Leggings- A Changed Perspective

"You aren’t going out like that, are you?” My mom asks me suspiciously, eyeing the black floral leggings I just bought that day. “No,” I said honestly, “But why not?” I wasn’t planning on wearing them out when we went out shopping that evening; however, there wasn’t any particular reason why- I was simply trying them on for a day that I would wear them.

I didn’t used to wear leggings out in public. I also scoffed at people who did- leggings weren’t meant to be worn out in the open, I thought. How disrespectful. But that was before I spent a summer at Eden Village Camp.

Among the policies at Eden Village is one known as “no body talk.” Body talk is the act of commenting on how a peer looks, whether it be about their clothing, hairstyle, or body type. I have on numerous occasions back home been called “skinny,” “small,” “bony,” even “tiny.” And I’ve felt self- conscious about my body, desperate to cover up that which made people point out my flaws.

Two summers ago at Eden Village Camp

But spending a summer at Eden Village- where, instead of focusing on physical appearances- campers and staff are encouraged to look within- my confidence soared. I realized that I can wear whatever makes me comfortable, even outside the Eden Village bubble. While my work attire consists of casual yet professional unprinted T-shirts and jeans, I will take the liberty on non-work days of wearing leggings with perhaps a tank top. Comments about my body may continue every once in a while, but my experiences at this point have shifted my behaviors and responses toward those comments. While I actually happen to think I look good in leggings, my perspective on clothing has changed. And recognizing the qualities beyond those leggings is something to celebrate.