Why I’ll never wear a running skirt
Image by lululemon athletica via Flickr
With a title like “Running Shorts” you can bet that sooner or later clothing will be discussed. In recent years, running skirts have emerged as an alternative to shorts. This decidedly feminine option made its first appearance in 2004 when Nicole DeBoom won the Wisconsin Ironman Triathlon in a skirt of her own design. DeBoom later launched the company Skirt Sports to bring running skirts to the masses. From the title of my post you’ve probably garnered that I’m not a fan of the running skirt. That being said, if wearing a skirt is the impetus that will get you out on the road (or treadmill) then by all means go for it. However, I won’t be giving up my track shorts or spandex running tights anytime soon.
I know my opinion on the skirt will likely be controversial, but it’s something I feel very strongly about. I live in New York City – land of Fashion Week, 5th Avenue couture, and more salad bars and yoga studios that you could ever count. When I head out the door for a run, it’s one of the few times in my day when I’m thinking about what my body can do for me and not what it looks like. Sure, I had a few too many cookies at Christmastime – but those carbs are now fuel for my long run! And yes, my large quads and hamstrings make jeans shopping a little difficult, but I couldn’t run interval workouts without these strong legs. When I’m running, I’m not thinking about dieting or fashion or the limbs of a supermodel. I’m thinking about how good it feels to be running my stress into the ground and pushing my own physical limits.
My distaste for running skirts doesn’t lie in the actual piece of clothing, I’ve heard that they’re quite comfortable. And bonus: that running skirt allows you to blend in if you have to do some post-workout errands. My issue is with what the skirt symbolizes. I think that emphasizing fashion and “cuteness” puts an unnecessary focus on outward appearance rather than performance. I’m not saying that we should all be running around in drab, shapeless gear, but I don’t see the need to make a fashion statement on the roads. Perhaps for some, running is about losing weight or being able to fit into those skinny jeans, but for me, it’s so much more. If running didn’t burn a single calorie, I would still do it. I love it for the way it makes me feel and for what it allows me to achieve.
Only in the last 20 years have women been included in professional distance running. It still seems unfathomable that it wasn’t until the year I was born (1984) that women were finally allowed to compete in the Olympic marathon. For decades women fought against the stereotype that deemed them too fragile to participate in long distance racing. Encouraging women to wear skirts while running only reinforces the idea that our athletic performance is linked to gender and outward appearance. We’ve worked so hard for equality on the roads and I want to keep the focus on performance, not fashion.
I don’t know about you, but when I run (and especially when I race) it’s not pretty. I sweat. I grunt as I dig deep to finish fast. I kick up dirt. But in this primal state, there is also beauty. The sleek lines of my muscles working together. The length of my stride. The sweat glistening on my brow. These things combined with my favorite pair of running shorts or tried and true spandex define me as a runner. And a runner is what I want to be recognized as, not a tennis player or someone en route to the mall. Putting in the miles isn’t easy and it isn’t always pretty, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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Rock on!
I made the decision in college to personally boycott spandex running shorts – because I couldn’t bear being in the gym (in winter) and watching all the other girls – in spandex – walk around the gym pretending to work out in full make-up while actually trying to make eye contact with guys doing weights in the mirror.
I was all about cut-off cotton sweats. Because I’m an athlete, not a preener.
I’ve since moved past my personal spandex boycott (and I doubt the industry noticed.) But our point remains: running for the sheer sensual joy of the workout blows fashion concerns out of the water.
Yes! I’ve never owned a running skirt, and really never even considered it. I guess if running is just about putting in a gym appearance, they’d make sense. But as far as comfort and running ability go, I don’t think you can beat shorts and tights…of course, with a red headband and knee-high socks, too.
I love this post! No running skirts for me either.
Seriously, it’s about wearing whatever lets you get the most out of running. A skirt definitely sends the message that you’re doing it for others, not for yourself.
Loved your take on the running skirt. I definitely look better way after my run. I sweat heavily, my hair is wild and my face is bright red. But who cares I’m out there running free!
BAM!
Good hit, Megan.
My guy friends and I have LONG held running skirts as one of the most absurd ideas to be marketed to women. (I use the word “marketed” purposely, as in being told to buy something that you don’t need in the first place.) But, we dared not say anything to a member of the opposite sex for reasons of ignorant ridicule and retaliation.
But to see a WOMAN say this is terrific! Validation!
And your quote, “Encouraging women to wear skirts while running only reinforces the idea that our athletic performance is linked to gender and outward appearance” hits the subject right between the cheeks.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving legitimacy to what we’ve been saying to ourselves since 2004.
c
I don’t care one bit about how I look when I run and the primary person I run for is me, my daughter is the other person I run for, to show her that women are strong. Running got me through personal heartache and years of infertility and miscarriage. Running gives me contemplative time to myself now that I have a busy toddler. Regardless of what I wear, I know what my body can do, I’ve finished 7 marathons and an Ironman.
And I wear a running skirt! Consider for a moment that most of the running skirts are designed and marketed BY WOMEN. Perhaps their agenda is to oppress women. Or perhaps because there’s some effort of function behind the design. I live in Central Texas and this summer when I was training for a marathon I had to deal with a summer in which we had 60+ days of temperatures over 100 degrees. My running shorts were dripping with sweat and chafed the skin on my legs raw. So I tried a running skirt and it was far more comfortable.
As someone who finished the same Ironman race that Nicole DeBoom won in her running skirt, I find it hard to believe that someone could look at an Ironman winner and think anything other than “that woman kicks ass” regardless of whether she was wearing a skirt. And anyone who has trained for an Ironman knows there’s no way in hell you do that for someone other than yourself.
Running skirts are awesome! They are comfortable and way better than shorts. Once you go skirt you never go back!
[...] I came across an article via Twitter (oh Twitter, I love thee) which was a link to a post on one women’s view on running skirts. The article was very anti-running skirt. She considers them a fashion statement and that one [...]