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These Are the Absolute Best Leggings That Will Never, Ever Show Crotch Sweat

Zoe Weiner

May 17, 2019

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Photo: Getty Images/ Philippa Langley

This morning, I walked into my Pilates class in a brand new workout outfit. Three separate people complimented me on my #lewk before I had even sat down on the Megaformer, and for the first 10 minutes of class, every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, all I could think was, "Damn girl, you look good." I was feeling myself, for real. But then, when it came time to do weighted squats, I looked down and realized there was a massive sweat stain between my legs.

My thoughts of my own hotness were immediately replaced with was mortification (like, I genuinely considered bolting out of the class), followed quickly by annoyance: I loved these leggings so much, but I could literally never, ever wear them to a workout class again. I may be a strong, independent, confident woman (I've been listening to a lot of Lizzo lately), but I am not down with showing off my crotch sweat to an entire room of strangers.

In order to avoid this situation from ever happening again, I reached out to a Gaiam senior designer, Nicole Andrick, to find out how you can tell if a pair of leggings will show sweat before you invest $85 in them... and then unknowingly wear them to a class in front of a whole bunch of people.

"The fabric must have moisture wicking properties that will pull moisture away from body, keeping you cool during even the most intense workouts," she told me, calling out the Gaiam Om Mesh Legging ($37) as a good option. "A synthetic fabric such as polyester or nylon with spandex will not show as much sweat as cotton."

And, before you reach for those grey leggings, Andrick wants you to know that "black or other dark colors are the best to wear to not show sweat, whereas lighter colors tend to be less forgiving." Duly noted. Now, if anyone wants to take a pair of lightly worn, light-blue cotton leggings off of my hands... let a girl know.

When it comes to hiding sweat, you really can't go wrong with basic black. Here are some of our favorite pairs for under $50. Plus, why Forever 21 secretly has the cutest (and most affordable) workout clothes you'll want to wear long after you leave the gym.