Getting Women Back into Pantyhose


  • Ladies and Gentlemen, I need your help.  For far too long, a barrage of lies and deceit have permeated society that have led women to believe that pantyhose are a highly undesirable article of clothing.  Of course, an honest look at history and some plain common sense will show that nothing is further from the truth.

    I'm a man who grew up at a time when stockings and panties were being phased out in favor of pantyhose.  This came as no surprise as pantyhose were fun, simple to wear, and oh, so sexy!  It was common to see images of women dressed in nothing but pantyhose in magazine and television ads.  When boys my age were hoarding pictures of naked women they found in Playboy, I was more interested in seeing Playboy Bunnies dressed waist deep in sheer nylon, not to mention all the pantyhose I could easily see in full display out in public, on TV, in department stores, and supermarkets.  Pantyhose were everywhere, and no one tried to hide them.

    Bunnies

    Sadly, the story is much different today.  It's as if some horribly cruel joke was played upon society in the 1990s, and against all common sense and higher intelligence, it somehow succeeded.  It makes absolutely no sense that the same women who wore pantyhose 24/7 and did so well by them in the past would want little more than to spit on them today.

    It would seem that women, upset with living in a male-dominated society, have admitted defeat by rejecting elements and symbols of their femininity and sexuality at all costs. Women seem to have fallen short of the promises they once made in simpler times:

    It has been said that a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth, and there is very little truth in the many excuses women make today regarding their reluctance to wear pantyhose.  So many women have become so hostile toward pantyhose that open-minded women who might actually consider wearing them, avoid doing so in order to evade childish ridicule.  (When you come down to it, it's really just petty jealousy.)

    In response to the endless lies and deceit the "Haters" and the "Leg Nudists" continue to promulgate throughout society, I offer the following thoughts based on what I believe are elements of sound logic, truth, and honesty in the hopes that greeater numbers of open-minded women might finally gain the courage and intelligent reasoning to bring pantyhose back into their daily lives.

    First, let's dispel some long-held and often repeated lies about pantyhose:

    Lie #1: "Pantyhose are for old ladies."  WRONG!  When pantyhose were first introduced, it was the younger generation of women who were the early adopters.  Older women stuck with their stockings and their "bloomers" until those relics of the dark ages were finally put out to pasture.

    Today, it's the women who wore pantyhose on a regular basis in the past who are now acting like their grandmothers and have retreated back to wearing "granny panties", while the younger, more open-minded generation have ditched their undies for skin-tight leggings and pantyhose!

    Check out these "senior citizens".  (They grow up so fast these days...):

    Lie #2: "Bare legs look better."  This is the old "Less is More" con.  No.  Less is BORE, ladies!  Putting on pantyhose is like putting icing on a cake.  Have you ever  opened a box of assorted donuts to serve to friends or family and noticed the plain donuts are always the last ones taken?  Guess why!  Also, most women vary their hair color and style, nails, and makeup over time.  Bare legs are boringly monochromatic, and look the same today, tomorrow, next month, and (if you're young) next year.  Imagine owning just ONE pair of shoes...

     

    Lie #3: "Bare legs are sexier than pantyhose."  GET REAL!  Pantyhose are worn by women to enhance their natural beauty, sexuality, and female form, NOT to conceal it.  Show me a woman who can take a pair of pantyhose so small and flaccid that they can be held in the palm of her hand, then pulled and stretched over her naked body until they are long and tight up to her waist, and there won't be a man alive witnessing this display of elasticity and distension whose personal anatomy won't be doing the same.  Guaranteed.  No pharmaceuticals required.  😉

    Q: Why don't pantyhose wearers ever ride the elevator?
    A: Because they can take the stares.

    Lie #4: "Pantyhose are old/outdated."  Guess again, Sparky!  Bare legs predate pantyhose by thousands of years.  In fact, there's nothing new, modern, sexy, or "chic" about bare legs. Bare legs have always looked raw, ugly, bland, bleak, barren, anemic, and cold. Hosiery was invented to correct that.

    It has been said that those who have not learned from the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them, and those who refuse to accept pantyhose are condemned to re-invent them, poorly.  I think any woman living in the 21st century who rejects pantyhose in favor of dressing like a cavewoman needs to be called out appropriately.  "Wilma" is a good start.

    Have you ever noticed that women don't like men who are cheap, but nothing says "cheap"  more than bare legs and bare feet in shoes.  What do women think they are projecting to society when they go out in public dressed like Neanderthals?  That they are too cheap to buy pantyhose?  Or that they are too immature or insecure in their femininity to wear hosiery?  Maybe they lack the intelligence to shop for them or the skills to put them on.  Or maybe they're just too "butch" to feel comfortable wearing clothing that's so clearly delicate and feminine?

    Lie #5: "Pantyhose are uncomfortable."  WRONG AGAIN!  Modern pantyhose are designed to look, fit, and feel wonderful.  If you're not achieving these benefits, then you're doing something wrong.

    Follow the science and the facts.  Pantyhose apply pressure to your skin that stimulates neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin that calm your brain through a principle called Deep Pressure Stimulation (DPS).  DPS is firm but gentle squeezing, hugging, or holding that relaxes the nervous system, lowers your heart rate, relaxes your muscles, and improves your circulation.  Simply put, pantyhose causes your body to produce endorphins that make you feel amazing.  Some have even described them as feeling "delicious"...

    The women who used to work, play, and sleep in pantyhose 24/7 weren't stupid, and they were no bigger lemmings than the women of today who blindly follow the "bear leg" trend and disparage pantyhose (and pantyhose wearers) at every opportunity.  At no other time in modern human history have women's legs looked so neglected, cold, and pathetic for so long.  How much longer must this continue?  Under what metric can this be considered a success?  On what planet in what solar system is this considered progress?

    Today I'm asking for your help in calling out the "Leg Nudists" and the "Hose Haters" on their B.S.  Together, let's put an end to the lies and deceit that have warped the hearts and minds of women for far too long.  Let's follow the facts and the science, and chase those bare legs back into the stone age from whence they came and where they belong.

    Ladies, let THIS be the year when you finally summon the courage to embrace pantyhose in your lives, and allow pantyhose to fully embrace YOU!

    JA



  • Amazing post!   Thank you so much for outlining what we here at Shapings have always been focused on when it comes to women's fashions and the true nature of wearing pantyhose in all aspects of life.  

    Robert


  • Great post. I couldn't agree more. Do women in all parts of the world have the same hate towards pantyhose or is this just a North American attitude? I used to see city billboards with the classic Secret Pantyhose adds, which have vanished. Then a couple of years back the topic of Kate Middleton would bring back pantyhose in the modern women, which never happened. I can only say that the women, that wear pantyhose look much more classier than that bare leg look. 


  • Excellent and thorough post. In the late 90's, there was a resurgence of tights wearing in fashion, which then seemed to fade out a bit, then rebound again a few years down the road. Keeping an eye on fashion shows for fall collections, I'd often see pantyhose & tights worn by models. But... did that translate to women wearing them in public? By 2007 I was no longer working in a big metropolitan city, and women at work mostly wore pants. Those who wore skirts often had footless leggings on. Only our front office receptionist wore skirts and hose.

    In social media, I'd periodically spot women talking about pantyhose. The general take was "I'm glad I don't have to wear them for work any longer!" That matches up with what I saw in a recent NY Times article, "they are a symbol of old-fashioned female repression and outmoded gender rules." The article, Does Anyone Wear Pantyhose Anymore? by Vanessa Friedman, fashion director of The New York Times (LINK), conveys a belief that "Stockings are not modern." And of course, with many white collar office workers doing their jobs from home, the hosiery won't be worn--why bother? She also cited Meghan Markle, was noted wearing pantyhose with her dress at Prince Charles' 70th birthday event, with fashion conscious social media railing against it--as if this was a sign of her "subjugation." And a few months later, she was seen in a dress without pantyhose--bare legs.

    But getting back to long held beliefs about pantyhose. From feedback I'd read, women were believing pantyhose are a waste of money. They didn't feel good. They didn't last long. And they were an embarrassment if a run occurred while at the office. Their only good use--a once in a great while "dressed to the 9's" event where hosiery would be a finishing touch. But never a wardrobe staple.

    The biggest flaw in the anti-pantyhose argument is easily nixed. TEXTILES. Modern synthetic textiles have made new leaps & bounds. It is absolutely amazing what can be produced today. In hosiery, sheer pantyhose and tights are made much better than before. They are more resilient and run resistant now. And last but not least, they are kinder to the skin. Many actually feel good.

    There's also the matter of support hose. While SPANX has been all the rage for women, these super smooth girdle like garments that help squeeze down a body by a size or two, control top pantyhose can do the same thing while also "finishing the job" with compression on the legs. Flight attendants wear pantyhose as part of their uniforms, but they also get the added benefit of circulation control to combat fatigue from standing up for long periods and cabin pressure stresses. Support hose for medical purposes used to be very uncomfortable with breathing problems. They're much better today. And some mainstream brands provide reasonably good compression options without having to delve into the more "brute force" styles of medical hosiery.

    Women's shaved legs adorned with pantyhose look AMAZING. Far more attractive than bare legs. And with much better hosiery products on the market today, I think it's a shame more women aren't wearing them. Additionally, the benefits of compression hosiery are becoming more prominent in the mainstream. You see "recovery garments" being pushed for athletes and very physically active people. Not everyone needs a neoprene thick compression garment. A nice pair of compression pantyhose can do the trick, helping legs to recover.

    Donna Karan's fashion brand came out with their "Evolution" hosiery line sometime around 2012. In an interview, Donna Karan said it took well over a decade working with textile experts to finally strike the right material & weave. The Evolution tights and pantyhose is described as "Revitalizes you with every step. Revolutionary micro-massaging yarns invigorate tone and sculpt the leg. Soft and sophisticated with a sleek look and flattering fit. All-over graduated compression helps your legs feel energized all day. 'A day spa for your legs.'" Their tall size is quite generous and I've worn it. They do feel amazing. Old-fashioned and 'repressed' wearing them? I think not.

    I really do hope that the fashion world leverages pantyhose more, and that brands take a chance on advertising more. Hosiery is a wonderful invention. 


  • A big Thank You to Kate, Robert, and Greg for their positive comments and compliments.  And thanks to Shapings for providing this forum and allowing us to "vent" and share our thoughts and ideas.

    I would say nearly ALL the excuses women make for ditching pantyhose are without merit.  Saying that they're old is completely false.  Old compared to what? Pantyhose are probably the most modern article of clothing available to women today.  Virtually everything else a woman wears today has been around for much longer.  (If there's anything that's gotten old, it's the easily debunked excuses women make for not wearing them!  😉)

    As far as pantyhose being a sign or "repression" or "subjugation", consider all the women employed in the hosiery business who lost their jobs when women "cancelled" pantyhose.  Imagine how many had children and families to support who could no longer do so?  How did that empower women?

    If the proliferation of spray-on tanning products, leggings, and shapewear of various types are evidence of anything, it's that the need for hosiery still exists today, and that those who reject pantyhose are condemned to re-invent them, poorly.

    JA


  • interesting post , i think a lot of it comes from when myself and others went too school in the 70s, and 80s , that most girls wore skirts or dresses too school , it was the dress code persay , our mothers always wanted us looking our best , as my wife says she was forced too wear pantyhose to school , and she hated it , as she says she use too change at her girlfriends before school , i think it was instilled in us from having parents from after the war and later too always look your best more so for the ladys , thats how you find a good husband as they use too say , but i have noticed as of late that some of the younger girls today will wear pantyhose under their shorts , ( thks joyce dewitt ) so therse hope yet , the new fashions and styles are certianly becomming very attractive these days , 


  • @JA   That's why everytime I see a woman or young lady wearing hose I always compliment them real well so they feel nice and sexy. Maybe it will make them feel good to want to wear them again the next time they wear a skirt or shorts.


  • @JA @Kate Dresser  They love them in Europe and other countries across the big pond. I travel to different countries and I noticed women wear them everywhere. It's crazy. I always compliment them on their hose and how nice their legs look and they always thank me and you can always see it makes them feel nice. I guess it's mostly the women over here in the States.


  • I also like to pay compliments to women wearing pantyhose because women in pantyhose look so much better than the rest and because they went the extra mile, and I am a big believer in positive reinforcement.

    Getting women BACK into pantyhose won't be easy, but I would settle for a world where women can feel free to wear them again without any risk of negative outcomes if they so desire.  I mean if recreational use of marijuana can be decriminalized, why not pantyhose?

    I think the anti-hose movement is a good example of herd or mob mentality, where people adopt behaviors, buy (or boycott) merchandise, and follow trends based on their circle of influence.  It relieves one of  the burden for having to think for oneself:

    Mob Mentality

    I fully support women who can think and make choices on their own, but if they're all behaving like copycats, then it's obvious that nobody's thinking at all.  Life gets complicated when you have to think and make intelligent choices.  Maybe it's time for a refresher course...

    Hanes Pantyhose Education


  • It looks like my dreams are finally being answered: Wearing Tights as Pants...

    Tights as Pants

    Thank you, Ladies!  😄

     


  • @JA LoL...So, you DO know that at  least 3 out of 4 of these frames are models posing in a photoshoot, right?  The only one that doesn't look contrived (though still might be part of a fashion editorial shoot) is the 3rd from the left.
    This looks like little more than a designer or stylist attempting to influence a trend or create a new look so a manufacturer can sell hosiery.  Trust me, you won't be seeing that happening in your town soon.  Only on Instagram where all the young wannabes waste their lives.


  • I was afraid it wouldn't be too clear in my previous post, but I included a link to a story about this exciting fashion trend just above the photo and to the right of the colon (:).  The photo is actually part of that story.  Here it is again, less camouflaged this time:

    https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tights-as-pants-211310359.html

    And there are plenty of other reports out there as well, from respectable sources, some including videos of ordinary women trying this out in the real world.  I even found a "How To" article.  😁  So, it's here, it's real, and it's now!

    Having said that, I don't expect the majority of women to start wearing and exposing their hosiery to this extent.  But more importantly, what IS being exposed are the decades of lies we've been hearing from all the hosiery "haters" out there.  This trend is calling their bluff in a huge way!

    And for that, I can't thank these young women enough for having the guts to (finally) wear their hosiery so openly and proudly, and walk away feeling pretty good about the experience.  👏  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    As for us men, we'll just have to learn to deal with the pressure.

    Tights as Pants


  • @JA Ahhh,  thanks JA.  You're quite correct.  I missed the bold font as being a link.  Completely.  I shall give it read, but in the mean time, I concur with you that a lot of disinformation that has been propogated through the decades about pantyhose, in particular, has been hyperbole in the least, but closer to outright lies in a lot of examples.

    As recently as last summer, I asked a girlfriend I was having dinner at a pub with if she ever wore pantyhose or skirts.  She and I would always meet at some venue and I'd usualy text her what I was going to wear for the night, thinking she'd appreciate the heads-up so as to possibly inform her own choice of outfit.  She said she never did.  I asked her if she used to wear them, back in the day.  She told me she never liked her legs and always wore pants if she could.  The good news is, she didn't spout any of the usual excuses for not wearing a skirt or nylons with a dress.  She just never felt comfortable showing her legs.  OK, that's logical.

    I, on the other had, grew to like my legs and feel less self conscious of them.  After an adolescence spent playing a lot of sports, my legs benefited from becoming nicely toned, and were appreciated as a focal point by friends of mine, and strangers alike.  Lots of comments and looks.  As I began my working career, I was able to afford better quality pantyhose, and soon developed an affinity with hosiery as well as high heels.  Skirts and dresses were not the exception, but my default outfit of choice.  
    All that to say that although I used to hear complaints, whining, and excuses for hating having to wear pantyhose as part of the corporate dress code, I was fortunate to have a different relationship with them, cost aside.  It has only improved through my lifetime to the point where I feel we now have some of the very best materials and styles available to us than at any other point in previous history...certainly in my life time.  Not even the 80s were better in terms of quality and fit, despite that decade being the zenith of popularity for pantyhose.  (and big hair, padded shoulders, and Spandex)


  • The world needs more women like you, Carrie.  👏

    About 9 years ago I stumbled across an on-line discussion where the author of a women's fashion site asked if pantyhose were in or out of style.  The author felt that pantyhose were an anachronism, and proudly claimed that she didn't even own a single pair -- a claim that could just as easily be made by the majority of the world's men and small children.

    Nevertheless, there were some encouraging responses from women who felt they still had a place in modern society.  One women claimed to live by the code, "Dress the part, act the part, get the part, be the part".  She went on to say that not only do pantyhose complete her professional look, but they feel great, too.

    It wasn't long before her post and some of the other very positive posts were removed from the discussion site by the author.

    I dug a little deeper by researching the history of the site through archive.org.  There I found other positive comments left by women that had been removed before I even discovered the site in the first place.

    Why did the author feel so threatened by some intelligent, well-reasoned, and positive comments about pantyhose that she removed them from her site?  Was the removal done out of fear, hate, or jealousy?

    At any rate, the discussion made clear that while there are "haters", there are also women who truly like pantyhose, but lack the "backbone" to wear them -- perhaps for fear of being bullied by the "haters".  They need a little encouragement.  I think they were looking for some through that on-line discussion.

    Today, it almost seems like the "Tights as Pants" trend is an explosive response to the years of pantyhose repression we've all had the misfortune of witnessing.  Perhaps inside every woman there really is a pantyhose lover just dying to get out.  Maybe this trend will help that happen.


  • Okay.  This is around the time I wake up and realize it's all been a dream.... but here we are in 2023 and some model named Kendall Jenner just posed for a photoshoot wearing nothing but pantyhose:

    Kendall Jenner

    Full story here: https://www.instyle.com/kendall-jenner-marc-jacobs-spring-2023-campaign-7108475

    Thank you Kendall for giving the world a much needed reminder that wearing pantyhose is awesome!

     


  • @JA Kendal was one of the models in the photo of 4 women who were wearing pantyhose as pants, as was her sister, Kylie.  Both are daughters of Caitlyn and Kris Jenner.  Readers might better remember or know Caitlyn as being born Bruce Jenner, and Kris as having been previously married to late Robert Kardashian, who was part of OJ Simpson's legal team way back when.


  • Here's recent story about a young "gym girl" from Texas named Rachel Rowland who discovered the benefits of wearing pantyhose while working out:

    https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/fashion/7176759/hooters-gym-shorts-workout-pantyhose-hack/

    A few take-aways from this:

    • She learned about pantyhose from the waitresses working at Hooters
    • She didn't learn about them through her family (mother or siblings), friends, magazines, social media, websites, TV commercials, etc.
    • She was complimented by another woman about her appearance, who (apparently) needed to have the simple act of wearing pantyhose explained to her
    • The article makes it sound like this is a revolutionary "fashion hack", but when I was growing up, women almost always wore pantyhose while working out  (History is repeating itself)
    • Sheer-to-waist pantyhose should be worn with shorts (or anything else for that matter, IMO)
    • Off-the-shelf pantyhose are almost never sheer-to-waist
    • There may be a latent market for inexpensive, everyday, sheer-to-waist pantyhose
    • Women of all ages take note: She said she loves them! ❤️

     

    I applaud Rachel Rowland, Pantyhose Lover! 👍

    JA


  • @Bob Smith I think that story of your sister and pantyhose is typically indicative of the usual scenarios when women will break with their usual practices, and actually wear pantyhose with an outfit.  Unfortunately for hosiery retailers, and I guess most men, the daily wearing of sheer hosiery seems to have since passed its "best before" date for the overwhelming majority of women in daily life.  It's almost only ever seen at very special events.  But even then, most women still won't even bother to go through the effort and challenges of going out and trying to find some.  I think a lot are still traumatized from earlier decades when wearing them regularly was an experience of obligatory torment and resulting angst when they ran or didn't fit properly, and turned out to be nothing but a major aggravation.
    I've never understood that, although I can relate to the experience of having had a few very poor quaility pairs and suffering through the entire day with them.  But eventually, most of us were able to figure out which brands, styles, and shades worked for us.  But as I look around, very few felt that they were worth incorporating into our daily lives once dress code standards had become lax at work places, and women no longer felt the social pressure to dress their legs.
    I think that the young women who do choose to wear them now, do so as a fashion option, rather than an expected dress protocol for work and such.  But professional artists like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Adriana Grande, and others, understand how important their image on camera and in public life is to their careers and persona as a "star", and have no issue doing what it takes to ensure a positive image in the minds of their fans, and general public alike.  That's more than likely why people like TS come out and support certain brands like Sheertex and others.  Perhaps they're even lobbying for an endorsement contract...who knows?  But given their relative wealth from their actual work, any advertising endorsements would likely be small potatoes for them.
    I hope for your benefit, and others who might appreciate the sight of an attractive woman wearing sheer hosiery, that your sister adopts wearing pantyhose again as part of her usual dressing routine.  The world needs to see more fashionable and attractive humans on this planet, particularly of late.  The world has gone beyond casual and seems largely unconcerned about how they look, for the most part.
    When I began my career as a flight attendant, most passengers would wear decent clothes and show up looking respectable for their flights...Now, you'd think you were boarding a bus in a rough part of town when you take a look at most passengers on North American airlines, these days.  How far things have declined in terms of self respect and personal pride in ones image!


  • How right you are, Carrie.   Declining standards in every area of life that involves interaction with other humans is something that saddens me.  I work for a company representing a prestige brand, and when I started there many years ago, women employees dressed very smartly, and the men wore collar and tie. Now, that has all been brushed aside, and the women wear trousers and generally shapeless attire, whilst the men wear polo shirts and scruffy trousers.

    The way many people speak - the mangling of the English language - is another annoyance. Also, many cannot write legibly with pen and paper, let alone spell. 

    Sorry to get on my soap box - I shall not do so again. I don't want to depress you all. 

    Regarding women  wearing pantyhose as every day wear, on my commute by train I do see, and admire, quite a large number of city workers wearing semi opaque or opaque tights - usually black. Not often do I see them wear the lighter deniers though. Even in summer, I see many girls in semi opaques. I can only think that they believe their legs are not flawless enough to be visible in sheer 10 or 20 denier. x 


  • @JA I have been wearing sheer tan hose under my running gear at the Fit-4-Less for a few years.


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