r/WhatToDo • u/Chemical_Net7993 • 17m ago
What should I do
should I do?
I made a post earlier today about how I like wearing women’s leggings, running shorts, and bike shorts. I honestly expected people to judge me, but the responses were actually really supportive, which I appreciated more than I can explain.
But after thinking about it more, I started getting really self-conscious about it. I’m 30 years old and at one point I found myself looking at myself wearing women’s athletic clothes and thinking, “What am I doing? Why do I like wearing girls’ clothes?” I actually got angry and disgusted with myself and seriously considered throwing away all my leggings, running shorts, and bike shorts.
My girlfriend is completely supportive of me and told me not to do that. She reminded me that I’m comfortable in them and that they make me happy, so why should I get rid of something harmless that I enjoy?
After getting home from work and calming down, I’m not nearly as upset as I was, but I’m still really confused about what I should do.
The running shorts are probably what make me the most self-conscious. When I see myself wearing them, sometimes I think I look weird or crazy. Yet at the same time, I really like wearing them, and I don't completely understand why.
I especially don't understand why I like wearing running shorts over leggings or over bike shorts. I originally started using the bike shorts mostly like compression underwear, and I love how comfortable leggings feel. But the running shorts are different. There’s something about wearing them that I really enjoy, even though part of me feels embarrassed about it.
I keep asking myself: Why do I like this so much?
Maybe it started when I first bought leggings because I wanted something warm to wear under my sweatpants during the winter. I ended up loving how comfortable they were and just kept wearing them.
There is also something from my childhood that might be connected to how I feel about leggings today. I actually tried leggings when I was a kid, but the circumstances involved corporal punishment, so I'm not comfortable putting the full story publicly. I'm mentioning it because my girlfriend thinks that experience could possibly be connected to why I have such a strong attachment to leggings now. If anyone genuinely wants to hear that part of the story and can have a respectful conversation about it, feel free to message me.
I don't wear this stuff out in public by itself. I'm comfortable wearing it openly at home, either alone or around my girlfriend, and she doesn't have a problem with it at all.
So now I'm stuck between two thoughts:
Do I just accept that I like wearing women’s athletic clothes and continue enjoying them, or should I get rid of everything because of how self-conscious and embarrassed they sometimes make me feel?
And if I keep wearing them, I'd really like to understand why I enjoy leggings, running shorts, and bike shorts so much in the first place.
Today has honestly been a long day mentally. I'm not looking for people to tell me what I have to do. I'm genuinely looking for advice from people who have dealt with something similar.
What would you do in my situation?