Raise your hand if you’ve dealt with the following scenario involving women’s leggings.

Your friend comes to you red-faced and more than a little bothered. When you ask what’s wrong, she shares her day with you.

She was strolling down the street and noticed she kept getting odd looks. Those looks had something to do with her leggings.

Did they tear somehow? Was there something embarrassing stuck to them?

When she rushes to the nearest restroom to examine herself in a long mirror she notices something about her leggings that never occurred to her at home: You can see EVERYTHING below the waist.

It’s then that you give your friend a sympathetic pat on the back about their leggings faux pas and reminds them that it’s quite a common fashion error.

You see…some women love leggings so much they treat them like pants.

Leggings Aren't Pants. They're Superior: http://t.co/9vPM2didKd

— Slate (@Slate) March 10, 2013

The problem is that leggings AREN’T pants. Women’s leggings aren’t pants the same way pantyhose aren’t pants.

In fact, have you ever noticed that women’s leggings are typically found in the hosiery section of a store or online shopping site?

There was even a Harvard study done which determined this outright.

If you want leggings for pants, consider jeggings. All of the tight fit and none of the potential embarrassment.

Now, does your love of leggings mean you have to wear pants with them?

Of course not!

Here is a video filled with cool examples of how to wear leggings with all of the fashion and none of the “everyone can see your purple polka-dotted underwear”:

Notice the one leggings-as-pants look featured leggings that LOOK like pants? If you intend to wear leggings as bottoms, opt for material like wool, denim, or leather.

So remember: Women’s leggings are an important staple to have in your closet. Just don’t presume that your sheerer-than-you-think leggings are an immediate replacement for pants.

And as a final reminder as to how women’s leggings aren’t pants, let’s observe a woman wearing only a thong whose lower half has been spray-painted to look like pants:

As you can see, even body paint is a more convincing representation of pants than leggings!

So before you finish your outfit with women’s leggings, consider whether or not your outfit is REALLY finished.