Making The Case For Hosiery

Making The Case For Hosiery

Take a look around. Have women stopped wearing hosiery?

Now, there’s nothing wrong with bare legs in the spring/summer or when wearing shorts or capris and sandals, but bare legs with a nice dress or two-piece suit and heels? Come on! Legs, especially those of crossdressers and trans women, are to be displayed as much as any other bodily feature.

Often, in my experiences, I have found men and trans women, when their legs are encased in hosiery, can have much better looking legs than genetic women. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the beautiful trans models on display here at En Femme.

You may not know or remember when New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath shook up the hosiery industry in 1973 by appearing in a television commercial for Hanes’ Beauty Mist pantyhose? In the spot, Namath appeared, lying on his side as the camera panned slowly up from his toes to his face, wearing a pair of panty hose to which he proclaimed: "Now, I don't wear pantyhose, but if Beauty Mist can make my legs look good, imagine what they’ll do for yours…"

It was a well-known fact that, after the commercial success, Namath wore pantyhose under his uniform in cold weather. “They gave me support, kept my legs warm and the blood circulating,” he once said during a post-game interview.

I have participated in sports my entire life, which has helped my legs develop muscle, tone, shape, and form. However, my bare legs don’t even compare to the overall beauty of my hose covered legs.

I love wearing various styles of hose, from the basic department store brand pantyhose to the garter belt-needed, leg-sculpting styles from En Femme. The feeling of the nylon texture on my legs can make me feel so classy, stylish, and feminine. I can’t understand why women don’t wear hose as often anymore.

Recently, when shopping in town, I took notice of many of the women I walked past and what they wear wearing. Most were dressed semi-casual or casual. I was probably over dressed and one of the few wearing hosiery on a cold winter day (I was dressed in a black and grey sweater dress and jacket, off-black hose, and black sling-back heels).

I decided to get to the bottom of the hose “controversy,” so I stopped at the local Victoria’s Secret and Macy’s stores and talked with the sales staff.

Sue, the adorable manager at Victoria's Secret, gave me an eye-opening report.

“We haven’t sold hosiery for as long as I’ve been here, because the market is just not there. It’s a shame, but more and more women are not wearing hose. However, we do get a lot of questions,” she said.

“We sell a lot of lingerie to women who want to make an impression with their significant other… you know, sexy things. Our customers ask where they can buy nylons with seams, thigh-high nylons to go with their garter belts, corsets, and the skimpy underwear we sell. Like I said, we don’t sell hose, but we are always open to offering advice… and then I tell them to check out the internet.”

“Women dress more casually today and they don’t want to take the time to put on nylons unless it’s to impress,” Sue continued, accentuating her lovely legs with a twist of her waist, as she balanced on the toe of one of her four-inch heels. “I love wearing hose to work. Today I’m wearing thigh highs. It’s not one of the requirements of the job, but I just do.”

“By the way, your legs look great! Is there anything I can show you?”

We toured the store and Sue presented the latest styles. When I thanked her for her time, she handed me a small gift bag, which included a pair of panties “just like I’m wearing,” she said, as she lifted side of her skirt to expose the hemline of her panties. We both laughed as we hugged goodbye and I headed down the mall to Macy’s.

Melissa, a sales person at Macy's, welcomed my questions and was just as informative when echoing Sue’s sentiments.

“Our nylon sales are down; it’s just the styles are changing,” she replied after I explained what Sue had expressed. “We don’t carry as big of an assortment as we have in the past.

“I like seeing women in hose,” Melissa said. “I hate when women come in with bare feet and try on shoes without wearing the complimentary tabby nylons. Seriously, women should be wearing hose when they try on a new pair of heels. The shoes will accentuate the heels and the heels will accentuate their legs.”

“I wear knee-highs with slacks and pantyhose with a dress or skirt”

I agree wearing hose or going bare legged is up to the individual and their style, but take it from the experts, “nothing beats a great pair of (hose covered) legs.”

The benefits of wearing pantyhose:

• Pantyhose will keep you warmer than going out with bare legs.
• Pantyhose will hide any cellulite, moles, bumps, pimples, varicose veins, calluses, unshaven legs, and other personal details that the wearer might want to keep hidden.
• They help your shoes fit better. You won’t get nasty blisters walking around and your feet won’t get all sweaty and stick to your shoes, and as a result your shoes won’t smell when you take them off.
• Men consider them sexy because they add a touch of mystery.
• A good pair of control top pantyhose will smooth out your figure and hide any bulges so your clothes fit and look better.
• Control top pantyhose or support hose can help hold you up, especially if you need to stand for a long period of time.
• You will look professional, well-dressed, sophisticated, and elegant. The Duchess of Cambridge knows this and always wears pantyhose and that’s why her legs always look great.
• You don’t have to shave your legs as often.
• They are another way to accessorize.
• They will make your legs look thinner.