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This article is part of <\/span><\/i>Upstream,<\/span><\/i><\/a> The Daily Wire\u2019s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLadies, leggings are not pants,\u201d local man <\/span>Dale Partridge<\/span><\/a> preached on X, unwittingly nailing the reason why your favorite pair of Lulus leads a <\/span>$440 billion activewear industry<\/span><\/a> that has every fit chick, supermom, and It Girl singing its praises. Yeah, buddy, leggings <\/span>aren\u2019t <\/span><\/i>pants. That\u2019s why we love \u2018em! They\u2019re flattering, forgiving, easy to dress up, and just as perfect with flip-flops. But is the stretchy pants era hanging on by a thread?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m preemptively dabbing my eyes with the nearest pair of <\/span>Lululemon Align<\/span><\/a> No Line High-Rise 25\u201d Smoothie Wash Blueberry Multi leggings. I\u2019m also suddenly wondering if Britney Spears\u2019 \u201c<\/span>Toxic<\/span><\/a>\u201d was about Spandex this whole time: \u201c<\/span>With a taste of the poison paradise<\/span><\/a>, I\u2019m addicted to you, don\u2019t you know that you\u2019re toxic?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Luckily, it\u2019s not you, it\u2019s the pants. And it\u2019s not the concept of leggings (phew); it\u2019s the toxic chemicals used to make them. Still wearing your go-to black yoga crops from 10 years ago? Maybe, like me, you\u2019ve never stopped to really consider what buttery-soft \u201c<\/span>Nulu<\/span><\/a>,\u201d \u201cPowerLu,\u201d or \u201cEverlux\u201d even is, and, instead, you\u2019ve been much more focused on that flawless contour and how $130 leggings cost just seven cents a day over the course of five years, which is rounded down to free! Girl math for the win.<\/span><\/p>\n Spoiler alert, leggings don\u2019t just magically last forever. And this freakish longevity could be thanks to synthetic compounds called \u201cforever chemicals\u201d (aka perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or <\/span>PFAS<\/span><\/a>), which in turn might be <\/span>leaching into your skin<\/span><\/a>. They\u2019re known for <\/span>sweat-wicking<\/span><\/a>, quick-drying, stain-resisting performance. But these types of compounds get their nickname because they <\/span>never break down<\/span><\/a>. Just like leggings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When we signed up for <\/span>Zumba<\/span><\/a>, we were hoping for a rush of feel-good endorphins, <\/span>dopamine<\/span><\/a>, and a smoothie afterward \u2014 not toxic residue from an <\/span>Indonesian<\/span><\/a> clothing factory. No wonder more of us are talking about <\/span>ditching synthetics<\/span><\/a> that <\/span>mess with our hormones<\/span><\/a> in favor of\u00a0activewear made with natural fibers. It seems that once we latched onto contouring pants that hold our keys, phone, and booty all at once, it wasn\u2019t long before we realized we were no longer cool with <\/span>being contaminated<\/span><\/a> by athleisure.<\/span><\/p>\n Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/span><\/a> just announced he is taking on Lululemon. With an investigation into the wellness brand\u2019s product manufacturing, restricted substances list, and supply chain, he\u2019s hoping to uncover whether the brand is misleading its loyal followers \u2014 basically all of America \u2014 by making us think we\u2019re buying a product that\u2019s less toxic than it is.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c[Lululemon] markets itself as a wellness-focused lifestyle brand emphasizing sustainability and performance,\u201d an <\/span>official statement<\/span><\/a> from his office read. \u201cHowever, emerging research and consumer concerns have raised questions about the potential presence of certain synthetic materials and chemical compounds in their apparel that may be associated with endocrine disruption, infertility, cancer, and other health issues.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lululemon publishes a <\/span>restricted substances report<\/span><\/a> covering its sustainability practices, packaging, footwear, and fashion. But a quick scan reveals a 50-page list of chemicals sprinkled with images of happy workout people and their incredible abs. Okay, even if it\u2019s legal for a company to sell us leggings with up to 1,000 parts per million of diisobutyl phthalate, do we want something known as \u201c<\/span>plasticizer<\/span><\/a>\u201d seeping into our pores?<\/span><\/p>\n One time during a kickboxing class, someone else\u2019s sweat flew into my mouth. This sounds worse. <\/span><\/p>\n And it\u2019s not just Lululemon. They might not be facing Texas justice, but certain leggings from brands such as <\/span>Athleta<\/span><\/a>, Gaiam, Old Navy, and Yogalicious also tested positive for forever chemicals.<\/span><\/p>\n Still, before you panic-chuck all your leggings, you\u2019ve probably already been exposed to <\/span>PFAS<\/span><\/a> today. These chemicals can be found in <\/span>drinking water<\/span><\/a>, food packaging, non-stick cookware, makeup, and shampoo, along with all sorts of fabrics. This very second, according to science, most of us would test positive for <\/span>PFAS in our blood<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Just like we are what we eat, we can also form a long-term toxic relationship with plastics in our clothes. Over time, PFAS <\/span>build up in our tissue<\/span><\/a>, and after a few decades spent wearing leggings loaded with chemicals every day, you could see damage to your <\/span>thyroid<\/span><\/a>, liver, kidneys, immunity, and reproductive system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m in full <\/span>savasana<\/span><\/a> (corpse pose) just thinking about how many years I\u2019ve been wearing synthetic leggings. Yes, stretchy pants have been around since men first wore them in <\/span>1300s Scotland<\/span><\/a>, but I blame early-2000s Lindsay Lohan for popularizing the No. 1 alternative to hard pants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Good news, though: We don\u2019t have to die of leggings. Keep the opaque, lifted, buttery breathability and eliminate the junk from the ol\u2019 activewear stash with a low-tox brand for your next workout slash coffee run. You might not see a huge cut in cost, but not accidentally poisoning yourself during Pilates? Priceless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Skip the plastics with mainstream favorite <\/span>MATE the Label<\/span><\/a>, which sources toxin-free organic cotton and just 8% spandex to provide stretch for leggings, sports bras, skorts, and socks. Made of 100% alpaca wool, <\/span>Arms of Andes<\/span><\/a> leggings feel soft, wick moisture, and regulate temperature in any season. And <\/span>Jungmaven\u2019s<\/span><\/a> super stretchy hemp blend leggings will have you thinking, \u201cLulu who?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Other highly rated user recommendations include BRANWYN, Pact, Happy Earth, Boody, PAKA, Cottonique, and Wellicious. And non-toxic, vegetable-dyed organic cotton brand <\/span>Groceries<\/span><\/a> obviously understood the assignment based purely on its name.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n