One of my earliest memories as a kid was going to dance class. This was back in the early 80’s, when it was still quaintly expected that the moms would be happy to sew the multiple costumes used in the yearly dance recital. They would send home the patterns and the material, and on the day of the recital some kids would show up in stapled hotpants. Those were the early days of the working mom (though the smart ones called my mom, and paid her $10 or whatever to sew their kids’ costumes.) FWIW, my mother never got around to teaching me how to sew, so if I found myself in the same unenviable position a few years from now, you can bet it would be outsourced.
But I digress. I was going through my old recital pictures, and came upon a picture from a portion of the recital I had forgotten about. Every year, the dance teacher would do a routine featuring the moms of the kids. This was the 80s, remember, so it was an aerobics routine. So there in the picture, looking back at me, were two lines of women in leotards and tights, and of course headbands, bouncing around in front of the entire community. My older sister was front and center, in a white leotard and turquoise shiny tights. My mom had a stripey neon leotard, and orange tights.
These were outfits of their own choosing, I might add. No sewing involved.
Most of the women were a similar age or a bit older than I am now. That kind of blows my mind to begin with, but even more mind blowing is that this group of women would shoehorn themselves into those outfits and knowingly go out in front of friends, family and church members and bounce around to the Flashdance soundtrack. I think of myself, in my current state (or any state), and you couldn’t PAY ME enough money to go and do that.
Mostly, I am grateful for the evolution of women’s workout fashions. The leotard debacle lasted over a decade- whose brilliant idea was that? I mean, there were no other options for clothing for a really long time! Who is going to be comfortable bending and squatting in a bathing suit that shows every roll and cranny? Why did our mothers and aunts put up with such insult for so long? I firmly believe this is partly to blame for the current obesity epidemic. Women were too scared to work out because you had to do it in your underwear, and couldn’t handle the humiliation. So they stayed home.
I think the breaking point was the thong leotard. Actually, it was probably the thong leotard coupled with the capri tights, an outfit guaranteed to win the “Most Unflattering and Uncomfortable Torture Device ever invented” award, that really did it. Someone, moving surreptitiously to the back of the workout room to fish the thong out of their rear during kickboxing class, must have said to themselves, “Stop the MADNESS!” and then looked to the weightroom, where the guys were lurking. Looked past the last relic in a wifebeater and jams, and saw the guys in the t-shirts and long basketball shorts. Thus began the great Sweatpant Revolution.
I am very grateful to the women who began the great protest, and paved the way for me to workout in my husband’s t-shirt and warmup pants from Target. Baggy warm up pants. There is still one woman who persists in showing up to the gym in a thong leotard and short tights, but I’m not convinced she is entirely sane, so we let it go. (Her workout partner wears hot pink jams, so maybe they are just saving up for new clothes? Who knows.)
jes “Jane Fonda” vet
I went to dance class and did recitals too. But they never did the “moms routine”. I would have loved to have seen my mom do that.
Do you think your sis still has those turquoise shiny tights? Honestly the one thing those leotards had going for them is that the spandex was tight and kinda sucked you in a bit.
The looser stuff allows you to feel every little (and big) jiggle which is not fun.