I am surely the last person that should be writing about men's fashion or any sort of trends. I dress like a schlub, wearing essentially the same ensemble I have since college. When it's cold, it's hoodies and sweatshirts. When it's warm, t-shirts and shorts. I admit it: I don't often dress like an adult. Sometimes I think I've spent most of my life trying to avoid any job in which I'd have to tuck my shirt in. It's probably why I am where I am today.
Putting that aside, as a member of this culture and the male gender, I feel that I can speak with enough authority on something that may or may not be a trend, depending on what you read or whose advice you choose to follow. While surfing Facebook over the weekend, a friend posted a link to an article about meggings. "Men's leggings" apparently doesn't sound chic enough. So just mash the two words together!
Men wearing tights could become the next big thing. According to those who make meggings, that is. The proprietors of Meggings Men, for example, are among those who have a vested interest in men's tights becoming a larger (tighter?) part of the culture. On its website, Meggings Men boasts of offering "high-quality alternative apparel options for men," focusing primarily on a "form-fitted pant that has been functionally and aesthetically tailored to the male physique."
As Jenny Berg points out in her post for Racked, maybe this is a return to the days of Henry VIII. Perhaps frilly collars and flat tudor caps with equally frilly brims are coming up next. Or perhaps not.
My guess would've been that this taps into a latent male desire to dress like a superhero. Before movies realized that those heroes would look ridiculous and less than formidable wearing spandex (unless we're talking about Spider-Man or Superman), and thus created leather and padded body armor suits for such characters to wear, tights seemed to be the only reasonable attire in translating superheroes from comic book page to screen. Hey, Christopher Reeve pulled it off. But he was also built like someone who had worked himself into shape to play Superman.
Another possibility is that this fulfills a latent desire to wear tight leather pants like a rock star. Maybe you're in the kind of shape to dress like Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger or David Lee Roth, want to show that off and skinny jeans don't have enough flair. If so, why not carry yourself through life like a rock star? Maybe that's the difference between being mediocre and successful. Take it to the top!
What I imagine most of us — men and women, women and children, fashionable and schlubby — can agree upon is that we need to come together as a culture — as a civilized society — to make sure that meggings don't become a thing. Maybe I'm already too late. If articles are being written about meggings, then perhaps they're already enough of a thing to warrant attention. Even if so, I think the fight is worth it.
I should clarify that I feel tights are acceptable in a workout or athletic scenario. (I will also point out that during the upcoming Winter Olympics, there could be several bobsledders who will demonstrate — in terms of showing too much — why men wearing tights is a bad idea.) Tights at the gym or while running seem OK. Even I can pull that off and I don't have an athletic physique. Much to my surprise, I haven't gotten funny looks from people on the few occasions that I've worn tights at the gym or exercising outdoors. Probably because lots of workout apparel looks kind of ridiculous with all its bright colors. Or more likely because those tights are underneath shorts.
The legs are meant to be free and breathe while exercising, rather than restricted in sweatpants or track pants. Is it possible that those wearing meggings feel the same way, wanting some flexibility from their pants when walking, dancing or other such activities? Have men been envying women for being able to wear leggings (or yoga pants) and enjoy some lower-extremity freedom out in public?
My three-year-old niece often wears leggings and I've been envious. Mostly because she can get dressed fast and easily, and then get to playing. Of course, there are other matters to consider with a small child wearing leggings, specifically diaper or potty matters.
But that actually brings up another point when it comes to men wearing tights. How easy is it to go to the bathroom while wearing those things? I suppose it's just a matter of yanking down the waistband, but that seems less dignified than using the fly incorporated into regular pants, doesn't it? (My experience in these circumstances is in a workout situation.) Another concern among many addressed by Jake Dobkin in a piece for Gothamist is that meggings don't have pockets for a wallet or keys. That seems like a dealbreaker.
Granted, if a guy is wearing a coat or carrying a backpack or messenger bag with him, he has a place to put those items. If you envy women's ability to wear leggings, perhaps you also envy their ability to keep such things in a purse or handbag most of the time. Maybe men who wear meggings don't carry wallets, opting instead for a clip or keeping cash and cards rubber-banded together. Still, where would you put that bundle if you're not wearing a jacket or carrying some kind of bag?
But maybe I'm just looking at this wrong way. Denouncing and ridiculing something I don't understand is not how I prefer to go through life, and such an attitude hardly advances us as a culture. If men want to wear meggings, they have that freedom. I think men should wear them responsibly, making sure they have the requisite physique for walking around publicly in tights.
For the most part, I imagine this won't be a problem. But men have been known to be self-delusional about how they look. I will presume that those who would choose to wear meggings have a better sense of self-awareness, however. That's the hope. I have faith in you, fellow men who feel comfortable enough with yourselves to wear tights.
Personally, I think we reached a zenith in men's fashion with dress pant sweatpants. And they have pockets! Was there really any point in trying anything else after that? Apparently, those in the meggings business believe so. Let's see where this takes us as a society.
Have I missed anything here? Is there something I'm overlooking or just don't understand? Please leave your thoughts in the comments. Hopefully, we hear from both men and women in this discussion — a discussion that needs to take place, people.
