Opinion: Outlawing yoga pants

Lauren Gump

Republican David Moore, a Montana lawmaker, proposed a bill to make yoga pants illegal last month. He introduced House Bill 365 in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, which proposes extending the law to include clothes that expose the nipples, or give the appearance or simulate a person’s buttocks, genitals, or pelvic area.

Moore wanted to change the law after a group of naked cyclists biked through his city of Missoula in August.

The punishment for breaking this law: arrest, and a possible fine or jail time! A panel is working to kill Moore’s proposal. Members of the House Judiciary Committee have unanimously voted to table the bill. This law has already sparked controversy on Facebook and Twitter with women arguing over it. Most women own a pair of yoga pants, and yoga pants to some, is all they wear.

They are comfortable and casual, easy to work out in and great to wear when you don’t feel like wearing jeans. Many women practicing yoga wear yoga pants. So how are they going to fit that law around yoga? There are many yoga pants that can be seen through and meant to have a shirt covering your bottom, but many girls either don’t notice or don’t care; so the crowd behind them see the under garments they’re wearing, or even the buttocks. Agreed, yoga pants do simulate the bottoms of women, which attract attention from people all around. But it’s that woman’s decision if she wants to wear a long shirt or just a regular t-shirt with what she’s wearing. I doubt that this proposal will become a law because of the simple fact that yoga pants are popular and people will fight to wear them.

I wear yoga pants once in a while, not as much as some women do. I’m more of a jeans type of girl. However, I would be exasperated if they banned yoga pants. They’re comfortable when you want to relax or just don’t feel like wearing jeans. There are some yoga pants that are see-through and I think those are the ones that should be banned. They disgust me and I can’t believe women would want their undergarments or butt showing.

My friends wear yoga pants all of the time. I don’t think they could see themselves without them for a day. After a long day, they always take their jeans off and throw on yoga pants because they’re so comfortable.

I don’t think this law will pass because there will be so many protests. So many women wear yoga pants and they, along with myself, would be outraged.

I don’t understand why he would want to ban yoga pants in the first place since his reasoning is ridiculous. Cyclists are supposed to wear tight clothing so they can ride their bikes faster, it has nothing to do with yoga pants. That’s what outrages me the most is his unreasonable response to the cyclists.

Contact Lauren Gump at [email protected].