Photo: Andrey_Vasiliskov / Shutterstock & Twitter
When will men stop giving their unwarranted opinions on women's attire?
By Nia Tipton — Written on May 19, 2023
Conversations surrounding women's bodies and what they should or shouldn't be allowed to wear are almost always centered around what men believe. Shocking? Not really. Annoying? Extremely.
The yoga pants debate was brought up once again, this time by a Christian podcaster and CEO of an organization called New Christendom Press, Eric Conn. In a Twitter post, Conn unabashedly shared his thoughts on the type of pants women shouldn't wear in public.
Conn's appalling take was met with criticism and proved that men's opinions on women's bodies don't actually matter.
He claimed that women should only be wearing yoga pants around their husbands.
"Acceptable occasions to wear yoga pants... Alone in your house [with] your husband," Conn wrote in his Twitter post. "Working out alone in your private gym while your husband watches you. The end."
Photo: Twitter
He went on, condemning women from wearing yoga pants anywhere where their husbands were not present, and especially not in public. "No public venues. Not social media."
The absurdity of Conn's post was highlighted by many people on social media, including TikTok user Professor Neil, an English professor from Canada who often educates his followers about social issues happening in the world.
"In subsequent tweets, he compared wearing yoga pants in public to walking around nude," Neil said in his video. "Did I mention he also has a podcast? Because of course, he does."
Neil acknowledged that if Conn ever saw his video, he might be a bit scandalized by what he had on, which was a plain T-shirt. In classic teacher style, Neil pointed out that the modern T-shirt was originally made from a 2-piece union suit, which was just another style of women's underwear at the time.
"Before men started wearing the union suit it was marketed and made specifically for women and it wasn't until Hollywood made it hot that men started to wear them all by their lonesome," Neil continued.
Photo: TikTok
"So if we're going to call out women for wearing indecent yoga pants in public maybe we should do something about men running around in women's underwear, too?"
Of course, if we began telling men like Conn that they weren't allowed to wear T-shirts because of that reasoning, they would scream at how ridiculous such a notion was. Case in point.
Why are women consistently told that it's only acceptable for them to wear certain clothes around their husbands, or to not wear a particular item of clothing at all?
People were unimpressed by Conn's unwarranted opinion on yoga pants. In the Twitter replies underneath Conn's post, many people were quick to denounce his take on when and where women should be wearing yoga pants.
"This type of discourse will never not be funny to me because men who feel this way really just have a hard time controlling their sexual thoughts and urges when they see women's body parts," one Twitter user pointed out. "[They] would rather have women change their clothes than learn to not objectify women."
Another user took it upon themselves to correct Conn's tweet. "Acceptable occasions to wear yoga pants… When I want to wear them."
"You can be a good Christian without tendencies to oppress women. I don't get why so many of you young men think taking jabs at women should be part of your rotation," a third user remarked.
By viewing women's bodies as objects or possessions it reduces their agency and disregards their personhood. All individuals deserve to be seen and treated as whole human beings, not just as objects of desire or control.
Giving women the agency to make decisions about their own bodies, including choices related to clothing, appearance, and health, not only empowers them to express themselves authentically but to also take ownership of their lives.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.