I did not want to take a double-take and I definitely did not want to stare out of fear of being rude. Actually I was afraid that I was sent back in time for a moment. Was it my imagination or did I see a teenager wearing leg warmers recently?  By recently, I absolutely do not mean in the past twenty years. Back in the Eighties leg warmers were everywhere. I know because I wore them almost every day for a good stretch of time.

These footless socks were a staple of any teenager’s fashion world in the 1980’s. We could not live without them and we communicated that vehemently to our puzzled parents who probably found no use for the strange articles of clothing. The argument was that everyone had leg warmers and anyone who didn’t was a big nobody. Like, totally.

Actually, the leg warmers did have a use. They were used to do exactly what their name suggests; they warm legs. This craze from the 1980’s was originally a functional garment that helped those athletic enthusiasts keep their muscles warm. This helped the muscles keep from getting torn and sore because of a workout.

In the days of the Jane Fonda Workout, the leg warmers were actually a practical item. They were designed to help those who exercised on a regular (and not so regular) basis avoid injury and soreness. With the popularity of physical fitness and health in the 1980’s, the leg warmers somehow segued into our everyday attire.

We wore leg warmers with skirts, over our jeans and some brave souls paired them with shorts. The seemingly useless articles functioned as the must-have accessories of the decade. They also came in interesting colors as well. I remember specifically wearing my fluorescent-orange, glowing leg warmers on very special occasions. They matched my off-the-shoulder sweatshirt that emanated the same glowing shade.

Years later, I looked back at the fashion accessory as many adults view their teenage years. I found the articles of clothing a little embarrassing. In fact, many pictures that tell the fashion tale of my love affair with leg warmers are tucked safely away out of the reach of my loved ones.

If the trend does revisit, I think I might participate again. I may have a pair hidden in my mother’s attic. Who knows, my daughter may want to borrow them when she’s a teenager. I’ll be sure to have a camera on hand.