I finally take the leap. After years of sewing and resewing, I toss my decade-old leggings with their worn, next-to-nonexistent inner thigh seams into the garbage. And just to be sure that I won't fish them out again when that bout of clothing nostalgia hits, I cover them in more garbage. Which means that I go from seven pairs of exercise pants down to... one. A single pair of leggings for my weekly exercise needs.
Sure, there are probably people out there who hand wash their leggings everyday, but I ain't one of them. After sweating my ass off in Lycra-infused fabrics, the last thing I want to be doing is soaking and then squeezing Woolite
through that sweaty-ass activewear in the kitchen sink. Legging replenishment was now vital.
My daughter? She invests in Lulu Lemon leggings. She hoards birthday and Christmas money along with her gift cards and then makes a yearly pilgrimage to the White Omega-esque Icon (whatever the hell that is) so that she may add to her legging collection. I can't do that. I just can't. Yes, they are well-made leggings, yes, they make most people's asses look fantastic, but they are $118.00! For a pair of fucking leggings. I firmly believe that leggings should be $20 or less, which is probably why all my inner thigh seams disintegrate. Now, if I were to do the math - Lulu Lemon leggings might actually be economical. Spending $118 on a pair of leggings which could potentially last for 10 years, at one wearing per week, 520 wearings... that's $118 divided by 520 that's only 22 cents per wearing - fairly reasonable, but to lay out $800 on leggings in one go? Sheer madness.
Instead, I go to Old Navy where they have leggings for $35 each, which still makes me gag at the cost but at least my ass would be covered for much, much less. So I squeeze that ass into a couple of different legging styles in the Old Navy change room, marvel at the fact that they retain their shape on and off and bring them home at a cost of only $237, which means I'll be wearing each pair at only a cost of 6 cents per wearing. Margonomics ladies and germs. My old roommate, Margo, who has convinced me many,
many times to buy clothing based on what I'd be willing to pay to wear it once. "Yes, that designer velvet vest/shirt combo might be $278, but if you wear it 10 times that's only $27.80 per wearing. If you wear it 20 times? Only $13.90 per wearing." HUZZAH!!
I get them home, take off the tags and strip them of their sizing stickers. Then it's time to christen them in an exercise setting. I pull them on sans underwear, because they all have cotton gussets and why have to wash an extra pair of underwear if you don't have to? My Go Dry Active Fitted leggings are snug. Snugger than they had felt in the change room. Pulling them on is more similar to wedging your way into a pair of tights, but after doing a little bit of the pantyhose dance, they are on.
I am now clad in fully formed leggings, not an open inner thigh seam to be seen anywhere. I know, because I
have to look down and admire the hole-less leggings. I do a bit of a presentation in front of the mirror to enjoy my new purchases when I can't help but notice that I am sporting a
very pronounced camel toe. The Go Dry Fitted quality to the leggings is proudly offering up my labia for the world at large. My womanly bits are plumped out as if they've just had a collagen treatment before Awards season.
I tug the crotch down a bit to make myself a little less porn. Better, but still humped quadruped-y. I head downstairs. David is working on his computer as I enter the room.
"These," I announce, "are my new holeless leggings!" I do a little twirl. "What do you think?"
"Very nice," says David, briefly glancing up.
"They okay?" I ask.
He raises his head once more and actually looks this time. "They are..." His gaze zeroes in on the camel zone. "They're ah... They're... ah... form-fitting." He clears his throat.
"Oh," I say nonchalantly. "You mean this?" I tilt my hips forward.
That's when Rissa comes in. "What are you doing?"
"Just showing off my new..."
"Holy camel-toe Batman!"
"RIGHT?!? How am I supposed to wear these?"
"Are you wearing underwear?" Rissa asks, peering at me as discreetly as a daughter whose checking out her mother's junk can.
"No! They have a gusset-thingie, I shouldn't have to wear underwear."
"Uh... Mama? You have to wear underwear with those."
"What? Is this not a good look?" I hike up the waistband a little higher, to add to the visual joke, nearly doing myself an injury. "Oyeeeesh!"
"Simmer down there," from Rissa.
David still seems captivated.
"Maybe this is the look that they're hoping for?' I suggest.
"No," says Rissa. "No it isn't. Go put some underwear on!"
"But these are skin-tight, how can I...?"
"A thong! Put on a thong!" She points to the stairs and doesn't drop eye contact until I move.
"Fine. Fine." I trudge back upstairs and struggle to pull off the left leg of the leggings wondering if I can maneuver my way into a cotton thong, without having to pull down the right leg completely. I let out a small shout of triumph and I realize that through the power of transdimensional physics I totally can, "WHOO-HOO!!!"
"You all right up there?" yells David.
"Oh yeah! I have mad dressing skills!" I shimmy back into the other leg and check out my junk in the mirror before heading downstairs once more.
"All good?" I ask, presenting my pelvis again.
David and Rissa check me out.
"You're good," says David, sounding slightly disappointed. Rissa shoots him a look.
"You're fine. Very Rated G. Good job."
