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$200 Alo Yoga sweatpants. Lululemon Align tanks. The Rag & Bone Sweatpant Jeans. Without argument, athleisure has taken the world by storm. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, when people had no choice but to stay home, society just doesn’t seem to dress up for everyday activities like they used to. Celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber set the casual trends, frequently seen sporting leggings in the streets of Los Angeles. The psychology that dressing well enhances performance is scientifically proven true, so what is leisure fashion doing in contrast?

 

Many countries around the world, such as Italy and Japan, take pride in their sense of fashion. The majority of these populations would not be caught wearing sweatpants outside their homes, while for Americans, athleisure is everyday wear. America’s obsession with athleisure has become more obvious over time, yet it spiked in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Forbes, data from True Fit’s Fashion Genome (via Direct Commerce), which analyzed 17,000 brands and 180 million users, confirms that athleisure orders jumped 84% since the start of the pandemic. Comfort trumped style with the rise of remote learning and virtual work days. Fashion seemed to regress since there was little to dress up for, which is how athleisure started trending again. 

 

Athleisure has been popular American attire across multiple decades. According to fashion content writer Victor Gosselin, 1977 is often regarded as “the turning point in sports aesthetics” with the rise of “jogger-mania” in the United States. The 1980s brought Jane Fonda’s fitness sessions and aerobics crazes, further fueling the appeal for fashionable athleisure. In 1998, Lululemon pioneered the modern athleisure movement with the launch of its “Boogie Pants.” Lululemon prioritizes function over fashion and is now established as a trademark athleisure-streetwear brand donned by people all over the world—even celebrities.

 

Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber are famous victims of the leisurewear takeover. Paparazzi frequently capture them in matching workout sets during their trips to health food stores like Erewhon, reinforcing wellness culture in mainstream media. Fashionable athleisure contributes to rising trends in the workout world, such as the “pilates princess” aesthetic, which emphasizes femininity in exercise culture. 

 

Leisurewear is more about practicality than style for those with busy schedules who may prioritize comfort during long school or work hours. However, the psychology behind fashion proves that wearing more formal attire for work makes one more motivated, efficient, and confident in their skin, according to BBC. “Dressing up” means different things for different people, but generally, it does not involve leisurewear. 

 

The dilemma of comfort over style is extremely prevalent on college campuses across the United States. College students have active schedules and sometimes must bounce from class to class without any breaks in between. This tempts many to opt for sweatpants and hoodies, but the unspoken pressure to put on a cute outfit for class every day still remains. At Syracuse University, this pressure is evident, as the school is buzzing with fashion-related majors and organizations full of stylish students. Seeing students dressed in their best on the quad can be both inspiring and draining for those who tend to sport leisurewear in class and would rather learn in comfort. 

 

Theodora Petses, a first-year student at Syracuse studying accounting, comes from a small town in New Jersey where leisurewear was the staple. When Petses came to Syracuse University, she was very surprised at how much effort the students put into their outfits. “At my high school, it was weird when anyone wore something other than sweatpants,” Petses said. She expressed that she feels much more comfortable trying new styles and dressing up since coming to Syracuse, mostly because every student has such a unique individual sense of fashion that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Her experience highlights how casualwear often becomes the default in places, making personal expression feel stifled.

 

Throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie is the easy solution to feeling comfortable all day. However, society as a whole in America has become significantly more unmotivated to work hard and feel their best. With leisurewear becoming even more normalized after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to recognize that people, especially students, are still re-adjusting to a world where it is okay to wear clothes that are a little out there. At the end of the day, everyone has their own unique style. It’s time the world takes a step outside their comfort zone and starts to appreciate discomfort for the sake of fashion once more.