Christian Blogger Veronica Partridge Says She Is 'Under Attack From Satan' After Post Claiming Leggings Tempt Men Draws Criticism
A Christian blogger under fire for saying women who wear leggings inadvertently risk tempting members of the opposite sex, says that she and her husband are under attack from Satan.
Oregon resident Veronica Partridge, 25, sparked a firestorm of criticism earlier this month when she said she had chosen to stop wearing leggings as pants in public to honor her Christian faith in a candid blog post that went viral.
While supporters have praised the married mother of one for promoting modesty, her Facebook page has been flooded with criticism from people who say that her post promotes gender stereotypes and sexism.
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"I've had a lot of both positive and negative responses, probably more negative than positive ... it's definitely not what I was expecting," Partridge told The Christian Post exclusively.
In her 500-word blog post, Partridge, who prides herself on having "your not-so-average Christian family," shared that she made the decision to stop wearing leggings in public two months ago after having an honest conversation with her husband Dale. He admitted to her that for him it is "hard not to look" at other women in leggings.
For her, Dale's admission validated her realization that skin tight stretch pants "may cause [men] to think lustful thoughts," as is stated in her blog.
"I think my husband is happy and supportive of my decision, but because of the [media attention] I think that we're under attack from Satan. We're getting a lot of negativity," she said. "But we're staying strong and praying with one another and reading our bible. I think it's brought us closer together."
Partridge says that she has always been uncomfortable wearing leggings but it wasn't until she became a Christian, seven years ago, that she chose to abandon her partygirl lifestyle and begin dressing more modestly.
On Facebook, she describes herself as a "city girl turned country girl" whose hobbies include homemaking and farming. She and Dale are all about their faith and they regularly worship via home church.
"I made the decision because it had been on my heart for a while. I felt that God wanted me to change and I just kind of kept ignoring it. Then I was in a conversation one day with both men and women and one of the men said 'what do you think every other guy is thinking when they see our wives walking around in leggings like this?'" Partridge explained.
She said that she went home and discussed it further with Dale who told her that it is almost instinctive for men to want to look.
"He said 'that's just basic biology. As a straight, Christian man I'm just designed to [want to look] when a woman is showing off or accentuating certain parts of their body,'" she said. "He said 'I'm not purposefully trying to be gross, but it does catch my eye sometimes. I have to remind myself 'don't look.'"
Partridge insisted that she's not trying to tell women how to dress. She said that her decision is personal and ultimately it is about "honoring God."
"God didn't say 'don't wear leggings' but it's important that we dress modestly. I believe that as Christians, we're all responsible for our own actions and if we are going to put something on that we know is going to draw attention from the opposite sex ... then we need to keep that in my mind when we're getting dressed in the mornings," she said. "Of course I can't control what a man is going to do. If they're going to look yes, they're going to look but out of respect for my husband I don't want to encourage those looks or draw attention to myself in that way."
Since the blog went viral, Partridge has been overwhelmed with support from the Christian community which she said has been "encouraging." Despite being subject to ridicule and harsh criticism, she does not regret sharing her story.
"It's so encouraging and I'm so thankful for the people that did leave positive feedback because if I get online and I read too many negative comments in a row, I tend to get really discouraged," she said. "It was a message that God put on my heart and I was hesitant about sharing my personal convictions … I just think that whether I like it or not God has a purpose for it."
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