By Alex Assoune
Trends usually come and go in fashion. But skinny jeans have been around for a long time. They are highly popular but come with awful disadvantages.
Tight jeans can look good on men and women of all body types with the appropriate style. Shirts, sweaters, jackets, hoodies, long tunics, and crop tops can go well with skinny jeans.
They are currently one of the top-selling clothing items worldwide. They made the lower body appear slimmer, and shape an elegant silhouette.
But over the years, many researchers have studied the drawbacks of using skinny jeans. Many recent studies have proven the dangers of wearing tight jeans regularly. They can cause nerve damage, redness, itching, pain, infertility, infections, and more.
Jeans can also quickly become uncomfortable and aren't suitable for every fashion style. And their production requires tons of water and chemicals with long-term disastrous effects on your health and the environment.
Here are 10 awful disadvantages of wearing skinny jeans.
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1. Skinny jeans aren't in style anymore
The first thing you should consider before ditching tight jeans is your fashion style. Are you willing to wear this overused trend again? Skinny jeans have been around for a while now and almost everybody wears them.
If you want to stand out and improve your fashion style, maybe it's time to wear something better. Why not try a classic wide-legged trouser? Choose pieces that fit you well, are comfortable, and timeless.
One of the best ways to enhance your look and live sustainably is to pick versatile clothing that lasts a long time. Wear pieces that are bold, chic, and not boring but more interesting, and more relaxed.
2. They don't flatter your body
Clothing is your second-skin. It should make you feel confident and comfortable at all times. Forcing yourself to fit into tight jeans isn't the best to improve your body image, as demonstrated by recent research.
Super tight and restrictive clothing cut into your waist and lower back. They can lead to lower self-esteem, eating disorders, and damaging food restrictions.
If you are carrying excess weight, skinny jeans may not be especially flattering. They may not look appealing at all on some people if not properly styled.
There re many constraints to what you can wear with skinny jeans. They might not be the best option for you, depending on what you already have in your wardrobe.
3. Tight jeans become uncomfortable
Wearing skinny jeans can lead to discomfort. Not everyone is comfortable wearing tight jeans all day long. When you need to perform many daily tasks, skinny jeans aren't the best option.
You may feel uncomfortable while sitting down if you didn't get the right fit. Tight jeans can hinder mobility and be extremely uncomfortable if you didn't pick the right size.
One of the major downsides of wearing skinny jeans is that they don't allow airflow effectively. They heat private parts and irritate if you wear them for too long.
4. They destroy the environment
Denim jeans aren't the most ethical and eco-friendly clothing choices. Denim production is excessively damaging to people and the planet.
The regular production of jeans requires vast amounts of resources, chemicals, water, energy. It creates massive amounts of pollution, waste, and greenhouse gases every year.
Skinny jeans are generally made of conventional cotton, one of the most polluting fibers globally. 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce one kilogram of cotton, the equivalent of one T-shirt, and one pair of jeans, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Denim production contributes to the huge water scarcity issue that affects about 4 billion people around the world at least one month every year.
Luckily, scientists are already working on a solution to improve sustainability in the denim industry. A group of researchers at the Fraunhofer IAP are transforming old cotton clothing into new fibers.
5. Skinny jeans are full of toxic chemicals
Wearing toxic fabrics is bad for your skin. Hazardous chemicals found in many jeans threaten human health. Jean manufacturing involves chemical-intensive processes for washing, bleaching, dying textiles.
Hazardous chemicals not only damage your skin but also the health of farmers and workers in garment-producing factories.
Up to 3 kilograms of chemicals are required to produce 1 kilogram of raw cotton fibers. The Global Fashion Agenda reports that cotton farming utilizes 4% of worldwide of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers, 16% of all insecticides, and 7% of all herbicides.
Many fabrics also undergo harsh chemical treatments to make them water repellant, wrinkle-free, or stain resistant. Do wear harmful jeans. They may lead to cancer, hormonal dysfunction, insomnia, nausea, immunity harm, anorexia, and behavioral problems.
6. They cause irritations and infections
Pants that are too tight or cheaply made cause friction. They irritate the skin and genitals, which can lead to infections.
Overly tight pants or skinny jeans may lead to fungal infections. Tightness restricts airflow to the body and causes heavy perspiration around the groin.
Another common type of infection caused by skinny jeans is urinary tract infection that affects the kidneys, bladder, and the tubes that run between them.
Tight pants block air circulation and increase yeast creation over the skin. This results in sweating, swelling, skin rashes, redness, itchiness, and infections.
7. Tight jeans damage nerves
Tight jeans can cause numbness, tingling, and discomfort in the legs. A recent study concluded that squatting for a prolonged period while wearing skinny jeans leads to severe ankle weakness.
The tightness of skinny jeans restricts the mobility of the legs. Wearing tight pants frequently impacts hip joints and the spine negatively.
Medical researchers have proven that tight jeans put constant pressure on nerves and cause tingling or burning on the legs. Wearing tight skinny jeans is mostly bad news.
Your jeans would have to be very tight to cause severe damage. However, develop compartment syndrome is possible as a result of reduced blood supply to leg muscles.
It's very frequent for skinny jeans to cause nerve pain in the thighs and groin area. Avoid exercising or bending down in them too much.
Your muscles need room to work. A looser pair of pants is the better option to avoid restricting your muscles and causing serious damage.
Optimal blood circulation is crucial to stay in good health. Skinny jeans worn for prolonged periods cause weakness and loss of sensation in the legs. Wear more comfortable clothes to protect your body and your skin.
8. They cause heartburn
Wearing tight clothing can cause heartburn. Pants that are too tight prevent blood circulation, respiration, and proper digestion. Tight clothing, especially around the waist, put excessive pressure on your internal organs.
Wearing jeans for many hours each day can lead to blood clotting. It creates pain around your groin area and thighs and impairs blood circulation.
You also risk feeling dizzy or even suffocating and fainting due to breathing troubles. These are some of the negative effects of wearing tight jeans.
They can cause heartburn, blurred vision, and headache. They are a major reason for poor blood circulation in the lower body.
9. They reduce fertility
Skinny jeans can cause plenty of health problems. Some of them are very harmful. If worn for an extended time duration, tight pants lead to lower fertility for men.
They result in high temperatures, cause constant damage to testicl*s, and lower sperm count. When testicl*s get too hot, they don't allow sperm to mature.
Researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health recently found in a study of 656 men that tight-fitting clothes have long-term negative effects on sperm concentration.
"Potentially switching from tight to loose might help some men who are on the lower edge of sperm production. It shows that tight pants have an effect and there is a relatively cheap and easy thing that men can attempt to do to try and improve their situation."
- Allan Pacey, University of Sheffield Professor of Andrology
10. Skinny jeans are painful
Skinny jeans can not only cause discomfort but also pain. Tight jeans that compress your legs and abdomen creates pressure and pain. They cause a severe burning sensation around your groin area and thighs.
Abdominal pain is frequent when wearing tight jeans as muscles and internal organs are restricted. Skinnies also put pressure on our spine and backbone, which can lead to a lot of pain in the lower waist region or the back.
Back muscles and hip bones movement are obstructed by tight clothing. Skinny jeans aren't that good for your back or your overall health.
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About the Author: Alex Assoune
Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.
