Finding pants for a 9 year-old girl should not be a challenge

This is my middle daughter.

And this is my middle daughter.

And this is my middle daughter.

She loves life. She loves every activity that puts her in competition with someone else, even better if she can do it while running. She’s fast. She’s strong. She’s not intimidated by most. She plays soccer and ran cross country this fall. With that comes big muscles. Ones that don’t seem to want to fit into the size 8 super skinny/legging/jegging/whatevers that are on the shelf at most stores.

What is that about?

An impossible mission should not be buying pants for an average sized nine-year-old girl. Yet, the skinny hand-me-downs from her ballerina-bodied older sister were tight enough to make her feel like the circulation in her legs were being cut off at the thighs.

I quickly realized this was going to transform into a bigger issue and told her I’d deal with it and get her some pants that day. I was not prepared for what I found at Costco and at Target–the only places I had time to rummage that day.

Oooh, a sale on two packs of LEGGINGS.

Ultra slim fit?

Super skinny?

For those who can’t fit in the “super skinny” there are just regular “skinny.”

More leggings.

More leggings!

Finally! Joggers! Something she can comfortably wear!

But stock was limited.

Now, I should mention that there is nothing wrong with leggings, really. She could wear leggings, but they look like tights. I don’t want my daughter just prancing around in pants that look so tight you can see every muscle in her legs. Also, even on “dress down” days, her school doesn’t allow leggings.

I didn’t leave the stores empty handed. In both cases, I went to the boys department and found some unisex-looking pants that she could wear to school and still be comfortable. She’s never known the difference. In fact, she had me buy another pair later on because she loved them so much.

(Thank you Cat and Jack for having uniform labels between genders.)

What are we teaching our kids with these clothes though?

She’ll never be the super-skinny-jean-wearing kinda girl, especially if she continues to play sports at the rate she does now. She’s just not built for it. Her heart would have been broken if she had gone with me that day and see how many items would not fit on her because they are designed for skinny and ultra skinny legs.

My daughter is fit.

My daughter is not obese.

My daughter is muscular.

Why are her only options to take that body and shove it into leggings, jeggings and super skinnies. Where are the wider-leg khaki pants for girls? Where are the “cozy” sweatpants for the pre-teens? Why am I forced to look on the boys side of the store for anything that will fit over muscles?

We want kids to get off the couch and exercise. We want them to be strong and fit and keep their bodies healthy. Yet we expect them to fit into the mold of a Barbie doll. Not only do we expect them to be super skinny, we expect them to “show off” these bodies in leggings and jeggings. She’s NINE! She doesn’t need to wear leggings and jeggings that suck to her legs.

I want her to be comfortable with who she is and who God made her to be. I want her to play soccer and run cross country. I want her to jump on the trampoline and dig giant holes in the sand. I want her to ride her scooter and climb trees. I don’t want her to feel bad about herself because the majority of the pants at Target and Costco wouldn’t fit over her booty.

I have two  children on the other end of the spectrum. My older and my youngest can wear leggings and jeggings and still have room in the legs for them to look baggy. They don’t look like they are wearing tights when they wear these pants with a sweater on a cool day. That means my middle daughter is already surrounded by body images different from her own. Regardless of how different they are, it’s my job to teach these girls that they are each unique, they are in perfectly designed bodies and they need to be proud of them.

I don’t need girls clothing tearing them down.