And then I put some funk on it, got a little groovy, and took today's prompt back in time.
Go ahead, you can say it. These pants are pretty fly. Don't think so? We think so. And we mean business.
No, my work didn't pay me to write this blog, but in a way they did.
If you haven't seen Old Navy's new commercial for the Pixie Pants with Amy Poehler, check it out below.
These Pixie Pants are designed for women, and as one of the store leaders, it's one of my responsibilities to ensure our team knows about the products we're selling. The easiest way to learn about the product is to try it on. It's also in my style of leadership to motivate and encourage my team members.
In my theatre education as a director, it was a challenge for me to encourage and motivate my actors for the production we were in together. I would often question them and them push them, but I told myself I wouldn't ask them to do anything or go anywhere (emotionally) that I wouldn't do myself.
And so I brought that to the ON.
I want the team to learn about the Pixie Pants. I need them to try them on so they can honestly speak to them when talking to customers. And today, two guys from other stores happened to be in the house as well, and so, in our love for Old Navy, in the spirit of team motivation, awesomeness, and just generally having a good time, we rocked the Charlie's Angels pose in these fly trousers.
I'm not going to lie, they were crazy comfortable, and probably the most comfortable pair of pants (that weren't sweat pants) I've ever worn. They were soft and stretchy and they scream "LOOK AT ME I'M AWESOME!"
And then I felt like a jerk.
"If these weren't women's pants, I'd totally own a pair." I thought to myself. Well, not really to myself, as the two other guys echoed my opinion. (I strategically placed graphics over their faces to grant a courtesy of secrecy, and because this is my blog and not theirs...)
And who said men can't wear these pants? No and everyone at the same time.
Pink is for girls, blue is for boys. Girls play softball, boys play hardball. (But softballs are still pretty hard.) Societal standards, gender roles, and lines drawn in the sand. Watch this video:
Now think about the last time you thought something along the lines of "that's for a girl/boy" or "that would be weird if I wore that."
I like to say that I do what I want, but in the grand scheme of things I really don't. Sometimes, but kind of not really. I'm being more than moderately wishy washy today, and if you've never seen this side of me, "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm a human just like everyone else."
But back to the pants. They're fly as all hell. The patterns are rockin, they scream springtime fashion party, and they're seriously the most comfortable pants (save sweats) I've ever tried on.
And if you hadn't already asked the question, no, this isn't the first time I've worn something that is generally categorized as women's clothing. My first lead role in theatre came with a set of tights. And in college, I was in a play that gave me tights, heels, and a ponytail. Here's a picture of myself as the young Thomas Diaforus from Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid.
So thanks, Old Navy, for encouraging us to try something new.
Do something different this month. Something that you know for a fact will get you a weird look from people, but you want to do because you want to learn something. Because you want to try something out that harms no one. That's really all we did today. We tried on pants, got a few weird looks, made some co-workers laugh, and at the end of the day, no one got hurt, and we all had a good time. Sounds like a win to me.
Before I go, I want to share one last photo. One of just me, because I wanted to show myself I could have a picture of myself in these sweet pants without anyone else to lean on. So I asked my coworker, KChaz to take a picture of me like I was shooting an album cover. Enjoy.
I'm pretty fly for a brown guy.
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