Note to men and women everywhere: Don’t dis yoga pants unless you’re ready for some serious backlash. One 63-year-old Rhode Island resident, Alan Sorrentino, learned this lesson the hard way after writing a piece for his local newspaper, The Barrington Times, about why older women shouldn’t wear yoga pants. In his letter to the editor, Sorrentino describes women older than 20 who wear yoga pants as “disturbing,” writing, “To all yoga pants wearers, I struggle with my own physicality as I age. I don’t want to struggle with yours.”
As you can imagine, his blatantly sexist letter did not sit well with local yoga pants defenders. In response, hundreds of women in yoga pants—and some supportive men—marched to Sorrentino’s house on Sunday to peacefully challenge his offensive comments, celebrate body positivity, and support women in wearing whatever the hell they want. Some attendees carried signs reading “Peaceful Pants Party” and “Love Yourself” while others shared the hashtag #YogaPantsParade.
In reaction to the criticism, Sorrentino placed a “Free Speech” sign on his front lawn and claimed the letter was meant to be satirical. Unfortunately for him, the vast majority of readers did not see the humor in his statements. Parade organizers and participants were also quick to make it clear that they did not coordinate the event as an attack on Sorrentino but as “a wonderful group of people celebrating our bodies and our right to cover them however we see fit.” In an interview with The Boston Globe, organizer Jamie Burke called the parade a “positive response to casual sexism.”
Keep scrolling for photos of the widely attended event. And, as always, exercise your right to get comfy.