Clients in their 20s and early 30s \u2018tend to embrace the trend of matching activewear sets\u2019 \u2026 Lauren Crowder, managing director of ELEVEN:ELEVEN Studios in Liverpool.<\/span> Photograph: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWith all the new and improved tight gym gear out there, if younger women in their 20s are still opting for baggier styles, could it be for other reasons? Okafor sees \u201call manners of bodies and ages\u201d at her pole studio and thinks that, in general, younger generations are \u201cgiving themselves more space\u201d. Sheppard sees this as a response to our times. Young people \u201care living in a period of global crises that make the focus on themselves seem too indulgent \u2026 It\u2019s like, just put on clothes. We\u2019ve got bigger problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, if there is more room for divergence from a workout uniform, then it might have benefits for all generations. \u201cHow many people would probably want to go to the gym and work out if they could wear clothes that didn\u2019t make them feel embarrassed?\u201d asks Okafor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about questioning the motivations,\u201d says Forbes-Bell. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s empowering, whether it\u2019s baggy or whether it\u2019s tight, that idea of: \u2018Why am I actually wearing this? What am I trying to achieve?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n