During spring cleaning last month, my mom and I went through my closet taking our faded blouses and torn T-shirts, all which needed to be donated. Then we came upon a pair of old jeans which I had inherited from my older sister. I wriggled into the pants, barely able to button the waist. I looked at myself in the mirror with the jeans and said “Wow, they look good.” But I could barley take a deep breath, and I knew I would have to donate them.
Women worldwide make daily sacrifices for beauty and fashion, like too much cosmetics and high heels. Studies show that cosmetics can lead to cancer or genetic defects from the chemicals, while high heels, can cause falls, heel pain, and back problems. However, new studies have shown that the latest fashion trend, skinny jeans, like the one I had on, may also be harmful to one’s health.
Meralgia paresthetica, more commonly known as “tingling thigh syndrome”, is a condition that results in numbness and tingling in the thigh. It is often due to excess pressure on the nerve running down the side of the leg. The tight clothing around the thighs compresses the sensory nerve and causes this tingling sensation, like sciatic nerve pain running down the leg due to a compression.
Tingling thigh syndrome is often misdiagnosed and most doctors do not realize that their patient’s tight pants are the cause of the distress. Experts who recognized and explained this syndrome to many “fashion victims” said women were willing to switch to looser pants despite the fashion trends.
Skinny jeans are not the only cause of this syndrome. Construction workers and police officers who wear low-slung belts are prone to this condition as are women who are obese or pregnant. Yet the recent rise in the number of complaints about this numbness is credited to skinny jeans. In addition to the tight pants, stiletto heels cause this tingling as well, since they push the pelvis bone forward, therefore increasing the pressure on the nerve.
Although meralgia paresthetic does not cause permanent damage, it can be uncomfortable and deter many from doing their routine activities.
Doctors recommend wearing leggings or “jeggings” with a more flexible material and yet provide the same fitting look. So as I donated my “skinny jeans,” I wondered ‘should fashionistas suffer to stay in style?’