Leggings on Planes: A Flight Attendant's Perspective

Over the past few days we've all seen this story blowing up all over the internet. 

Girls boarding a plane in Denver were asked to change their clothes at the discretion of a Gate Agent who felt that leggings didn't fit the parameters for appropriate attire. 

Well. I have some thoughts on the issue. 

In this particular situation, the girls were "pass riders" or as we call them where I'm from, "non-revs". They were flying using the work benefits of a family member or a friend who works for the airline. Non-revs have specific attire requirements that they have to comply with in order to utilize their flight privileges. 

Non-revs need to follow the parameters outlined by the airline they're benefitting from. That's totally fair.

HOWEVER. 

This conversation is about more than just leggings on planes. 

It's about how we view female bodies as sexual objects. 

It's also about how we, as a society, determine what is or is not "appropriate". 

Here's what it boils down to for me:

1. The clothing you choose to wear sends a message to the people around you about who you are. 

If you've paid for your ticket on a plane you can send whatever message you want to because you're only representing yourself. 

If you're traveling for business or in another specific capacity you might need to dress differently. 

When I put on clothes to leave the house, I am making a conscious choice about how I want to be perceived that day. 

Generally, I want people to glance my way and assume I'm a competent and polished person. I wear makeup. I comb my hair. My clothing style is mostly classic and sometimes kind of androgynous. It could most kindly be called "High WASP via Vermont".

People will always misunderstand you. There will always be people who misinterpret what you say or what you write, or how you present yourself in public. It's up to you to determine how that's going to affect what you do. 

2. All leggings are not the same. 

There are athletic leggings, casual cotton leggings, printed fashion leggings, and then there are tights, which are NOT leggings. 

I have no problem with leggings being worn as pants as long as they are completely opaque. I'm also aware that there are some people who don't feel the same way and when I leave the house wearing leggings as pants, I might encounter pushback. 

That might mean judgmental looks, or that might mean having a discussion about the validity of leggings as appropriate attire for non-revving. 

I don't believe that see-through clothing is ever appropriate on an airplane. 

I don't care who you are, I don't care what you're doing, an airplane is not the place to be provocative or push buttons. It's a place to be polite and to focus on safety. 

If it would have more than a PG rating in a movie theatre, it doesn't belong on a plane. 

I once had a situation where a passenger was wearing a shirt with a certain curse word all over it, and I had to work with the Gate Agent and the Captain to have her change into something that wasn't R rated. I wasn't personally offended by her shirt, but as a Flight Attendant it's my job to help make sure that passengers on my plane are treated with respect by the crew and also by their fellow passengers.  By wearing something so decidedly provocative in a public space, the woman who needed to change was not being respectful toward the people around her.

It's especially important to be courteous to those around you in public when you're on an airplane because it's a high stress situation for many people. 

When you're not on a plane, wear whatever you want to, friend. You do you. Just be aware of the message that you're sending. 

3. This topic is tricky because of how our society treats women as sexual objects. 

Objectification is simple: it's treating a person as a thing rather than as a human being. 

Sexual objectification is a huge and grossly complex issue that I don't really want to dive too deeply into, because I do not have a degree in Gender Studies or Psychology. 

I will say though, I am so sick of people debating whether or not it's appropriate for women to wear leggings in public because of the effect that leggings might have on men. 

Dudes, get ahold of yourselves. Your self control is not my responsibility. 

In the meantime, ladies, wear those leggings in whatever way you are most comfortable. Rock your outfits while flying. 

But whatever you wear, please keep consideration and respect in mind when you're deciding what to wear in public, especially on an airplane. 

5 Things to Know About LuLaRoe

Yesterday I was shopping at a craft store when I overheard two women chatting about these leggings one was wearing. 

"It's called LuLaRoe! My daughters are selling them!"

When I brought my fabric over to have it cut, I joined in the conversation about LuLaRoe because I'm basically in love with LLR clothes. 

The woman who was cutting my fabric had never heard of LuLaRoe before, which made me realize that there *are* actually some people in this world who aren't familiar with these glorious leggings yet. 

If you've been one of those people, or you're just wondering about all of these Facebook groups you keep getting invited to or crazy leggings you're seeing people wearing, this post is for you. 

5 Things to Know About LuLaRoe

1. It's a woman owned and woman centered company.

LuLaRoe was founded by a mom. Their origin story is a classic "garage origin", even if in this case it's more of a "sewing room" story. The company was founded by a woman, and I'd guess (without having seen any kind of facts on this) that about 98% of LuLaRoe consultants are women. The company promotes the idea of selling LLR as a way to support families, and I think that's great. I think everyone is entitled to structure their work/life and their family the way they want to as long as they aren't preventing other people from living their lives. So you do you, ladies.

2. It is a multilevel marketing company, but it's different.

Like the Tupperware, makeup, and scented candle parties we've all been invited to in the past, LuLaRoe is definitely a MLM company. Individuals sign up to become "consultants" and they pay for an initial inventory that is physically sent to them. 

You buy clothes through in home parties or (my favorite) through Facebook groups that are organized by a consultant. There are Facebook groups that you join and if you spot an item you like you comment "sold" and you're emailed an invoice. Once you pay that invoice, your items are mailed to you by the consultant. Party hosts get perks for helping the LLR Consultant connect with more clients- usually clothes. 

As someone who has purchased other products from MLM events in the past, I've found it interesting  how the way that the product distribution is structured seems to be less encouraging of competition between consultants, in large part because every consultant has a different inventory from every other consultant. If anything, this encourages collaboration between multiple consultants on events, combo parties, or Facebook group networking events where you're entered to win a prize if you join all of the consultant's Facebook groups in the "circle".

3. You never know what you're going to get.

This is a really really critical part of what makes LLR special and what I think has been driving the explosion of popularity in the last year- no two consultants have the same inventory. They can request specific styles and they can sign up for  special "theme" items like Valentine's Day leggings, but consultants can't put in an order for only teacher themed leggings, or only green leggings. You might find a pattern that you LOVE (if it's something magical you're on the hunt for you call it your "unicorn") and you have to scour multiple groups for things with that theme. For me that's airplane patterns and red/white/blue color schemes. I have friends who are also into this and we help each other by finding items in different groups. The thrill of the hunt definitely adds to the experience. 

The whole line covers a lot of different styles, but not every consultant carries all of them. You can check out the full list here. 

4. This clothing is empowering women. 

Yes, there's the obvious financial empowerment for the consultants who do well at selling things, but I've also seen these clothes empowering the women who buy them. 

These clothes are comfortable, confident, accessible, and modest. The patterns and bright colors are just plain fun, and the fabrics and sizing are very forgiving. For so many women we've been battling clothes in fitting rooms and numbers on tags for our entire adult lives. It's really nice to be able to select something simply based on whether or not you think it looks fun and to know it's going to fit your body. 

It's equally nice to know that everything you want covered is going to stay covered. I'm a big fan of the leggings plus an "Irma" top, because that outfit is comfortable, allows for a full range of motion (useful when you're hanging out with kiddos), and it's modest. 

Personally, I feel most confident in clothes that are considered "modest". That's my thing. If you want to let it all hang out, no judgement. Again, you do you. 

These clothes really come in all sizes and it makes my heart sing whenever I see women get excited about showing the world who they are. 

5. Ohmygoodness, these buttery leggings tho.

My introduction to these leggings came when a Flight Attendant friend came up to me in the Crew Room and told me I had to touch her leg because the leggings she was wearing were so soft. I'm so glad I listened to her because now I pretty much live in them when I'm not working. 

The leggings come in two sizes, One Size and Tall and Curvy. They come in patterns and solids. 

All of them are SO soft, SO comfortable, and COMPLETELY opaque. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: leggings are pants if they aren't see through. 

I started with a couple of black pairs (which have become increasingly hard to find) and now I'm wearing full on patterns. As I type this, I'm wearing LLR leggings with little red and blue airplanes all over them. SO. CUTE. I even used a picture of them for the background of the graphic for this post. My wonderful friend found them (my unicorns!) and mailed them to me for Christmas. Joy!

Essentially every item makes a great addition to a travel wardrobe, depending on your destination, of course. I always have a pair or two of the leggings in my layover suitcase these days, and they've quickly become essential travel clothes for me. 

LuLaRoe is not haute couture, and I'm fine with that. 

These clothes are practical, comfortable, and fun. I'm totally digging it.

Enjoy! 

*This post was in no way sponsored by LuLaRoe or any consultant. I'm just jazzed about it*