Plus size influencer Katie Sturino celebrates millennials shutting down the ‘legging legs’ trend

Lately, we’re seeing tons of the fashion and styles from the ’90s and 2000s come back around—but one that millennials saw gaining traction and said “absolutely not” to was “leggings legs,” or this generation’s version of a thigh gap. 

The trend started spreading on social media sites like TikTok, where the hashtag #legginglegs showed videos of women in leggings showing off the gaps between their thighs, with many of them saying that in order to wear leggings or yoga pants, your body had to look a certain way. 

“If you have seen this on social media, it’s repulsing,” therapist Holly Essler said in a video about the trend. “Basically it’s a trend saying that if you have leggings and you wear leggings your legs have to look a certain way in them. Again, this is disgusting. Do not let social media tell your body that it is a trend. If you have a body and you have leggings, you have leggings legs.”

Millennials were instantly taken back to the early 2000s, when thigh gaps were huge on social media and in pop culture. At the time, we were told that the ideal body was one with a gap in between its thighs, and it was toxic and terrible, because so many bodies simply aren’t built like that. So people started hitting back at the “leggings legs” trend, and now the hashtag has been removed from TikTok and searching for it returns information about eating disorders and body positivity.

Plus size influencer Katie Sturino posted a video celebrating the big win for bodies on Instagram.

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A post shared by Katie Sturino (@katiesturino)

“Legging legs trend had me thinking that I woke up in 2003,” she said. “But guess what? Not today, diet culture!”

She continued, “You want to know what I love? I love that millennial women heard about this trend and they shut it down.”

She showed a screenshot of TikTok’s search results for the hashtag, noting, “When you even search for ‘legging legs,’ look what comes up.” On the screen is a supportive message saying “You’re not alone,” and information about resources for eating disorders.

Sturino continued, “I love that! How responsible. What a shock!” 

She ended her message by stepping back into view of a full length mirror to show off her own leggings, and saying, “In case it wasn’t clear, all legs are legging legs.”