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Somebody Please Tell TikTok That ‘Flared Leggings’ Are Actually Yoga Pants

TikTok/Courtesy

First, they gave us the “Renegade” dance, and we thought, “How impressive, the younger generation can really move.”

Then, they brought back the tennis skirt, and we thought, “Good call, youths, this is a timeless staple that we welcome in any era.”

But now, TikTokers are trying to wrongfully claim something that is not, and never will be, theirs. And to this we say, “No way.”

This past week, the under-25-year-olds that make up the social media community have discovered “flared leggings.” Now, the name sounds enticing, but take a moment to picture what, exactly, a pair of flared leggings would look like.

Are you hearing Ne-Yo play in the background as you do this? Are the sights and sounds of high school — maybe even middle school — coming back to you? There’s a reason. It’s because flared leggings are simply not a thing. The bottoms TikTok discovered are yoga pants.

That’s right, yoga pants.

Now, we can’t be positive that everybody on this planet went through the yoga-pants-and-Ugg-boots phase that we (along with Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, you get it) did in the later 2000s, so for those that didn’t, just know it was a simpler time. TRL was still on. Gilmore Girls played every morning at 10 a.m. on ABC Family. ABC Family was still called ABC Family. Again, you get it.

RELATED: These Self-Tanning Drops Are the Reason Everyone on TikTok Is So Bronze

So, for these teens to have the audacity, the will, the strength (in this political climate!), to think that they discovered the one pair of bottoms that best represents the end of our youth, well, we are simply unwell at the thought.

But here’s the thing. Gen Z is privy to a lot that we aren’t. For example, they know how to really cherish the people and the trends that deserve recognition. For Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s birthday the whole social media app basically became a dedicated stan account, and for that we’re grateful.

And now that we’ve corrected the flawed “flared leggings” narrative and have talked our way to the top of the hill we’d willingly die on, we can recognize that, like most things, this younger generation is onto something.

Yoga pants are amazing. There was a reason we wore them everyday in high school. First, they make any butt look like an absolute unit (in the best way possible). Second, there’s nothing more comfortable. Leggings can sometimes suffocate shins and ankles, plus the tightness at the bottom makes it tricky to swoop leggings on quickly. Yoga pants support quick changes and ankles, and that’s a campaign we can get behind in 2020. Last, they can basically double as work pants. Reason being: They’re black and pants. On Zoom, nobody’s gonna know. And, if in a pandemic someone is making you go into the office, they best not be judging your bottoms. So the ruling is that yoga pants are work pants.

A bonus: Their price is on par with leggings at basically any place you online shop. And they’re available at most stores still. (Incredibly, Victoria’s Secret still sells the yoga pants of our youth, with the foldover waistbands that feature the same questionable-yet-iconic prints such as cheetah, neon pink, and, perhaps the best, rhinestone.) Some places, they’re even cheaper. Old Navy has a pair on sale for just $13 and most of Amazon’s top-rated pairs start for under $20.

Below, shop some very cute and very comfortable-looking yoga pants that will make for great WFH attire. But please, if a Gen Z-er comes up to you and compliments your “flared leggings,” educate them.

Shop now: $20–$28; amazon.com

Shop now: $65; nordstrom.com

Shop now: $13 (Originally $25); amazon.com

Shop now: $76; freepeople.com

Shop now: $27–$30; amazon.com

Shop now: $89; athleta.com

Shop now: $20–$32; amazon.com