Joggers, the slow and silent killer of trying to look presentable during school, are the latest fashion trend among teens and some young adults. For those who are unaware, joggers are a variation of sweatpants that cinch at the ankle making it so that the wearer won’t be left stepping on their pants as they walk. These joggers are categorized in three ways depending on the material: twill, jean, and fleece; although fleece seems to be the only one of the three that are relevant and make this trend what it is. These fleece joggers aren’t all cookie-cutter, if you walk around the halls of FTHS you will see a large amount of people wearing joggers, but in a variety of different textures, patterns, colors, and fits. Making these sweatpants more versatile and unique to the wearer.

This trend is more popular with guys more so than girls, but the females are still representing themselves (as they should #Feminism) in this trend. Both genders have the capability to pull off joggers, but with the right top and footwear. This is similar to what sophomore Starr McKenna said with “Well, I like joggers but the struggle is knowing what shoes to wear with them and then I always end up looking like a genie.” -I really like genies- but she helps prove my point in that it’s all about pairing the right clothes together, which can easily make any article of clothing into a trendy outfit.

The public hasn’t been the only ones to pick up on this trend. Brand name companies have noticed and are selling them for Oprah dollars and are getting away with it, because this fad seems to be sticking around. Which means that they have actually caught traction and mean something in the world of fashion.

As an owner of a pair of joggers, I know that I have two options when changing in the morning. Either I can look like a complete bum in sweatpants, or I can look slightly less like a bum and wear jeans. In sweatpants, I can maintain the “straight out of bed” look which for some reason is slightly attractive in our culture, I can stay comfortable all day while my teachers stare in jealously while wearing what they are forced to wear, and sweatpants make it easier to get away with not changing for gym (not that I do that…). While jeans just look more presentable. That’s all they have to offer. So when I’m changing and I line up the pros and cons, and if my virtue is weak, I will wear a pair of joggers to school, sometimes multiple days in a row.

Sophomore Leah Emmerich told me “If you don’t wear joggers, you’re a thot.” Basically saying that in a time where lazy apparel can be worn to school without criticism, other than from DiGiuseppe, that you may as well join the bandwagon -since that’s the most popular form of travel for bums I would imagine.

As much as I can make fun of these as an excuse for school-wear, joggers actually maintain some fashion value (from the perspective of a non-professional, uneducated fashion critic), some pairs more so than others for sure, and they maintain some ideas that are currently popular in the fashion world. Not only do they make you look on fleek (again, better on some people more than most), but they are actually really comfortable. When I first wore my pair I’m pretty sure my body decided that these were acceptable just because they were so comfortable. So I am all for this trend and I will probably continue to wear joggers over typical sweatpants even after this fad fades away.

So since I am now officially a fashion writer, my word is now gold meaning and joggers are acceptable, which they always were. Which brings me to the fact that this is going to be the disclaimer for the rest of Fashion Trend Fridays. Which is, whatever you feel comfortable in, is automatically acceptable, because your happiness and comfort should always come first in fashion. Even if I don’t like something and write about how gross I think something is, you go ahead and wear it and prove me wrong. If you wear bell bottoms (the word makes me vomit in my mouth) and if you feel comfortable in them and like them, then rock those bell bottoms as if the never went out of style (which was in the early 2000s so maybe you should move on).