This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Kelly Xiong. Find her on Instagram at @k.3lly. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.

A new “body trend” on TikTok has dropped — aka, a new thing for young girls and women to potentially be insecure about. Instead of hip dips this time or whatever else, it’s “leggings legs.”

What are legging legs? 

Now, you may be wondering “What the heck are leggings legs?” That’s what I thought too. “Legging legs” is a new phenomenon created by TikTok. This trend portrays thin legs — sometimes with a thigh gap — as the “perfect” legs for leggings. It pretty much conveys the idea that you need to have a certain body type to look good in leggings. The viral trend started taking off when many women began posting themselves in leggings and yoga pants showing off their thin legs and thigh gaps. It gained a lot of attention, many being negative, and received lots of pushback. Many were not happy with this trend telling girls and women how their bodies “should” look in clothes. Many responded with “If you have legs and leggings, you have legging legs,” insinuating that anyone can have “legging legs” no matter your body shape or size.

What is “Ana” Tumblr 

If the current “legging legs” trend sounds familiar, it probably is because it is. Thinness has always been plaguing the experience of girlhood and womanhood. Since the early 1900s thinness has always been pushed onto women. I grew up during the Ana Tumblr era in the early 2000s and 2010s. For those who may be unfamiliar, “Ana” is short for anorexic or anorexia. Ana Tumblr was a pro-eating disorder side of Tumblr. I’ll spare you all the content of Ana Tumblr but I think you can get a general idea of how toxic that side and era was. 

Though I was never really on Tumblr in middle school, nor was I on that side of Tumblr, it still managed to reach me. Being skinny was the beauty standard at that time. With many teenage girls posting their body checks online and romanticizing their thinness, it was almost impossible to not also want to be thin. Younger girls who were just discovering social media and figuring out their bodies were instantly met with these impossible and unhealthy beauty standards. Teen girls and women would compare themselves to the skinny girls with thigh gaps they see online and wonder “Why don’t I look like that?” and feel bad about their perfectly normal bodies. They would try to eat less and/or work out more to achieve the body image they see others online having. 

Why is the “legging legs” phenomenon harmful

“Legging legs” is nothing but a rebrand of the Tumblr Ana era and it’s impacting a new generation of young girls and women. This trend is especially toxic and triggering for those who are currently suffering from an eating disorder or have had one in the past. Constantly being reminded of body image and weight is super harmful to anyone who may be struggling with any sort of eating disorder, body dysmorphia or just body image in general. The thing about thigh gaps is that it’s easier for some to achieve than others. It’s all based on your genetics and bone structure. If you have wider hips, it’s easier for you to have a thigh gap than if you were to have narrower hips because your legs would naturally be farther apart — and hence, the gap. It’s just a thing that happens with some bodies, but young women are starving themselves and overworking their bodies to achieve this gap because we’re told that’s what’s desirable. Social media has made it easier than ever for these body trends to take off and become viral, affecting more and more young girls.

This viral trend has since been banned from TikTok. Now, if you search for the words “legging legs” you will not get any videos. What you’ll get instead is the hotline for the National Alliance for Eater Disorders. This shows just how far and harmful this new viral phenomenon is. 

Thin idealization is still very prevalent today but the body positivity movement and societal standards have shifted slightly. It has progressed us beyond having one body type as the “perfect, ideal” shape for women. There is still much work to be done surrounding the standards for women’s bodies. Unfortunately, we are always trying to change it to meet the current “desirable” look. However, with more and more women getting into weightlifting and the gym and exercise space, the standard for women’s bodies has become less toxic and is something that can be achieved healthily. 

What are your thoughts on this “legging legs” trend? Let us know in the comments below!