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Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts
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Re: Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:18 pm
UPDATE...

Just to have participated, I made a major change in protocol while at the gym. I walk into the gym with a shirt over my tri-suit...the shirt stays on until spin class starts and the lights go dim, and then I usually put the shirt back on at the end of class, it only comes off again when I get into the pool area. Between spin classes I run on the treadmill in a trekking class led by an instructor and about 5-8 other women, we're all facing an exterior window with the instructor in front of us. I have NEVER removed my shirt while out on the open floor and in well-illuminated area...just the spin room or pool.

Well, yesterday it seemed a bit warmer and more humid out on the floor then ever...and I was sweating and going at it harder....so I just decided, right there in the middle of the gym floor in solid lighting...to pop my shirt. The moment I did, it felt cooler and I'm glad I went down to tri-suit only. None of the girls running next to me really noticed, but the instructor put her eyes on me a few times and perhaps some people passing by behind us may have noticed. Will I make it more of a regular thing? Not sure...we'll see, but I did push the limits again and went somewhere I hadn't previously gone. So I answered-up to the challenge! :)

On another note, in all honesty...it wasn't that big a deal. I'm in a gym exercising, nobody seemed to either notice nor care. It's like we've said: in OUR minds it's a major thing, but in reality it's so dismissive that it's often irrelevant.
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Re: Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts

Unread postby mpmb » Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:09 pm
Good on you - you do have to push the boundaries in slow steps from wherever you feel comfortable. I started wearing spandex when cycling abroad, then away from home, then at quiet times of the day, then...

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Re: Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:12 am
Thanks MP!

When I really think about it, my moving forward has pretty much everything to do with my mental mindset. As I continue to lose weight and get in shape, I feel more confident about wearing spandex...because, after all, it's really the job of the spandex to show-off the shape of the body underneath. So it's not that I'm just getting more ballsy or not caring about possibly offending people, it's more that I'm getting leaner, stronger and feeling confident about what I'm essentially presenting.

I met one gal whose grandest ambition was to be CatWomen for Halloween, she just really wanted to wear the PVC all-black catsuit & heels and walk around in quasi-public. She lost a lot of weight, trained hard and marginally pulled it off. What I found most arousing was how fascinated and determined she was to slither into a body-tight outfit like that....that's the kind of gal we all want. Ironically, I've since seen her and she's totally ballooned-out into a ball of flab.

Anyways, it still comes down to having that confidence and women eat that up. There may be a few people who look at me and think "wtf?"....and then there's the people who don't notice or care...but there are always going to be a few people who do notice and like what they see. I know this sounds corny, but I sometimes wonder if any of the gals in spin-class sit around at lunch with their friends and somehow I'm brought-up in the conversation...hopefully I'm "that guy/hunk in the tri-suit" who is, as they say, "hot"...or maybe I'm even the object of fantasy when they're at home alone diddling, lol. Who knows, but heck...I'll take my inspiration & motivation where I can get it! Delusional, perhaps...but I've had a bit of feedback here and there that would suggest otherwise. :D
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Re: Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts

Unread postby musicman27 » Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:21 am
U are the Spandex King dude! :D Live long DT! I love everything u said in this post and will follow ;)

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Re: Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:50 am
^Right you are. In all honesty if it weren't for DT I would've never signed up to this site. It all began when my friend iLycra was browsing through the forum. He showed me a few topics and one post that I really liked was DT's. That made me sign up later on to reply to him. :mrgreen:
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Re: Sporty Girl biking wearing tight spandex cycling shorts

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Mon Aug 09, 2010 2:28 pm
Well thanks guys!

I'm just a typical guy like either of you, but I rather enjoy taking my fascination with spandex/lycra and, in a cathertic manner, expressing it in writing....it's really helped me sort-out and come to terms with the whole subject. Having dissected, discussed and chatted about it, it's really changed the way I've come to think about it. It's gone from a dark internal secret to something I'm far more comfortable with.

The greatest 'gift' I've gotten from this process is going from feeling like I had a closet-fetish (that made me feel a bit freaky)...to the realization that it's not uncommon, not unusual, not a sickness, perversion or mental disorder...and that it's really nothing more then a deep admiration for the way a fabric looks on the body. I don't entirely like the word "fetish", but I guess that's what it is.

As I see it, we are inherently cast with certain desires and drives. We're made to feel thirsty to ensure we drink and give our bodies water. We're also driven with hunger to eat. Without these 'drives' we'd just perish. If you really think about it, much of what we do is driven by unseen or unrealized incentives. The species need to procreate is fulfilled by a sexual drive. Understanding that drive is as complex as the universe, but we all know how our mind can dramatically alter 1 minute before or 10 seconds after an orgasm. Somewhere along the line, our sense of sexuality is tapped into the flowing lines and skin-tight sensation that is spandex. Perhaps it looks so good on a women that we, ourselves, wanted to tap into this and experience it as well. The good news is that we don't have to do it in a secretive manner and today men can wear spandex in an appropriate and acceptible way, the only caveat being that it's most acceptible while we're swimming, running, cycling, at the gym or involved in sports.

All I can say for sure is that I don't think I could have made this huge change (lost weight, gotten in shape, etc) without the incentive and pleasure of wearing spandex...so it's truly been a VERY beneficial element in my life, dare I say a blessing.
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This is what killed it!
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This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Sat May 29, 2010 5:39 pm
I don't normally start topics or post comments but I've always been a passionate person to express my opinions on why unitards/leotards were slowly phased out. I know this isn't the core reason behind it's demise but the attitude does explain why many people found these types of attire inappropriate.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... 6844,13775

&

http://www.hilaryshepherd.com/rantsnrav ... 0s-062785/

Banned and banned. Sums it up really. When you have a society that bans unitards or catsuits for being too sexy but allows women to wear mini-skirts and show more skin instead, then you know that the world has completely lost it.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby savethespandex » Sat May 29, 2010 6:08 pm
ABSOLUTELY FREAKING RIGHT! Then again, the firt story smapled originated from Kansas, a state that is rife with ignorant, tight-assed hypocrites. Then again, much the same can be said about Wimbledon.
You're damned right I'd rather see women wear tights! Does anyone have a problem with that?

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Sun May 30, 2010 6:49 am
Not wishing to offend the State of Kansas or its people or anything but the 'tight-assed hypocrites' are nothing but a TV cliche. Even the hardline conservatives have a remarkably snide secret of loving to endower their women in tight-assed unitards, albeit behind closed curtains while they tuck away all their pervs after closing the front door behind them after they get in.

For America and England, it's still shocking. God Bless Italy and co, I guess.

I'll tell you one thing though. I'm glad noone in the West saw the perversion in women dressed in sexy catsuits during Equestrian Vaulting tournaments, otherwise that would've been thrown out into the trash as well.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby laura_06 » Sun May 30, 2010 4:30 pm
When I exercise at home I still wear a leotard and tights or a unitard because it is the most comfortable and practical wear. It's simple not fun after exercising on the ground and then having to peel yourself off the mat.

Shorts & shirts either ride up or fall down, a leotard just stays in place (ok maybe a little butt rise :lol:)

Hopeful other women will return to the comfort of a leotard, and oh yeah it feels sexy.

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Mon May 31, 2010 1:12 am

laura_06 wrote:When I exercise at home I still wear a leotard and tights or a unitard because it is the most comfortable and practical wear. It's simple not fun after exercising on the ground and then having to peel yourself off the mat.

Shorts & shirts either ride up or fall down, a leotard just stays in place (ok maybe a little butt rise :lol:)

Hopeful other women will return to the comfort of a leotard, and oh yeah it feels sexy.

 

Ughh yeah....pretty much making you my newest favorite person!! :D

In the privacy of my own home gym, I too enjoy wearing a wrestling singlet (same thing in my avatar)...it's crazy-comfortable and really lets me see my form in the mirror. One day I went back to shorts & shirt, it felt so incredibly wrong...I can totally understand why leotards/unitards were popular in their day. There is nothing fun about getting sweaty-drippy wet in a shirt & shorts, but the singlet...you may be all wet but it just doesn't feel all heavy & floppy.

On Monday nights I head to the gym to take a spin-class and then play racquetball...so I wear a cycling bib and a sleeveless almost-snug fitting Nike, Champion or UnderArmour shirt...very comfortable in spin (as I need the padding & compression)....but when I'm done & heading to racquetball, I no longer try to slide some shorts over the spandex...I just play as is, no hassles. I'll tell you straight-up, it gives me several advantages...not only is it very comfortable and allows me to move really quick & agile, but the snug fit definitely helps when we play doubles and that ball is flying around...it's quite common that someone will get clipped by the ball and lose a rally, too many times the baggy shorts or floppy shirts snag the passing ball.

But yeah....lycra condemnation by the conservative forces amist, quite unfortunate!
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby LA Lycra-Spandex » Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:33 pm

Lycra Clad wrote:I don't normally start topics or post comments but I've always been a passionate person to express my opinions on why unitards/leotards were slowly phased out. I know this isn't the core reason behind it's demise but the attitude does explain why many people found these types of attire inappropriate.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... 6844,13775

&

http://www.hilaryshepherd.com/rantsnrav ... 0s-062785/

Banned and banned. Sums it up really. When you have a society that bans unitards or catsuits for being too sexy but allows women to wear mini-skirts and show more skin instead, then you know that the world has completely lost it.

 

I don't believe that's what killed it... those were two separate & isolated incidents. I disagree with those decisions though -- a committee filled with "old-fashioned" guys scared of change went against the unitards & catsuit.

Anway, those incidents took place in the 80's, and unitards & leotards continued to be worn in gyms throughout the 90's. I think they started dying out by the mid-late 90's. My gym has archived photos on the walls, and I saw pictures of a dance class from 2000, and the instructor was wearing a leotard with bike shorts, as was a student.

The choice clothing for women at gyms these days seems to be bootcut yoga pants & capri tights -- usually in black. I was on a fitness forum and some woman asked about if she could wear a leotard to the gym... most of the women said it wouldn't be a good idea. A few of the women who were old enough in the 80's & 90's said that they wore leotards but are glad they don't anymore because it was impractical -- going to the bathroom especially... having to take off the leotard and pull down the tights underneath.

I tried to figure out why leotards became worn for exercise in the first place (the late 70's and in to the 80's)... and I think it has to do the fact that it was originally worn for dance & ballet (and still is today), and dance & exercise started to get fused together in the late 70's in to "aerobics"... it was only natural that dance apparel would be worn for aerobics/exercise. So while a leotard with tights is traditionally worn for dance/ballet, I think as trends/fashion change over time, women began to see leotards with tights for just exercising as being impractical, a nuisance, and silly looking.

I do however always hear about the "older woman" at the gym who never get out of the 80's and 90's and still wears thong leotards or other vintage spandex. There are two women at my gym that are like that. One is in about her 60's, and while she doesn't wear leotards, she does wear long unitards with the thick scrunchie socks pulled over it with classic white Reeboks, as if it's 1991 all over again. The other woman like that is in about her 40's and wears a headband with these colorful vintage Asics bike shorts that are teal, black, and grey, and have to be from before 1996. Does your gym have one of these "time capsule" women?
Last edited by LA Lycra-Spandex on Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:19 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby LA Lycra-Spandex » Tue Jun 01, 2010 2:35 pm

laura_06 wrote:When I exercise at home I still wear a leotard and tights or a unitard because it is the most comfortable and practical wear. It's simple not fun after exercising on the ground and then having to peel yourself off the mat.

Shorts & shirts either ride up or fall down, a leotard just stays in place (ok maybe a little butt rise :lol:)

Hopeful other women will return to the comfort of a leotard, and oh yeah it feels sexy.

 

But I would love for you to wear it in the gym! If I were a woman I'd be on a personal crusade to try to bring the leotard back! Not necessarily wear it ALL the time, but once in a while to the gym.

Have you ever worn the leotard & tights to the gym?

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:31 pm

LA Lycra-Spandex wrote:I don't believe that's what killed it... those were two separate & isolated incidents. I disagree with those decisions though -- a committee filled with "old-fashioned" guys scared of change went against the unitards & catsuit.

Well to me it certainly seems like they played a role in killing it and making it look slutty or dirty from a public perspective. At least, that's what they did to me and my co-partner when we tried to take the initiative of starting a Melifas group based in our community. But yeah, I suppose it's not the largest cause behind its demise but the ban is certainly useless for a society that deems itself fairly liberal, or 'open-minded' to the extent that they allow women (and little girls) wear skirts and show some skin. But heaven forbid the thought of spandex! Nope, it's the holy fabric and must not be touched with sin... Lol.

Anway, those incidents took place in the 80's, and unitards & leotards continued to be worn in gyms throughout the 90's. I think they started dying out by the mid-late 90's. My gym has archived photos on the walls, and I saw pictures of a dance class from 2000, and the instructor was wearing a leotard with bike shorts, as was a student.

Granted, they – spandex - had lived a fancy life throughout almost 3 decades (70s, 80s and 90s). But Im sure as we neared the year 2000, more and more of these 'incidents' popped up without us knowing anything about it.

I'll tell you one thing. You may have not heard of this woman but she's an Egyptian belly dancer who goes by the name 'Fifi Abdo'. Well Fifi Abdo is the sex symbol and darling of the liberal and secular Arab world. She has been for many decades. So back in 1997 Fifi was starring in yet another theatrical play while tallying countless of previous others. This play goes by the title ‘Hazemni Ya’ which translates to ‘Belt me up’ in Arabic. Anyway, mid-way through the show, Fifi comes out wearing a green cloak over her body, like an overcoat. She dances and spins around and then suddenly removes the cloak, to reveal a sexy green spandex catsuit/unitard. She dances around in it for 5 minutes. It grabbed men by their balls and made the women enter some sort of a coma in the process haha. So after the show was over, 3 groups of people had their say:

1. The first group loved the catsuit and applauded her for the courage to dance in it.
2. The second group didn’t like it and mocked it. They called her a green pea coming out of a soup. Some said she had an accident in the glitter factory lol. Funny stuff. Sure they didn’t like it but they didn’t condemn it either.
3. The third group said it was a disgrace, even for belly dancing liberal standards.

The following week, the studio behind this show imposed a new rule: a ban on all unitards/catsuits. One month following it, Egyptian newspapers said the ban was imposed de-facto on all future shows. 4 more shows that included catsuits in that following year were canceled and binned.

The choice clothing for women at gyms these days seems to be yoga pants &. I was on a fitness forum and some woman asked about if she could wear a leotard to the gym... most of the women said it wouldn't be a good idea. A few of the women who were old enough in the 80's & 90's said that they wore leotards but are glad they don't anymore because it was impractical -- going to the bathroom especially... having to take off the leotard and pull down the tights underneath.

I tried to figure out why leotards became worn for exercise in the first place (the late 70's and in to the 80's)... and I think it has to do the fact that it was originally worn for dance & ballet (and still is today), and dance & exercise started to get fused together in the late 70's in to "aerobics"... it was only natural that dance apparel would be worn for aerobics/exercise. So while a leotard with tights is traditionally worn for dance/ballet, I think as trends/fashion change over time, women began to see leotards with tights for just exercising as being impractical, a nuisance, and silly looking.

I do however always hear about the "older woman" at the gym who never get out of the 80's and 90's and still wears thong leotards or other vintage spandex. There are two women at my gym that are like that. One is in about her 60's, and while she doesn't wear leotards, she does wear long unitards with the thick scrunchie socks pulled over it with classic white Reeboks, as if it's 1991 all over again. The other woman like that is in about her 40's and wears a headband with these colorful vintage Asics bike shorts that are teal, black, and grey, and have to be from before 1996. Does your gym have one of these "time capsule" women?

I’ve met a few women who said the same thing. They said the leotard but especially the unitard was annoying as hell.

Technically speaking, it’s not just impractical but expensive as well. The material aint cheap and with some knowledge I built in this industry I can testify to that statement.

Ive had women tell me that they love it and Ive had women telling me that they loathed it. The majority seems to hate it, unless they think they can get a man by wearing one, which is a policy we must implement [snicker, snicker].

But yeah when it comes down to practicality, the unitard is a nightmare. Its sexy but comes with its own disadvantages, and the women did a good job putting themselves in the comfort zone while leaving their catsuits to rot in the closet. I still remember how one girl really emphasized her hatred for it, to the extent she claimed that she tore it into bits when her new sports pants was brought home.

Having said that, I do see a small glimpse of the retro era in the gyms; not always though.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:40 pm

DynamicTorque wrote:But yeah....lycra condemnation by the conservative forces amist, quite unfortunate!

Here's the irony, dude. The irony is that those 'conservative' folk are anything BUT conservative. If you insist on living an ideal lifestyle, do so between yourself and your lord. But dont get us involved in it as well. Its like a friend once told me, theyre all a bunch of closet homosexuals. Outside the closet, theyll do anything to diffuse any suspicion from their friends and relatives about how 'straight' they are. So they publicly condemn homosexuality, try to enforce laws agaisnt it, etc. But inside their private closets, they practice homosexuality like the Mardi Gras!

Im telling you, its all downright hypocrisy. Ive met women who I call closet lycrans. They publicly spread their hate speech about such material but deep down inside they love strutting in a unitard with their alter egos, knowing and fully aware of the men who will drool over it (or even masturbate haha!).

Its all pathetic double standards, mate. Those same people banning the suits and the leos or unis are the very people who secrelty love it. When they grab ahold of their 'obedient' slave-wives in private, they force them to wear it and take them to home base! But the moderates or liberal-minded ones like us cant do that to our wives or women, or else there'll be a huge a hand print on our faces for one whole bloody week.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby savethespandex » Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:06 pm
I know I'll get opposition for this thought, but I blame the whoreporate media for the lack of spandex being seen. Those people have cowed women into thinking spandex is slutty and that chicken pants should replace tights and leotards.

Why else do you see women wearing those dikey chicken pants :twisted: now on fitness shows and sports sidelines?

There also exists an interesting dynamic in that Bible-thumpers :twisted: and feminists :roll: have joined forces to cow females into wearing chicken pants. I once complained at work about chicken pants and the female :twisted: I acted it out to accused me of being sexist :roll: .

Once again, double standard.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:00 am
Quick note...love the new banner ad, finally a sponsor the offers products that catch our attention! :)

You know, it's hard to say what "killed" the leotard/unitard in gyms....was it American getting fat and out-of-shape? Was it the whoreperate media who stabbed it in the back? Or pehaps it was just time and a great fad (if not tradition) finally came to an end.....

I must say, L.A. Lycra really made a great point with the way leotards evolved into gyms....it totally make sense that from dance studios the fashion would transition to dance-aerobics classes. But why did it end?

I've heard a few gals talking about it, they'd rather die then walk into a gym wearing a leotard or unitard...it's just fashion suicide. I think there are two cornerstones of objection, the first is that it's just "out" of fashion and anyone caught running that relic of garments would be a joke...but the second makes more sense: women don't want to be accountible to the high standard of near perfection the body-exposing outfit requires. The stakes got too high and let me assure you; women check eachother out and compare like cats!

Look at the 70's....these two were considered Goddesses or bodily perfection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4069PUk3aM0

By today's standards, these girls are chubby and in need of a boot camp. Women today don't want to be accountible to have bodies worth wrapping in lycra....it's far to easy to wear their chicken pants and yoga capri's.

There is one thing I will concede...when I'm wearing my triathlon suits or wrestling singlets, I can just work a leg up and fairly easily go to the bathroom.....but it's not as easy for women; a leotard and especially a unitard is a big-time committment...lots of disrobing required to go to the bathroom!!!! So yeah, they're killer-comfortable and when you get all sweaty you don't have wet/heavy clothing hanging off your body...but the fabric isn't super durable, the cost can be up there, it shows-off every flaw of your body and if you need to go to the bathroom...it can be borderline ridiculous.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:44 am

DynamicTorque wrote:You know, it's hard to say what "killed" the leotard/unitard in gyms....was it American getting fat and out-of-shape? Was it the whoreperate media who stabbed it in the back? Or pehaps it was just time and a great fad (if not tradition) finally came to an end.....

I think we can safely say, DT, that many factors played a part in ending the trend (or at least making it nearly extinct). I remember we once had this kind of conversation in another topic and we all pretty much summed up the demise of spandex based on 3 things:
1. People got fatter.
2. Baggier clothing was introduced and used as a buffer for people who were insecure about their shape.
3. The industry in general went against it, from the corporate media all the way down to music trends. The 70s and 80s were flashy, rock-n-roll eras. The 90s was mostly hip-hop and rap.

But in this topic, my intention was to highlight one further factor that none of us originally thought of: laws & regulations. It also played a pivotal role in sidetracking people's minds about the legitimacy of such attire.

I must say, L.A. Lycra really made a great point with the way leotards evolved into gyms....it totally make sense that from dance studios the fashion would transition to dance-aerobics classes. But why did it end?

Apart from the bannings that this topic mainly discusses (I mentioned 3 already, from the KU girls dance team to the Wimbledon tennis player and even an Egyptian belly dancer / performer), other factors include:
1. The coolness attitude. The general perception of unitards and leotards started to look stupid in the eyes of many people.
2. Efficiency. The attire became more inefficient than its rivaled sports/dancewear.

I've heard a few gals talking about it, they'd rather die then walk into a gym wearing a leotard or unitard...it's just fashion suicide. I think there are two cornerstones of objection, the first is that it's just "out" of fashion and anyone caught running that relic of garments would be a joke...but the second makes more sense: women don't want to be accountible to the high standard of near perfection the body-exposing outfit requires. The stakes got too high and let me assure you; women check eachother out and compare like cats!

Look at the 70's....these two were considered Goddesses or bodily perfection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4069PUk3aM0

By today's standards, these girls are chubby and in need of a boot camp. Women today don't want to be accountible to have bodies worth wrapping in lycra....it's far to easy to wear their chicken pants and yoga capri's.

There is one thing I will concede...when I'm wearing my triathlon suits or wrestling singlets, I can just work a leg up and fairly easily go to the bathroom.....but it's not as easy for women; a leotard and especially a unitard is a big-time committment...lots of disrobing required to go to the bathroom!!!! So yeah, they're killer-comfortable and when you get all sweaty you don't have wet/heavy clothing hanging off your body...but the fabric isn't super durable, the cost can be up there, it shows-off every flaw of your body and if you need to go to the bathroom...it can be borderline ridiculous.

Good points once again, DT. I’ve familiarized myself with these clothes in my line of work and there is a huge disadvantage in how difficult it is wearing one. It’s also very expensive and the material is almost always out beaten by the chicken or yoga pants.

Anyway back to the original statement I was trying to make in the topic, I do like people to know that I’m not taking a dig at conservatism at all. To the contrary, there’s nothing about spandex that goes against conservatism. If anything, it’s a hell more conservative than showing more skin. But this is a dig at old-aged hypocrisy. Ban this, ban that. The reason it pisses me off so much is that – you might know this already – I tried starting my own Melifas group in my local community and was met by the same group of people who turned Anne White’s Wimbledon show into some global nuclear crisis. And the funny thing is, they’re just doing it to pretend they don’t like it but deep down inside they fantasize over the stuff.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:29 pm
Lycra-Clad....I hear you on all counts and you make a very valid point. Beyond all the trend & fashion reason, there have been laws, regulations, guidelines and even apparel decrees that have set-back lycra/spandex....and yes, quite often it's people who are closet-advocates forging these movements.

You know what's kinda funny, while a leotard or unitard is very sexy...it's still rather classy in that it's still covering things up. I think the fad has come and gone, but for a couple years gals were wearing soft-fabric sweats that read "Pink" or "Juicy" right across their ass...and they'd wear these pants about as low as they could go, mere fractions of an inch above the ass crack or genitalia, often exposing their lower-back tattoo which, IMO, just screams "Trailer Park Slut". My point: if anything is slutty, improper and vulgar....it's these stupid sweats. I mean seriously, "Pink" is another reference to the vagina and "juicy" has it's vulgar reference too...but somehow this flies with the conservative sect. Go figure.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby laura_06 » Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:26 am

DynamicTorque wrote: if you need to go to the bathroom...it can be borderline ridiculous.

 

Actually it's not too bad. I prefer to wear a long sleeve, turtleneck leotard, which has a zipper up the back and it's not really a hassle to get out of. Lower cut leotards, without a zipper are no problem. The issue is when you start wearing a skirt or something over it.

There's a nice scene in Frasier where Daphne (Jane Leeves) is wearing a white leotard and black tights, under a skirt & jacket. In the scene she undresses and you see her getting out of her leotard (well almost)

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:33 am
LOL...I have a few rear-zip triathlon suits and a few of them are really tough to zip-up on my own. First I start by reaching around from below and trying to push the zipper up as far as it'll go, then I have to reach around from the top and hope I can grab it. Often I have to use a counter to push my elbow. On a few occassions, while chasing an underwater ipod case that I drop down my back while swimming, I've had to ask a few gals in the pool to zip me up; they sure get a kick out of it when a guy has to asked to be zipped-up from the rear, quite a change-up of request.

Long ago when I first started tinkering with lycra & mountain bike riding, I wore a unitard under my shorts & shirt...just for some warmth on the cold morning. Everything was great until I had to go to the bathroom...I probably hiked about 1/4-mile away from the trail to make sure I had privacy. The amount of disassembly was ridiculous: off came the long-sleeve shirt, off came the short-sleeve shirt, off went the shorts, unpeeled down to the knees went the unitard...did my business practically naked....and then reassembly. As compared to pulling down some shorts or shorts & tights...yeah, the unitard is sleek but impractical.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby laura_06 » Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:08 am
If you're struggling with a back zipper, I find that those around the neck badge holders work great. Instead of clipping on to the badge pocket, the clip can be attached to the zipper and once done up I find it's fairly easy to unclip it from the zipper.

I have a couple of leotards/unitards with back zippers and generally I don't find them a problem, but I've got one leotard that the zipper is just a pain, hence the badge holder trick.

Once you start layering clothes, then yeah it can be a pain. But I generally just wear leotard/unitard & tights and it's not a problem.

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Sat Jun 05, 2010 4:42 am
Hmm....kinda odd, unless a leotard has a particularly small opening on the top, I can't imagine it needing a zipper. The Triathlon suit uses a zipper because they like to run the material well up the front to reduce drag through the water....but leotards, unless they have that turtle-neck design, they're usually without zippers.

I enjoy the technical stuff, my tri-suits have zippers, pockets on the back and sides, elastic leg grippers...and lots of graphics and designs, some are even made with up to 18 panels of pieces and have several kinds of materials (mesh, etc). So much fun & variety! :)
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby laura_06 » Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:26 pm

DynamicTorque wrote:Hmm....kinda odd, unless a leotard has a particularly small opening on the top, I can't imagine it needing a zipper. The Triathlon suit uses a zipper because they like to run the material well up the front to reduce drag through the water....but leotards, unless they have that turtle-neck design, they're usually without zippers.

I enjoy the technical stuff, my tri-suits have zippers, pockets on the back and sides, elastic leg grippers...and lots of graphics and designs, some are even made with up to 18 panels of pieces and have several kinds of materials (mesh, etc). So much fun & variety! :)

 

I was talking about a turtleneck leotards. I only have one non-turtleneck leotard that also has a zipper.

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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Sun Jun 06, 2010 3:19 am
Yeah, you did mention the turtle-neck in a previous post...makes sense. Btw, you have a pm (private message).....I well imagine you have several though :)

I love it when women wear leoltards along with skirts, it was incredibly popular back when I was in High School and Junior High (late 70's and early 80's)....when the weather was warm, girls would just slip into a leotard and team it with either a skirt of even shorts, that and either some flip-flops, sandals or whatever. It was sometimes hard to tell if it was a leotard or one-piece bathing suit, but all the shiny fabric and rich colors were a real treat for the eyes. Today, you can sometimes make-out a leotard from a snug tucked-in shirt.

This looks really great with jeans or a skirt, http://store.americanapparel.net/rsa8337.html?cid=30 I bought my wife 2 different colors, she wore them a few times and I've yet to see 'em again in well over a year. Same problem; it defines her little bulge in her tummy and she hates the fabric giving-away her lack of perfect shape.
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Sun Jun 06, 2010 3:38 pm
For the record, I hope this post makes it through to the topic page. Last night I spent nearly half an hour typing everything up until I clicked 'submit' and found myself looking at a blank browser with 'error' written at the top of the screen. Next time I'll make sure I back everything up by copying the text, just in case anything goes wrong again. :roll:

Anyway...

===

DT, I fully agree with you. Leotards and Unitards can be very sexy but also classy at the same time. It's elegent and there's nothing slutty about it, contrary to what some crazy folks say (that's a better term than using 'conservative' since not all conservatives are crazy). I think the biggest problem these people have with such clothing is the naked-like appearance it reveals, even though every inch of skin is covered up. That is especially true with the unitards. A unitard covers the entire body, usually in one colour, so it acts as a second skin. Plus if you add the shine from the material to it and it's like a naked women covered in paint. To some people, it is a lot worse than simply wearing a leotard. If you notice, you'd still find a few remnants of leotards and/or tights in present day. And even though leotards are a rarity these days, unitards are an even BIGGER rarity by comparison. The unitard is somehow more provocative or intimidating to those folks than a leo. And thats because the uni makes a person appear to be naked, whereas the leo only covers the top half of a female's body, thus giving people the impression that she's wearing something. But the unitard tightly wraps the whole body up in one solid colour, making it look like the person is naked. So while some stuff like swimsuits and leotards show more skin, they are in fact more tolerable by society than a unitard, because while the latter covers more skin than the former it still makes the person look more 'naked' than a person wearing a leotard or bikini.

Statistically speaking, it's safe to say both forms of attire were squashed to ground over the past 10-20 years. But if we hypothetically say that sighting a leotard in public was cut down by 75%, then we should make the assumption that unitards were probably eradicated by 95%. And if by a miracle you find someone in a unitard, chances are its matte spandex instead of shiny spandex. You can say the same about leos of course.

In terms of what Laura and you were saying, I don't know about the comfort since my manhood never tempted me to wear one lol. But from my line of work and from my experience in the industry sector, I can pitch in a couple of my own points. I did deal with handling these fabrics in my lifetime and I can safely say the following. Another reason why we dont see unitards or leotards a lot today, apart from the 'nakedness' issue I mentioned two paragraphs ago, is the cost and expense of designing such attire. They can be quite costly. Yoga and chicken pants are much cheaper to make, hands down. And theyre more profitable. Spandex is a very durable material. You can quickly or easily tear a hole in a unitard if youre not too careful and that basically means you have to buy yourself another unitard in the store that isnt very cheap either. And after washing it a couple of times, the material seems to wear off by itself and lose its elasticity. Another thing is, the economic burden of designing a spandex wear is time consuming and requires lots of resources to be used. Even when comparing leotards to unitards, the leotard is a clear winner because it requires less spandex than the former. Therefore its cheaper in comparison to the unitard and doesnt get ripped quite as easily, unless you intentionally do what those ripping-fetishists do on youtube.

So the unitard loses against the leotard on both grounds. On the social level, it is easily victimized as more sexually revolting than a leo due to its naked-like appearance, despite the fact it covers more skin. And from an economic point of view, while both are on the losing grounds compared to alternative lines of clothing, the leotard still beats the unitard when only these 2 are compared together.

One last thing Id like to say is, again I dont know about Laura's experience but many women told me (mostly ones I met in gyms) that the unitard was the worst thing they could wear in terms of ease of use. It was very impractical, as you said and many women found it tedious. And even when me and my co-partner failed in starting our own Melifas business, we then looked to participate in financing an equestrian vaulting club from another country that we no currently reside in. And the vaulters we met all say the same thing. During training sessions, we normally find them vaulting in casual clothes. Some say the unitard even restricts total freedom and that may be true, especially when compared to a leotard with no leggings or sleeves.

However, the final thought Im gonna leave you guys with is this interesting phenomenon of why America got fat. America got fat cause after it started wearing chicken or yoga pants, the sweating quickly became a problem, compared to spandex sportswear. Meaning the people ended up working out much less than before cause their clothes felt heavier a lot quicker and became more annoying. Just a thing I thought of recently hehe.
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This is what killed it!
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby DynamicTorque » Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:05 am
LC...

No surprise I'm replying...we do endulge ourselves in such conversation. First-off, let me say that I know your pain when you go to hit 'submit' only to find some kind of freeze-up or error message occurs...only to lose a half-hour of substantial thought/text. When I type more then a paragraph, I'll always do a copy & paste into an email..it's saved my butt on several occassions. I'd suggest you do the same.

As usual, you make a lot of insightful & excellent points. To elaborate on one of your points, the leotard is probably more acceptible (then the unitard) on account of it's resemblance to a one-piece bathing suit. In fact, I'm not even sure where the distinction is made...bathing suits will generally have a crotch liner and they're made of material typically intended to be resistant to damage from chlorine and UV-light....so yeah, they're intended to hide the genatlia once the fabric is wet and the material is made to get wet and have exposure to pool chemicals...but beyond that, the cut, design and pattern is VERY similar. Since we see LOTS of women at beaches & pools wearing one-piece bathing suits, it's all the more palatable to see a gal in a leotard....it's just not as unique & different as the unitard.

Back in my school days, as I previously mentioned, it was incredibly trendy for gals to wear their leotards and then tag it with a skirt, shorts or even jeans. Many of the girls who didn't have parents willing to blow big coin on expensive Capezio leotards instead just wore their one-piece bathing suits...why not? The bathings suits often had patterns, designs and a more shiny appearance.

The uniard was a bit of a hybrid, it was almost like "oh look, we came-out with the technology to make a one-piece body suit" and the uni was born. I would imagine the key advantage was that the unitard didn't have "ass-creep"...the tendency for the "V" to creep upwards & inwards as the leotard has. It's so funny how we see "clearing" even today, right there in front of us while around a populated pool area, a woman will think nothing of reaching behind her butt with both hands and using a finger on each hand to simultaneously pull out & down her ass coverage. I suppose it's just a necessary evil. So there's one nice advantage, along comes the unitard and no longer do women need to clear their ass from the 'creep'

And again, you're right...the lack of torso definition allows the unitard to show the entire body as if it were painted or covered with a 2nd skin. No need for a women to decide just how high she wants her leotard to rise over the leg, or what kind of cut/exposure she wants on her ass...the uni covers it all....BUT this brings a new problem to the equation, the women loses leg, torso and ass definition...she can't play games with patterns, coverage or visual illusions...I submit to you that the unitard demands an even more perfect body to pull-off....because it really shows off the body so perfectly....it's just color over the skin, whereas the leotard breaks the flow and each leotard looks different on each women.

I don't really recall too many women roving around the gym wearing just a unitard...maybe in the dance studio and certainly on stage in performances (especially that 'expressive' crap)....but in gyms the uni was generally teamed with some 'briefs' that would mimic the bottom part of a leotard and then women would wear a cropped shirt on top. All in all, I think women back then still favored the leotard because it was overall more versatile, less costly and easier to cope with in terms of going to the bathroom, etc. IMO, the unitard was more of a phenomenon that was in the dance studio but just occassionally in the gym. I still remember the first time I saw a girl in a unitard, it blew my mind to see a one-piece outfit flow over her body so beautifully...it was electric blue and just stunning.

As for the "America got fat" theory...I'm not entirely certain that was a big factor in the demise of spandex. I agree with L.A.-Lycra that leotards and spandex found their way into gyms because the whole aerobicize fad emerged and women were dancing in gyms...it didn't take long for a few hardcore enthusiast to bring the fashion forward....but even before that it was old-school common for gals to wear leotards in gyms because they often did gymnastics. Gymnastics & Leotards.....Gym & Leotards...it just follows.

Honestly, I think it was the status quo and women were just generally expected to wear leo's as typical gym/exercise apparrel....exactly as today women of all ages, shapes & sizes are still wearing bathing suits that are made of skin-tight material. THINK ABOUT THAT....men traditionally wear shorts that are less then skin-tight, but women are always wearing a one or two-piece bathing suit that run fabric right against the skin. I know they have some stupid 'tummy hiding' suits that have little skirts n' such to make a women less exposed...but today women's bathing suits are generaly skin-tight....and that is how gym & dance apparel were too. That's just what women wore in gyms.

Did they like it? Hell no...I've heard many women back then ressenting how they have to put their bodies on display and guys looking/gawking....why do you think so many women-only gyms were born?? Same rule applies today in formal settings; we men get to wear bulky-baggy suits while women are expected to wear body-snug evening gowns and other revealing outfits. So yeah, it was just a standard apparel protocol that women wore leotards n' such while exercising....what changed is that it went from boring dull fabrics with conservative cuts to uber-shiny lycra with neon colors that just popped & screamed visually...and then the legs got cut higher, the ass more narrow and a lingerie-like sexually alluring fashion developed. Look at women's bathing suits in the 50's and 60's...and look at them today: the leotard morphed from boring-dull to EXCITING & AROUSING....and we have our 80's & 90's era of spandex.

What killed it? In the end, women didn't really enjoy wearing it....but when the rap, grunge and the Don't-be-a-tool-for-men revolution began...women all too eagerly jumped to the less accountible & more fogiving fashion. Plus, it was just a trend/fashion...designers found a new way to make exercise wear, a fashion emerged, a trend set in and the flock moved. Once women found a way out of skin-tight apparel, it was addictively downhill from there for spandex.

Did America really get fat? YES...overall the average weight has increased...BUT we're forgetting something: Did the average weight of the GYM RAT change?????

Ahh freakin' HA!!....actually, the average weight...or more accurately, the ideal Body-Fat Percentage of a "fit" person has decreased!!! Today the golden standard is the exhalted 6-Pack...we need to be toned, cut, railed...lean, lean, lean. The goal is single-digit BF% and trust me...any women even a few %'s higher then that quotient can pull-off lycra! In fact, today I see plenty of gals in the gym who are almost too lean to look great in a leotard...they've lost their hips, breast size and in some cases the shape of their ass....I see back bones, shoulder blades, hip bones, etc.

So my official decree is that yes...American culture as a whole has gotten chubbier....but Gym culture has remained light n' lean and in fact the ideal standard is now even leaner then ever!!!!

What I think we have is more of a social issue. I've heard women today saying they wouldn't want to be caught dead in a leotard...and yeah, a large part of that is that they don't want to be outside the fashion realm of what is popular to wear....BUT I've heard many saying "Thank God we don't wear leotards anymore"...they don't want to parade around in skin-tight outfits. Today women want to be the bosses and the CEO's in higher management....it's no longer about being a nice piece of ass. Why walk around in a gym looking fairy-like when you can be sporty, athletic, buff....maybe women are even enjoying dressing more like men? I know a few women who buy men's clothing and get a bit of a kick out of it....

Like I say, male cyclist will wear lycra once they get serious about riding...but women are FAR more resistant; they firmly don't want to put their bodies out there on display...perhaps it's because most women carry their fat in their butts...but seriously, the overall theme is that women are just fed-up & done with putting their bodies out there. And yeah, typical outfits today last as long as regular clothing...whereas tights will 'run' like pantyhose and leotards & unitards are still made of material that breaks down with washing, detergent, abrasion, etc. So for as long as the chicken pants are less expensive, more durable, easy to wear, more concealing and trendy....we'll never see the 'tards come back!

Now that's novel-length! :)

And btw...I got the error message when I hit 'submit'..good thing I copied the text!!! :D
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Re: This is what killed it!

Unread postby Lycra Clad » Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:09 pm

DynamicTorque wrote:LC...

No surprise I'm replying...we do endulge ourselves in such conversation. First-off, let me say that I know your pain when you go to hit 'submit' only to find some kind of freeze-up or error message occurs...only to lose a half-hour of substantial thought/text. When I type more then a paragraph, I'll always do a copy & paste into an email..it's saved my butt on several occassions. I'd suggest you do the same.

I usually do the same but I paste the text in Microsoft Word hehe. But a few nights ago I was in such a rush that I decided to hit the submit button and take the risk. You can fool me once but you cant fool me twice lol. Ive learned my lesson and from now on Im gonna save everything I type on Word program so that I do not trouble myself writing up a second-hand novel all over again haha.

As usual, you make a lot of insightful & excellent points. To elaborate on one of your points, the leotard is probably more acceptible (then the unitard) on account of it's resemblance to a one-piece bathing suit. In fact, I'm not even sure where the distinction is made...bathing suits will generally have a crotch liner and they're made of material typically intended to be resistant to damage from chlorine and UV-light....so yeah, they're intended to hide the genatlia once the fabric is wet and the material is made to get wet and have exposure to pool chemicals...but beyond that, the cut, design and pattern is VERY similar. Since we see LOTS of women at beaches & pools wearing one-piece bathing suits, it's all the more palatable to see a gal in a leotard....it's just not as unique & different as the unitard.

Yep. And though it shows a lot more skin than the unitard, its resemble to a one-piece bathing suit makes it look okay. Also, it gives people the impression that the woman is wearing something because of the difference in tone or texture between her skin color and the actual fabric. But with unitards, the material fully encompasses you and acts as a tight second skin. So it gives the pseudo-naked appearance in a more highlighted and provocative fashion than a leotard. So its uniqueness and difference has its own disadvantages, although obviously that doesnt mean there arent any advantages for the attire, otherwise it wouldve never been used.

Back in my school days, as I previously mentioned, it was incredibly trendy for gals to wear their leotards and then tag it with a skirt, shorts or even jeans. Many of the girls who didn't have parents willing to blow big coin on expensive Capezio leotards instead just wore their one-piece bathing suits...why not? The bathings suits often had patterns, designs and a more shiny appearance.

Haha I still get goosebumps remembering the time I went for my school's reunion in the late 90s. I enterred the highschool gym and found the girl's basketball team having free practice while wearing blue sleeveless unitards with yellow leg warmers. And they were split into two teams and the other team was an exact 'photo-negative' if you know what I mean, in the sense that they wore yellow unitards and blue leg warmers. It still gives me goosebumps till this day. You dont find that around here anymore. My friend told me they were probably having some dance session afterward so they slipped into the dance gear and merged the basketball practice with the next session. Kinda like how you said aerobics and dance were mixed in the 80s. God that was one hell of a day. I think I wrote about it in this forum a few months ago. Anyway, just thought I should share that...

The uniard was a bit of a hybrid, it was almost like "oh look, we came-out with the technology to make a one-piece body suit" and the uni was born. I would imagine the key advantage was that the unitard didn't have "ass-creep"...the tendency for the "V" to creep upwards & inwards as the leotard has. It's so funny how we see "clearing" even today, right there in front of us while around a populated pool area, a woman will think nothing of reaching behind her butt with both hands and using a finger on each hand to simultaneously pull out & down her ass coverage. I suppose it's just a necessary evil. So there's one nice advantage, along comes the unitard and no longer do women need to clear their ass from the 'creep'

Actually bodysuits or skintight catsuits were present since the 30s and 40s. Only back then it was made of some rubbery material. Sometimes the unitards were made of cotton so it gave a boring look, as you said. It wasnt until spandex was discovered in the 50s that shiny unitards became more popular than boring matte. Having said that, there were a few 'shiny' unitards and catsuits back in the 50s and 60s; it was either spandex (which would make it extremely expensive at that time due to its low availability so it was rare) or it was a silk catsuit. The silk catsuits were still very tight and sexy, just like spandex unitards. But they had to be a perfect fit since they werent stretchable materials. And unfortunately, it was mostly used by male dancers.

And again, you're right...the lack of torso definition allows the unitard to show the entire body as if it were painted or covered with a 2nd skin. No need for a women to decide just how high she wants her leotard to rise over the leg, or what kind of cut/exposure she wants on her ass...the uni covers it all....BUT this brings a new problem to the equation, the women loses leg, torso and ass definition...she can't play games with patterns, coverage or visual illusions...I submit to you that the unitard demands an even more perfect body to pull-off....because it really shows off the body so perfectly....it's just color over the skin, whereas the leotard breaks the flow and each leotard looks different on each women.

Thats correct and its a reason why the unitard defines more perfection, but unfortunately it also defines more skepticism from its wearers.

I don't really recall too many women roving around the gym wearing just a unitard...maybe in the dance studio and certainly on stage in performances (especially that 'expressive' crap)....but in gyms the uni was generally teamed with some 'briefs' that would mimic the bottom part of a leotard and then women would wear a cropped shirt on top. All in all, I think women back then still favored the leotard because it was overall more versatile, less costly and easier to cope with in terms of going to the bathroom, etc. IMO, the unitard was more of a phenomenon that was in the dance studio but just occassionally in the gym. I still remember the first time I saw a girl in a unitard, it blew my mind to see a one-piece outfit flow over her body so beautifully...it was electric blue and just stunning.

I have my first memories as well lol. And also my last memories, which is a shame. Apart from the girls basketball team I mentioned and currently my line of work as sponsor of an equestrian vaulting club, I cant ever recall women dressing up only in unitards without covering it up with something. Thats especially true in the gyms. I remember a Lebanese lady I met in a gym back in (believe it or not) 2000/2001. The place didnt have lots of traffic/members but it was very good. She was working as an assistant in the health club. One time I went to the basement, which is where the staff are usually placed as well as changing rooms. As I came out of the elevator I see her standing behind the staff counter all by herself. She was wearing a large, long-sleeved white cotton jumper over her top half of the body. In the bottom half, I could only make out what appears to be green spandex pants. It was very tight, shiny and looked incredibly stretchy. But I thought its just pants, no big deal. But to my surprise, she walks over to the other side of the room and removes her jumper. She was dressed in a pefect-fit green unitard, with long sleeves. I swear at that moment I didnt want to move. If anything, I wanted to move closer to her. And then, shamefully, her co-worker comes in and tells her how silly she looked. It was man but he was gay! I really wanted to rip his head off. I interferred and said she looked beautiful in it but clearly it was all over from the looks on her eyes. As soon as somebody had told her she looked silly in it, I knew it was all over. From there on, whenever I visited the gym I 'teased' the girl into a question along the lines of "hey I dont see you in green anymore." And she just replies back telling me she didnt want to look silly or stupid and also that it might be too revolting to some people because thats what her gay piece of crap friend told her. He tried to make her feel better by saying that some might feel offended, I just know it. He tried to cover his own guilt by calling her silly-looking. That gym was fairly liberal, it had noone who would go against it. I was the most conservative person of the whole bunch and I loved it. Everytime I saw him, I kept thrashing him with snide attacks. I even one time said gays shouldnt work in gym with men. I didnt mean it but I just wanted him destroyed!

Phew! LOL, I had this gobbled in me for a very long time and was waiting for the right moment to vent my anger about it. God knows what happened to that beautiful Lebanese woman.

As for the "America got fat" theory...I'm not entirely certain that was a big factor in the demise of spandex. I agree with L.A.-Lycra that leotards and spandex found their way into gyms because the whole aerobicize fad emerged and women were dancing in gyms...it didn't take long for a few hardcore enthusiast to bring the fashion forward....but even before that it was old-school common for gals to wear leotards in gyms because they often did gymnastics. Gymnastics & Leotards.....Gym & Leotards...it just follows.

Honestly, I think it was the status quo and women were just generally expected to wear leo's as typical gym/exercise apparrel....exactly as today women of all ages, shapes & sizes are still wearing bathing suits that are made of skin-tight material. THINK ABOUT THAT....men traditionally wear shorts that are less then skin-tight, but women are always wearing a one or two-piece bathing suit that run fabric right against the skin. I know they have some stupid 'tummy hiding' suits that have little skirts n' such to make a women less exposed...but today women's bathing suits are generaly skin-tight....and that is how gym & dance apparel were too. That's just what women wore in gyms.

Did they like it? Hell no...I've heard many women back then ressenting how they have to put their bodies on display and guys looking/gawking....why do you think so many women-only gyms were born?? Same rule applies today in formal settings; we men get to wear bulky-baggy suits while women are expected to wear body-snug evening gowns and other revealing outfits. So yeah, it was just a standard apparel protocol that women wore leotards n' such while exercising....what changed is that it went from boring dull fabrics with conservative cuts to uber-shiny lycra with neon colors that just popped & screamed visually...and then the legs got cut higher, the ass more narrow and a lingerie-like sexually alluring fashion developed. Look at women's bathing suits in the 50's and 60's...and look at them today: the leotard morphed from boring-dull to EXCITING & AROUSING....and we have our 80's & 90's era of spandex.

What killed it? In the end, women didn't really enjoy wearing it....but when the rap, grunge and the Don't-be-a-tool-for-men revolution began...women all too eagerly jumped to the less accountible & more fogiving fashion. Plus, it was just a trend/fashion...designers found a new way to make exercise wear, a fashion emerged, a trend set in and the flock moved. Once women found a way out of skin-tight apparel, it was addictively downhill from there for spandex.

Hmm, yes and no. Some women actually enjoyed it and didnt mind putting up with the hassle of wearing one if they knew it could attract a few good looks. Women love the attention, trust me. The problem arises with insecurities and jealousies. One woman sees another one in a unitard and gets all heated up inside. Then she goes on a crusade against the lady in the unitard. But its not an all-out crusade. She just drops a few one-liners about how stupid the uni looks on her and the victim ends up falling into the trap. And the ones who do genuinely hate it felt like they had to put up with the trend and fashion in order to fit in with the general public. So once they found alternatives that didnt make other women think of them as 'men with vaginas', they quickly jumped ship. And in the process, they encouraged other women into doing the same. And quite frankly, they won. Ive whole-heartedly spoken about this before and I said that the era of spandex (leos and unis) was made for one purpose and that purpose is to eventually lose and go into extinction. Its a periodic trend and it has been right from the start. Its very own planners manufactured the rise and fall of spandex. The 90s was ultimately the biggest test, especially with the rap culture and all the other urban revolutions at that time. The test was to see where spandex would be led into. The result was that in 2000 we knew perfectly well where spandex is going, and its going in history books and - in case of the women who owned the clothes - right into the trash bin.

Did America really get fat? YES...overall the average weight has increased...BUT we're forgetting something: Did the average weight of the GYM RAT change?????

Ahh freakin' HA!!....actually, the average weight...or more accurately, the ideal Body-Fat Percentage of a "fit" person has decreased!!! Today the golden standard is the exhalted 6-Pack...we need to be toned, cut, railed...lean, lean, lean. The goal is single-digit BF% and trust me...any women even a few %'s higher then that quotient can pull-off lycra! In fact, today I see plenty of gals in the gym who are almost too lean to look great in a leotard...they've lost their hips, breast size and in some cases the shape of their ass....I see back bones, shoulder blades, hip bones, etc.

So my official decree is that yes...American culture as a whole has gotten chubbier....but Gym culture has remained light n' lean and in fact the ideal standard is now even leaner then ever!!!!

What I think we have is more of a social issue. I've heard women today saying they wouldn't want to be caught dead in a leotard...and yeah, a large part of that is that they don't want to be outside the fashion realm of what is popular to wear....BUT I've heard many saying "Thank God we don't wear leotards anymore"...they don't want to parade around in skin-tight outfits. Today women want to be the bosses and the CEO's in higher management....it's no longer about being a nice piece of ass. Why walk around in a gym looking fairy-like when you can be sporty, athletic, buff....maybe women are even enjoying dressing more like men? I know a few women who buy men's clothing and get a bit of a kick out of it....

I think you may be right. I think some of these women enjoy emulating men. And unfortunately, they encouraged other women to do the same. Im all for equal rights but when a woman tries to emulate a man's taste, that's just stupid. The very reason we are attracted to them is due to their feminity and it seems to be feminist movements are actually more anti-feminine than pro.

Like I say, male cyclist will wear lycra once they get serious about riding...but women are FAR more resistant; they firmly don't want to put their bodies out there on display...perhaps it's because most women carry their fat in their butts...but seriously, the overall theme is that women are just fed-up & done with putting their bodies out there. And yeah, typical outfits today last as long as regular clothing...whereas tights will 'run' like pantyhose and leotards & unitards are still made of material that breaks down with washing, detergent, abrasion, etc. So for as long as the chicken pants are less expensive, more durable, easy to wear, more concealing and trendy....we'll never see the 'tards come back!

Now that's novel-length! :)

And btw...I got the error message when I hit 'submit'..good thing I copied the text!!! :D

Im gonna say this in advance. Ill receive an error after clicking submit lol.
Yeah leotards are more versatile and cheaper. Believe it or not, even the manufacturers like it when theyre asked for leos instead of unis. It saves all the hassle. And from a woman's point of view, it gives more freedom of movement. Thats why leotards always kick unitards into the ground in issues like ballet, gymnastics, aerobics, etc. As much as I actually love and prefer shiny spandex unitards/catsuits over leotards or any other clotihng, Im not afraid to concede that what I like is always the weakest link that gets defeated on every ground. If anything, it makes me like it even more, cause quality surpasses quantity any given day!

Look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiJuNdAN9VQ
It shows you how much women loathe it lol. Not for the faint hearted though lol. Although thats probably some ripping/burning fetish judging by the user's page so maybe she loathes everything haha.

Btw, this is an edit. I just posted and got an error so I had to repost. :lol:
Equestrian Vaulting: Best Sport Ever!

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