausage casings and then waddle around pretending they’re wearing blue jeans. Just looking at these tragic hybrid “pants” can cut off a person’s circulation. Actually putting on a pair is a clinically proven health hazard.
Yet the scourge of the “jeggings” persists.
Click the Image to View Our Jeggings Gallery
They are everywhere: On Whitney Port, doe-eyed star of MTV’s The City; dip-dyed onto ubiquitous British model Agyness Deyn; bunched up on the floor of American Apparel fitting rooms; stretched like a helium balloon across the entire Jersey Shore. With a finger in each belt loop, they have even huffed and puffed and hauled their way up into the Oxford English Dictionary.
Two percent Lycra-spandex, at a minimum, and dyed to look just like 501s, with fake back pockets straining against even the slimmest rump and obscene little painted-on notches where the fly should be: They look good on precisely no one. But now, in 2010, after a year and a half in a recession, when we’re all supposed to be a little wiser and more sensible about our purchases, these horrible things are still flying off the shelves. Last summer, Women’s Wear Daily reported that such vaunted brands as Seven for All Mankind, BCBG, and, yes, even Levi’s were on the hunt for the latest “superstretchy denim” that will suction ever-tighter against women’s legs. Which means we have at least another season of acid-washed, faux-distressed, cotton-polyester leggings to come.
You think harem pants were bad? Harem pants were a well-tailored sport jacket compared to jeggings.
You think harem pants were bad? Harem pants were a well-tailored sport jacket compared to jeggings.
A portmanteau of “jeans” and “leggings,” jeggings are the product of a convergence of two recent trends, each inoffensive on its own but in combination, a bomb—a “don’t” according to New York magazine, which has carefully chronicled the rise of the surprisingly durable phenomenon; “tragique-istan” in the words of Wall Street Journal fashion columnist Teri Agins.
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leeannafar
whatever. we have been wearing them in japan for years, and they look great under billowy tops instead of your standard leggings. such a non-article.
Genni2002
Yes. I sort of agree with you. F. ex. Gwen Stefani looked really nice in them and most of the pics were pretty good.
I say okay with a blousy top or long top sort of thing and most certainly with boots. And Dana, they should not be worn with visible waist-bands, for sure! But, when you want something warmer than tights, goodness knows it is cold outside right now, do think they are an option.
hockeydog
being a fairly-well-adjusted-heterosexual male, i must admit that my breath has been taken away on more than one occasion by this fashion trend.
djanimaequeen
I also agree. They look great with ballet flats and slouchy boots too. This author has no idea what she's talking about. Just because she probably looks terrible in them does not mean she needs to take it out on the rest of us.
h2os64
Ha! I love it! personally I hate leggings too - but thats just because they dont follow the billowy top rule in kansas.
roadhunter
Are you sure Mariah isn't wearing spandex? That photo is just disgusting.
natalia09
Ms. Dana, are you implying that they aren't looking good on Cameron Diaz ? If you check the picture of her in the slide show, you will notice that she is not only stunning in these pants, but also knows how to wear them so she looks elegant and not trashy like the other females in the slideshow...
threefuries
This is second in horrible only to capris; if we lived in a world where everyone was a decent weight this wouldn't be a problem, but have you ever seen a pair of cheap denim capris on 200lb woman???
Chuckv
Like most straight men, I could give a damn about fashion. I am as ignorant and uninterested as Bush & Palin are about history and science. The only reason I am commenting is that some women may not know a couple important facts.
Fashion only matters to your peer group--other women. Ladies, if your aim is to be attractive to men: 1. Look healthy--men are instinctively attracted to women who look like good breeders for obvious biological reasons, and the instinct carries over to women past the breeding stage of life; 2. Smile--I once knew a woman who had a face like Abraham Lincoln, and I never realized it until I saw a picture of her frowning.
djanimaequeen
Eww. I don't want a man that looks at me like I'm livestock. Fashion is a form of expression for a lot of females, not to attract men. The women who do dress to attract men usually dress like hookers and have no fashion sense at all.
Chuckv
I wrote "be attractive to men" not "attract men," like honey does flies. Maybe this is a sex difference, but men like to think they are attractive to women regardless whether they are monogamous, celebrate, or looking for a mate. I have always thought, perhaps mistakenly, that women wanted the same thing.
saffronrose
Also, telling women to smile is a big ugh.
Chuckv
And smiling is good for men too.
hjunior
the jeggings gallery basically contradicts this article, if you were turning heads in leggings, you would still turn heads in jeggings. They've turned my head, fake pockets and all...
Veronicaxy
I remember the skin tight jeans of the glam disco 70s without the comfort of Lycra. We used pliers to zip up our jeans. A gynecologist could have done their job w/o anyone unzipping.
Marilyn was sewn into a dress to sing Happy Birthday Mr. President. My gram recalled ankle length hobble skirts that meant she had to be hoisted onto the street car by much willing and abled young men (no room in the skirt to step up).
Whenever there are humans who want to get laid, or at least look lay-able, there will be health and social hazards like high heels, cleavage, push-ups, pads, and skin tight clothes. Does it look good or ridiculous, sexy or trashy? Both and not everyone can successfully walk that line - true.
But the telling answer comes from an average guy. Sexual attractiveness is power and sometimes just like in sports, it feels good to just give it an unabashed run.
peachpie
well, i am in the minority. many of the ladies in the slide show look fine to me. some look awful - but not because of the pants they are wearing.
you really do need to have just the right body to look nice in them. (*ahem* mariah *ahem*) hence, i do not wear them. same with a string bikini; but i don't hate string bikinis. know what looks good on your body and what makes you smile.
and then go wear that stuff -- fashion trends and girlfriend commentary be damned. :)
Granite
Yes you have too be of perfect weight and proportion to wear them. If you are too thin jeggings accentuate that , too hefty, also not pretty. If you have big thighs and skinny calves these are definitely not the pants for you either. And if you have short legs and wear them with a billowy blouse you visually sink into the ground. And apple shapes resemble a bowling ball balancing on toothpicks.
djanimaequeen
I look good in them. But I look good in just about everything. Retract the claws please before you snag my skinny jeans.
djanimaequeen
Umm. Everyone in that gallery with the exception of Mariah looked either classic casual or FIERCE!
DenimBlog
This is really silly, denim leggings are very comfy, they are a saviour to actual skinny jeans, if you buy proper jeggings from premium brands you will see they are VERY comfortable, they are like real leggings and they are not super tight so you can't breathe, they are wonderful, you can even do yoga in them, you just have to buy the right ones. They look really hot under longer tops, we all love denim leggings. Try Paige Premium or 7 For All Mankind, they have very very comfy and soft pairs. You will see what I mean.
DenimBlog.com
keekee77
I think they look great on women who can wear them. It' women like Maria Carey who are giving jeggings a bad name.
Sounds like the author here is jealous. I say if you're thin and tall and have long legs, throw on a pair of those jeggings and show the rest how it's done.
Go girls!
nickname72
it's like anything - some women look hot, some look trashy. context is everything.
KateTheGreat
That's just the author's point tho...too many people who look like crap in what are basically spandex tights, wear them around with ripples, bulges, etc. It's vile. Also, as they are "in style" it's much more difficult to find wide-leg, or even straight-legs style trousers and jeans, which is annoying.
Women look like desperate, trashy, fashion-victims when they are sporting every latest trend in one ensemble -- the gigantic bug sunglasses, leggings, oversized bag, with slouchy-shirt, tons of dark eyeliner, and ironed/straight hair from a few years back comes to mind...ugh!
maosquared
Why is this an article? I don't think harem pants or jeggings look bad on the right people. Why don't you just dis every other fashion trend ever at this point. Oh, by the way, if you're trying to make a point on how bad they look, it's probably not smart to pick pictures where the celebrities look good, outside of Mariah Carey.
Sigh. The Daily Beast is so weak sometimes. Shame on you Tina Brown. Just knowing you were the former editor of The New Yorker makes me question even its validity.
Thank you.
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