Millennials are reclaiming credit for one of fashion’s fiercest wars: the right to wear leggings as pants. In a viral TikTok, creator @ifeelprettyweird (Destani Wilson) reminded the internet Gen Z that before leggings were an outfit staple, they were controversial. Wilson called for some gratitude from Gen Z, reminding the younger generation, “…we fought for your right to wear leggings.”
The video was posted on April 5, 2025, and has over 1 million views and 195.4K likes at the time of writing. More than 4000 comments reveal that the “leggings are not pants” controversy of the early aughts lives on in the memories of millennials who chimed in to reminisce and celebrate their victory over the censorship of women’s bodies.
The now widely disavowed position that it is inappropriate for women to wear leggings in public is still, for some reason (misogyny?), at times a tepid topic of discussion. (Shoutout to this Jezebel article already bored by leggings discourse in 2018.) But the conversation around Wilson’s post shows that looking back can remind us how far we’ve come…not that Gen Z cares.
‘We won the war. And you’re welcome.’
Wilson shares ‘nostalgia, beauty, gossip, and astrology’ content on TikTok. In her post about the war on leggings, she said that in the early 2000s millennials took to leggings immediately, but were discouraged or forbidden from wearing them. Men and older generations “could not comprehend the difference between tights and leggings,” she explained.
“We were seen as harlots.”
Wilson went on to recount that schools banned leggings, but millennials fought back and wore leggings as pants. “Over time, we did it. We won the war. And you’re welcome,” she concluded.
@ifeelprettyweird #zillennial #milennial #2000s #2010s ♬ original sound – Dessy
Millennials take a victory lap
“This is the real millennial lore,” commented @bystinafaye. “This type of history is important to be remembered,” said @cin_r. @andriarooks agreed, “This is such a real history. I remember the first time I wore leggings as pants and I felt like such a rebel.”
“We DID win the war,” said @patrickjimmy.andjohn. “They wear their cute two piece sets not even knowing the battles waged in classrooms for their freedom!” said @erinceaser.
Do Zoomers even care that this battle was fought and won?
Gen Z did not come out in droves to thank millennials on this thread. Unsurprising—would a millennial ever thank Gen X for anything?
Like most women in the U.S., Gen Zer’s wear leggings (as pants). However, Gen Z generally prefers wide-leg and baggier styles of pants. Zoomer fashion prioritizes comfort, styled more casually, in contrast with fitted millennial silhouettes. The generation’s clothing choices promote individuality and self expression, and younger people have deemed millennial fashion too minimalistic and corporate for their purposes.
That said, the comfort and practicality of leggings as pants suits women’s multifaceted lifestyles, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. According to a 2025 report, the worldwide leggings market is worth 14.2 billion dollars and is expected to grow 2.4% each year over the next decade.
Millennials’ real contribution
The overwhelming majority of reactions to Wilson’s viral video are from millennials recounting the struggle. Zoomers might take their freedom to wear leggings for granted, but who cares?
What’s really at stake is how a generation of parents and school administrators seemed to immediately seize the opportunity to sublimate women’s desires, needs, and expression in favor of men’s comfort. Tale as old as time.
Every generation of women has faced the patriarchy of their time and fought for what they wanted. Millennials honored their predecessors by picking up the mantle.
Lack of Gen Z gratitude notwithstanding, early 2000s leggings lore represents a W for women and femmes, no matter what your bottoms are. And it’s a story worth passing down—lest we forget to never stop roasting the unforgivable nerd who called yoga pants on adult women “bizarre and disturbing,” or the “mothers of boys” concerned for men forced to encounter women’s “blackly naked rear ends.”
Turns out, if you fight for yourself, you could inadvertently fight for the next generation. May they come up in a world so just and welcoming, they wouldn’t think to thank anyone for permitting them the freedom to clothe their bodies as they choose.
Destani Wilson did not immediately reply to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok.
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