Spandex is from Satan: a discussion on modesty

I have never been a big fan of Spandex. I mean, it has its uses in certain undergarments. It IS nice to have a little help holding in the tummy every now and then. But wearing something that was meant to be used as an undergarment, out...by itself...in public? That's just wrong.  And you know as well as I do that the very people that SHOULDN'T wear Spandex in public, are most often the very ones that DO wear it out in public!

I'm not going to address men wearing Spandex right now because that is disturbing on too many levels. (And before all you wrestlers and bikers get all bent out of shape, I KNOW your little singlets and bike riding outfits help you perform better at your sport....but it's still gross. Sorry.)

What gets me, is that some people really think that it is OK to wear Spandex out shopping, or out "on the town". Now I know occasionally, you will see a tiny little, super fit aerobics instructor type run into a Kangaroo or RaceTrac to grab a Gatorade on her way to class, and she will be wearing Spandex. But MOST OF THE TIME it's not the personal trainer types that are out flaunting their elastic. Most of you who are reading this post have been at Walmart at one time or another and have gotten behind a rather hefty lady wearing hot pink (or any other color) Spandex shorts (and usually a tank top).  I  know the thought that went through your mind because it is the same thought that goes through pretty much everybody's mind! "WHAT. WAS. SHE. THINKIN'?"  Repeat after me: "Wearing anything that shows innocent bystanders ever wrinkle, crease, bump and bulge in ANY part of your body is NOT ok!"

But seeing the disturbing sights at Walmart, the mall, or Riverbend is not really the reason I think Spandex is from the Devil. (although those things do make a pretty good argument...)

So why am I so in a wad about Spandex? Because I have daughters, that's why!! A brief anecdote:
Several years ago, my daughter Karly came home talking about the horrendous color guard uniform that had been chosen for the group to wear. She said it looked like a clown suit, and it was tight. She went on and on about how horrible it was. I could not even imagine what in the world the thing looked like. Then. I saw it. It really was worse than what she had described. Now for those of you who know Karly, you know she is very tall and extremely slender. Some would even say she is just plain skinny! If anybody could get away with wearing a Spandex unitard, Karly could. When she tried it on for me, I was appalled. NOT that she looked bad IN it....the outfit itself was just hideous! It left absolutely NOTHING to the imagination concerning Karly's body.  And my little girl was going to have to get out in front of hundreds of people every Friday night and dance around in this garb. Every time I thought about the boys (and grown men for that matter) that would be ogling at her and the other girls from the stands, I got more livid than I was before at the idiot who chose those outfits. Obviously, HE didn't have daughters, and HE didn't find anything wrong with prancing around in Spandex unitards, but I sure did!!! The other less important, but still serious issue was the fact that not all the girls on the color guard that year were Karly's size. There were some pretty big girls on the team. My heart just broke for them every week when they had to get out on the football field and dance around in their multicolored, skin tight, non-figure flattering uniform. You could almost hear the snickers and rude comments coming from the red necks in the stands.

So that was my first experience having one of my daughters have to wear Spandex in public. My other experience really just happened a couple of years ago and is kind of on-going. Kelly started playing volleyball when she was in the 8th grade. I had never watched a volleyball game in my life that I could remember. I don't remember it AS MUCH when she was in 8th grade, but when she started playing in the 9th grade, I was dumbfounded at some of the uniforms the girls on the other teams wore. Their Spandex shorts looked like underwear!! Some of them were about a 2" inseam!! I was shocked. (I do want to stop for a second right here and give MAJOR props to Kelly's then volleyball coaches, Becky Forkner and Brandi Womack. They did not let the girls get Spandex shorts for their uniform! And believe me, they got some back lash from the girls AND some of the girls' parents!! That's what I could NOT believe! There were some parents  of girls on the team who WANTED the girls to wear the Spandex shorts!!!) Our girls wore a fantastic looking uniform that included blue athletic style shorts. They were VERY classy looking and did not inhibit the performance of the girls AT ALL!!

 Now I KNOW that I'm not going to win any popularity contests from many volleyball players and some coaches. Thankfully though, I DON'T CARE!!! It's not about me being popular. It's about me being concerned about how my daughter presents herself in a public arena. BELIEVE me. Kelly and I went round and round about this last year, and I fully anticipate that we will battle it out again this year. When the girls are warming up and doing all those crazy stretches they have to do to prepare for the game, their butts are often in the air. And it's not JUST during warm ups. These girls are all over the floor during a game! When they are wearing skin tight shorts with a 2" or even a 3" inseam, a LOT more is visible to spectators than they should EVER see!!  When you consider that a great many of those spectators are men and boys...naw baby naw.... I DO NOT want my daughter's body on display at a volleyball game (or any other time for that matter!!)! I want people noticing what an awesome serve she had, or what a great block she made, NOT that she has a really cute butt!!!

 It is no secret that men/boys are very visual creatures. It does not take much to get their imaginations whirling. When a group of teen age girls, some with VERY well developed bodies, pour themselves into skin tight, SUPER short shorts, one can only IMAGINE where a man's mind can take off to! (Actually, I don't really WANT to imagine that, but you get my point!)

And please don't give me the argument that the Spandex shorts makes it easier to move around on the court. Have you ever noticed that most volleyball teams' shirts are long sleeved? The girls use their legs a LOT, but they use their arms even more. If something needed to be unencumbered, would you not think it would be their arms?? If that is the case, then ALL volleyball uniform shirts should be sleeveless!! But they aren't.

You know as well as I do that kids more often than not want to do what is accepted or cool. That is many times NOT the same as what is right or what makes the most sense. So as parents (or coaches) we need to stand up and say, "NO. Your body is NOT going to be put on display at this sporting event. Your athletic ability is." or "NO. You are NOT going to go to the mall dressed like a hooker." Whatever the case may be.

So bringing it all together here...is Spandex really from Satan? No. It's not. Mr. Sandquist and Mr. Shivers did a good thing way back there in 1959 when they created this weird material. It has some really great uses. However those uses DO NOT include, shopping attire (at Walmart or anywhere else!), date night attire (the movies, a restaurant, or Riverbend!) OR volleyball attire!