For a solid three years, my outfits were almost exactly the same: some sweatshirt with a cheesy phrase and pitch-black leggings that I wished were Lululemon instead of Gap. I’d like to say that I have a better sense of style at this point, and I can mainly attribute such a success to ditching the slim yet bland, thin attire that could barely even be called pants.

In practically all middle schools, you will see a quorum of students clad in yoga pants lining the halls. Middle school is the inception of most students’ fashion sense, so it’s no surprise that this style is somewhat juvenile. However, so many people continue to compile such outfits past their years in junior high.

When practical, these pants offer a chic yet simple look, such as during sports or a workout. They are comfortable and easy, and they go with pretty much any top that is yanked out of the closet. These traits present a double-edged sword, though; the versatility causes these pants to be overused in daily apparel.

The combinations including leggings that are void of style are plentiful yet varying in a degree of vileness. The lesser end of this includes longer sweaters paired with blank blackboards, while the more severe end contains mismatched combos of crop tops and leggings. The long sweater look is cute and cozy, but the yoga pants subtract from the warm vibe by being thin and chilling. On the other hand, the half-shirt and Lululemon classics combo looks unfinished and a weird mismatch of two popular styles that do not fit together whatsoever. 

One of the average arrangements that fall in the center of this spectrum is the hoodie, leggings, and Nike socks. I’ll admit that this is pretty much what I wore every single day for about three years in a row. It’s very uninteresting, but if the style isn’t the main focus in the selection of an outfit, it’s really not that awful. However, many people who wear this are attempting to jump on a trend that should have died out years ago.

Although most of my grievances are towards the classic black leggings, patterned leggings can be just as bad—if not worse. Most of these patterned pants look tacky and immature, as well as being nearly impossible to match with anything. 

Fortunately, this is not the case with every pair. One of my favorite earthy tones that Lululemon offers for its famous leggings is the dark olive color. It’s dark and cozy, maintaining neutrality while not being too bland. There are also a few patterns that I don’t dislike, such as the Heritage 365 Camo Deep Coal Multi, due to its ability to subtly spice up a typically less exciting pair. 

Another way to lace uniqueness into a less-than-stellar piece of clothing is to change the construction of it. Aerie does a wonderful job with this, and it is displayed well in their options of leggings. Flare leggings are resurfacing currently as a more original take and more modern styles such as the Real Me Xtra High Waisted Crossover Ruffle Legging, the Seamless Washed Rib High Waisted Legging, and the Goals High Waisted Pocket legging. These varied materials and fits add another layer of style to the normally tasteless pants.

Despite the variety that the pants can offer, it’s fairly uncommon to see these, and unoriginal black pants continue to dominate. Such leggings don’t measure up to the number of unique and expressive other types of pants offered, such as baggy jeans and other wide-leg varieties. 

In a world of origami and sculptures, leggings are a simple doodle. Though they are extremely slimming, comfortable, and practical, they would never be my first choice when it comes to a fashionable outfit. There are so many more complex and variegated choices of pants, and leggings are so two-dimensional in comparison.