Justice

A Male Business Developer's Post About Yoga Pants Misses the Mark

September 16th 2016

If you're looking for a job, LinkedIn may be the place to go. If you're looking to get mansplained to about why women shouldn't wear yoga pants, LinkedIn is definitely the place to go.

Andrew Martin from Houston, Texas, a self-described "business developer, recruiter, and blogger" has a lot of thoughts about women and yoga pants, which he expressed in his essay "Five Reasons Not to Wear Yoga Pants to the Office."

Spoiler alert: one LinkedIn comment describes it as "the most misogynistic thing I've read in a while."

Five Reasons Why This Essay Upset People

1. That Martin tried to pass the article off as a health PSA.

Martin's first point in his essay, after assuring us in his intro that "you probably look good wearing yoga pants" is that women shouldn't wear yoga pants for their health. Seriously.

"Yoga pants may be damaging your skin," Martin writes. "According to dermatologist Dr. Lauren Ploch, you should only be wearing tight, non-breathable material for about an hour at a time." Martin then goes on to warn us that yoga pants will give us "vaginitis and yeast infections."

LinkedIn yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

2. Martin's creepy objectification of women.

"Yoga pants put excessive emphasis on your body (especially since they are often sheer)," he writes, linking the word "sheer" to something that I didn't click on, because I am work and have no idea what I will find. [editors note: I clicked on the link. It goes to a Who What Wear article that does mention sheer clothing, but not leggings.]

"Is your workplace really the place you want to show off your glutes?" he asks us. "You can wear what you would like to work, but what you wear is a signal to other people about who you are."

LinkedIn yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

3. Then Martin basically treats women like they're idiots.

Martin flat-out writes, "You will have more difficulty performing your job well" if you wear yoga pants.

He also writes as though he is doing some great service to women with this essay, as though women have no clue what their office dress code is.

One commenter makes a similar point:

LinkedIn yoga pantsLinkedIn - linkedin.com

While another comment brings up another great point:

Linkedin Yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

Yoga pants are not some sort of scandalous, sexual clothing. And even if they were, here's another thing to consider:

4. Martin is telling women what they can and cannot wear.

Women do not need random men telling them what they can and cannot wear. They can make that decision for themselves.

Linkedin Yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

Linkedin yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

LinkedIn yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

5. That Martin thought this essay was even necessary.

It's 2016! Come on.

LinkedIn yoga pants essayLinkedIn - linkedin.com

LinkedIn yoga pantsLinkedIn - linkedin.com

In summation, men giving women sexist advice on Linkedin is nothing new, but that doesn't mean it's okay. It's not about whether or not yoga pants are acceptable for work. It's about why some people think it's acceptable to write articles like these.

Share your opinion

Do you think the essay is condescending?

No 8%Yes 92%