Do you wear leggings, or are you young?

There have always been ways to spot someone who is old: white hair, a gray beard, bifocals, references to smallpox. But now, to the chagrin of millennials — the newest batch of elderly people — there’s one that hits too close to home: leggings and tight athletic wear.

Once touchstones for wealth, fitness, and sexiness, formfitting athleisure has become a uniform for the geriatric — allegedly.

Determining what is and what isn’t old people’s garb is Gen Z, the youngest adults on the planet. Even though they will eventually become old themselves, for now, Gen Z determines the trends of fashion. And what they say, according to the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper that’s read by more old people than young, is that now is the time for baggy-fitting sweats and tees and loose-fitting athleisure.

Think: Lululemon stuffing every adjective into its “big cozy ultra-oversized wide-leg pant.” Or Vuori’s “generous” Seaside Sweatpant. Or Alo’s Serenity, a pant that could easily double as a flag or a hammock.

Looking for answers and some outrage, I went to the front lines of where the battle is being fought: gyms, run clubs, group fitness classes, and the social media feeds of millennial trainers and fitness influencers. What I found was a tension between mortality and vanity, a clash where popularity meets coolness, and a strong belief that the demise of leggings might be overblown.

We may not live forever, but leggings might.

Why svelte athleisure got big in the first place

“They’re trying to confuse you, Alex,” said trainer and fitness influencer Bobby McMullen. McMullen is the co-founder of an app called Adonis, which links trainers to potential clients. He is essentially a David Attenborough of athleisure.

“They’re putting form above function, and it makes me sick,” he added.

McMullen, a millennial, is of a simple belief:........

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