Yoga Pants Bad For Women New York Times Backlash

Illustration: Mary Galloway

Yogis are not happy with The New York Times after it published a controversial opinion piece on Sunday attacking one of the key tenets of their attire: yoga pants.

In the hotly debated article, "Why Yoga Pants Are Bad for Women", writer Honor Jones says women only wear yoga pants "because they're sexy" and calls on people to ditch them in favour of sweatpants while exercising.

Remember sweatpants? Women used to wear them, not so long ago. https://t.co/FnOAYdUpLe pic.twitter.com/LBiKxwdJsd
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) February 17, 2018

In the now-viral piece, Jones decries the omnipresence of skintight workout leggings, claiming you can't go to an exercise class without coming across women wearing them. "What is it about yoga in particular that seems to require this? Are practitioners really worried that a normal-width pant leg is going to throttle them mid-lotus pose?" she asks.

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

Then comes the kicker that got people really riled up: "We aren’t wearing these workout clothes because they’re cooler or more comfortable. (You think the selling point of Lululemon’s Reveal Tight Precision pants is really the way their moth-eaten design provides a 'much-needed dose of airflow'?) We’re wearing them because they’re sexy," Jones claims.

"We felt we had to look hot on dates — a given. We felt we had to look hot at the office — problematic. But now we’ve internalised the idea that we have to look hot at the gym? Give me a break," she continues.

"The gym is one of the few places where we’re supposed to be able to focus on how our bodies feel, not just on how they look. We need to remember that. Sweatpants can help," she adds, citing their benefits as the fact they provide more "breathing room" and that they take the pressure off looking good.

Jones also rails against the "whole booming industry around women’s exercise", including the rise of studio classes, which she claims has turned expensive leggings into "more [of a] necessity than extravagance". "We may be able to conquer the world wearing spandex. But wouldn’t it be easier to do so in pants that don’t threaten to show every dimple and roll in every woman over 30?" she ponders.

Unsurprisingly, her polarising argument got people talking on on social media. Many have swooped in to defend form-fitting workout wear as more practical and hygienic than sweatpants.

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

As someone who has practiced yoga for years, it’s unbelievable that you think we wear yoga pants because they’re “sexy?!” We wear them because they allow us to maneuver in ways other clothing doesn’t. Alternatively, seeing if you aren’t in the proper position is just as important https://t.co/cy70QBWnrF
— kimmie caruba (@kimmiecaruba) February 18, 2018

And those sweat pants you are talking about are not made from moisture wicking fabric so they are not a good idea for working out!
— EC2012 (@SidneySD2012) February 18, 2018

1. Yoga is really hard to do in sweatpants bc the loose fabric moves around and can actually injure you if you’re in a pose and your pants slip.

2. ??? to this whole thing in general https://t.co/J5WsNTlgSt
— Selena Larson (@selenalarson) February 18, 2018

I wear yoga pants not because of how I look. I wear yoga pants because I am a yogi and an athlete and they are performance gear that allow me to do athletic things with my body that make me physically, spiritually and mentally healthy and strong. https://t.co/mEIji1keY2
— katie rosman (@katierosman) February 19, 2018

Others criticised Jones' argument as anti-feminist.

Okay @nytimes. 1) I am sure you had your pick of thoughtful opinion pieces for this Sunday’s edition...and this was your choice? 2) Women writing op-eds about other women’s sartorial choices is bad for women 3) You can have my yoga pants when you pry them from my cold dead booty https://t.co/8RU9l8iVde
— Candice Adams (@TheCandiceAdams) February 18, 2018

I always thought smoking, not sleeping enough and patriarchy are bad for women. Turns out I was wrong. It's yoga pants. https://t.co/APb8Uqs9Lc
— Eva Horn (@habichthorn) February 18, 2018

“It’s not good manners for women to tell other women how to dress” and yet Honor uses another several hundred words to do just that in this piece. Is this really making or breaking women’s success? If so, then look within at that problem. This is a waste of space. https://t.co/zjhkFFQ2IE
— Annie Heckenberger (@anniemal) February 18, 2018

Others criticised The New York Times for stirring up needless controversy.

why [throws a dart at a dartboard from 2011] yoga pants are [spins the adjective wheel] bad for [pulls a name from the Oppressed Groups hat] women https://t.co/t2WAPJ4t2R
— maya kosoff (@mekosoff) February 18, 2018

Some people even posted photos of themselves in yoga pants directed at the author. How long until the inevitable hashtag campaign begins?

Anyway, I’m like Honor Jones’s worse lady nightmare (bonus, Alabama) pic.twitter.com/9so2XKINiG
— Celia (@_celia_marie_) February 18, 2018

Hey Honor Jones, I'm good. #YogaPants #womenover30 @nytopinion pic.twitter.com/npuTdwFvvD
— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) February 18, 2018

Hey @nytopinion here's my giant size 22 fat ass in "yoga pants" (and an @Abercrombie shirt because we know how much they love fat people) not in a gym. I'm also over 30. Fuck you "Honor Jones". pic.twitter.com/iUnFwXaMxq
— Fat Anarchy (@fat_anarchy) February 18, 2018

A demonstration could also be on the cards.