It's official, leggings are NOT pants (an email from my sons' school)

bella

(website)

Veteran

Kudos to your son's school. It is a sensible decision.

15 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Good for them!
I just have to share this: I saw a girl on the bus stop today. Not only she was wearing leggings as pants, she also wore a sleeveless top which was 4 inches shorter than the top of the leggings! Talk about leaving nothing to imagination!

15 years ago

AJ

Veteran

I suppose some parents feel that it's not such a big deal for little girls. However, little girls do grow up quickly.

15 years ago

Cookie

Active Member

I find this rather sad. When my children were still in elementary school I had a lot of control over what they wore. We picked out the next day's outfit from head to toe before they went to bed. How could any parent "okay" leggings or tights with nothing over them? Middle school and high school tweens and teens like to make their own choices but I paid the bills so still had control in that way. Neither one of my children would be allowed out of the house dressed in an inappropriate way. It is about respect - for self and for others.

15 years ago

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Amen, cookie!

15 years ago

marianna

Veteran

Wow, it's unbelievable that the leggings as pants epidemic has reached the elementary school level.

15 years ago

Jill

Active Member

My daughter has worn leggings without anything over them. I don't really see it as a big deal for little girls if the leggings are made of a substantial fabric -- the ones she owns are plenty thick, more like a yoga pant in weight. I've never seen tights that didn't have some degree of see-through-ness, so of course they would be worn under something else. A legging that is as thin as tights would be a footless tight to me, not leggings.

That said, I am the meanest mommy in the world when it comes to her tops. Anything remotely low cut gets a cami, no ifs ands or buts. I don't care if she doesn't have any boobage yet, she's not dressing like a hoochie mama!

15 years ago

Sparky

Veteran

>It did make me wonder who on earth would send their daughter to school just >wearing tights?

Um, me. But DD was 3 years old and adamant one day that she only wanted to wear her thick cotton tights and a turtleneck top. I made sure her wonderful, wise head teacher knew what was going on when we arrived. She thought it was hilarious and high fived me for letting DD do this (since she was dressed appropriately for the weather). No one else batted an eye ~ but then, these were preschoolers, and they wore all manner of odd adornment to school some days.

This also gets to one of my pet peeves for children's fashion ~ kids should dress neatly and well for school and keep the sloppy and ultra casual outfits for other times. I still like my kids to dress smartly to some degree for school; save other outfits for playtime. As Cookie mentioned, it's shows a degree of respect ~ for the school, the teachers and peers.

15 years ago

Kate

Veteran

I'm certain that when I was in elementary school in the 1990s a lot of us, including me, wore leggings as pants. Usually with a turtleneck or baggy sweater on top. And it was totally normal!

This is part of why it took me so long to come around to leggings and skinny jeans, and why I fear being too trendy.

15 years ago

Jonesy

Veteran

My 8 year old daughter would be in violation, because she wears leggings with tunic tops all the time!

15 years ago

crwilson

Veteran

My dd sometimes wears her leggings as pants, mostly because she has very few pairs of regular pants because she's so darn small that leggings are the only thing that stays up. BUT, she's 3, and she usually wears tunic tops, and the leggings are pretty thick.

I always feel like she should "dress up" a little bit more for school, but since they spend a lot of time painting, being outside, and just generally getting messy, I'm starting to revise that thought.

15 years ago

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

When you filter for pants on Nordstrom's new site it pulls up leggings! Bad...

15 years ago

mumtojessandluke

Active Member

I wouldn't have thought it- but leggins are ok for little girls if they are substantial... My daughter wore jeggins the other day (her nana dressed her) and I thought it looked good! It would defiantly not looked good on a grown woman though, especially one carrying any extra bulges. She is 3.

So I'm guilty!

15 years ago

Christie

Active Member

I wore leggings/stirrup pants to elementary school with baggy, long sweaters in the mid-80s ...

However, I don't let my DD, age 8, wear leggings without a long tunic top. So she knows if the dress is too short, wear leggings. If wearing leggings, wear a short dress. Coverage is key.

But I suppose the leggings available now are all across the board, from hosiery to substantial knit fabric, so its just easier for schools to say no to leggings as pants than to try to distinguish between the types.

15 years ago

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

I wore leggings as pants with giant sweaters in the early 90's. I was not in elementary school. OOPS!

OTOH, I had the bod to pull it off so... Ah well. Not any more!

15 years ago

JuliaInGermany

Active Member

I just saw a little girl (probably 3 years old) in a top without ANY kind of pants/leggings/tights. She was with her grandparents and looked like they had dressed her. Either they thought the top was supposed to be a dress or it had been a dress one time (perhaps a gift from them?) and they thought she should wear it more often. You could see her undies!!! I was so upset I rooted around in my bag to see if I had a change of clothes for my daughter that I might give them. Unfortunately I didn't. I'm normally not someone to mind other people's business, but that was really shocking. To think that my daughter would be dressed like that because her grandparents dressed her makes me sick to my stomach.

15 years ago

Lynne

Veteran

A lot of the girls at our school wear black or denim leggings with tshirts, as long as the fabric is substantial I don't see the problem on younger girls? I guess as Cricket says, it's easier to make a blanket policy than it is to split hairs over fabric, age at which it becomes iinappropriate etc. Or maybe your headmaster is a YLF devotee, too, NK :)? The next email will be regarding PPL.....for the parents!

15 years ago

Sally

Veteran

I see them all the time on little girls and it looks fine. they are a practical comfortable thing if you are a little girl who has not hit puberty and wear them while you can!

15 years ago

Lana

Active Member

I think there's a difference in a 3 year old, compared to a, I don't know, 5 year old and up. 3 year olds are still closer to the baby/toddler stage. Not quite little girls. That said, my 2 year old will not be going out in just leggings.

15 years ago

NK

(website)

Active Member

Sparky, there are always exceptions for preschoolers, aren't there? I remember those days.

I don't have daughters, but don't little girls wear a lot of knit pants, somewhat like leggings, but not as tight? I don't know if those would be allowed or not, and I guess I shouldn't worry about it since it won't involve me.

And they've always had a rule about pants covering the ankle, so no shorts or capri pants allowed.

15 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Can someone please forward this memo to the ladies in my area?

15 years ago

lynne

Veteran

As Lynne said, its easier to make a more general policy than to try to split hairs. Sadly, our school system has had to adopt a dress code which spells out (with pictures) what is and isn't acceptable. It's sad that kids and parents have to be told what is appropriate to wear to school, but I'm glad it was done. Safety was one of the issues at the elementary level. Little girls should not be going up and down stairs and playing on the playground in platform flip flops.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Excuse my ignorance but I just want to make sure. Was the memo directed at little kids?

15 years ago

Cookie

Active Member

The reason elementary schools have to make these rules "across the board" is because they are dealing with a wide range of ages (5 to 11 or 12). While a cami with spaghetti straps and nothing over it may look "cute" on a 5 year old, the same thing on an 11 year old might be anything but cute. And you can not have separate rules by grade level or even from building to building. Our district has 6 elementary schools and the dress code is set by the school board and is enforced in each building. At the middle and high school level the dress code often has to be enforced for reasons beyond appearance. A few years ago high school girls were wearing such short skirts with no undies that when they got up from their seats the teachers were faced with a sanitation issue. The chair had to be disinfected before the next person could sit on it. It was unbelievable. The school board had to step in and enforce a skirt length rule as there was no way to enforce an undies rule. I long ago gave up hoping that parents would police their own sons and daughters. Too many of them give up far too early.

15 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

cookie- I'm utterly speechless. just speechless. I know nothing should surprise me anymore but honestly....

15 years ago

NK

(website)

Active Member

Yes, Angie, it was directed toward the students.

Cookie, the story about the short skirts is just gross! How awful! Blech.

15 years ago

AJ

Veteran

Ewwww! That is disgusting!

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

My goodness, Cookie. Well, this brings me back to the joys of a school uniform. Seriously, I am *almost* non-negotiable on that too.

15 years ago

Cookie

Active Member

Queenie - I know. Sad but true. This is one reason I tell all of my friends to have an "open door" policy for the friends of their children. Be the mom who puts the neighbor's children on the bus or who has the milk and cookies on the table as soon as school lets out. Your children may never tell you what is going on but their friends will tell you everything! And you may also have some influence over - and offer some quidance to - a child who is not getting it at home. I can not tell you how many girls I took shopping for Prom and Junior/Senior banquet dresses and not one ever looked inappropriate. Now I am helping these same girls select their wedding gowns. It is very rewarding. I can't help but think that if we taught young people how to respect themselves it would carry over to them respecting others.

15 years ago

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