Compression Shorts (aka Spandex) are a Girl’s Best Friend

                I am going to make a bold statement in saying that over 90% of athletic girls have at one point in their career worn compression shorts, which are also known as Spandex. Call them whatever you want because girls like them! Mainly this article of clothing is only known as Spandex in the volleyball world, but everywhere else they are called compression shorts or just compressions for short. You can see these undergarments everywhere, whether it be under a girl’s uniform, sweats, or even a dress as compressions seem to be the go to piece of clothing for girls across the nation.

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                 Personally, I am one of those girls who can’t live without them. Every time my family travels I always throw in at least one pair whether it be for a weekend sports tournament or just a family vacation, you never know when they can come in handy. I don’t know what it is about them, but I always feel like I am missing something if I don’t have them on with my uniform or even when I am just wearing them under a pair of sweats, I feel naked without them.
                 From an athletic standpoint, compressions are really nice to wear because they protect your thighs from elements you don’t really notice. As a soccer player myself, we have to play on turf a lot and the shorts we wear can be pretty short sometimes. So when you slide on the turf, you can get some really bad burns and scrapes, but by wearing compressions they help cut down the number of those injuries. Also they come in handy when playing sports because they help keep your quad and hamstring muscles warm which helps cut down on the number of muscle cramps you may get throughout the game.
                Compressions have many uses off the playing field as well. When dressing up, a lot of female athletes like to wear compressions under their dresses, myself included. This trend is very popular among teenage athletes especially. I think that part of the reason many girls like to wear their compressions under their dresses is because it makes them feel comfortable as athletes, because they are so used to wearing compressions 4 days out of the week with their regular clothing, while they only wear dresses every so often, so it’s something normal for them to wear.
                All in all compressions are a nice piece of clothing to have as a female athlete because they have many different uses to meet your specific needs. My only note is to please not wear them just by themselves out in public unless you are playing volleyball, because some would consider it like just wearing underwear in public. I highly recommend for those of you who don’t already own a pair of spandex to look into getting some, and they come in numerous different colors and patterns if you want to spice up your wardrobe.

Pictures Courtesy of www.wanelo.com