Future of Pantyhose in Men’s hands?

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

Much of the feedback I got from a recent post, in which I featured our vice president, Kelly Linh, was about how great it was that I wrote about something other than celebrities in (or not in) pantyhose for a change.

Don’t think I didn’t hear you.  I am always trying to think of new subjects.  And I’m open to your suggestions.  One just came from one of our longtime readers/commenters on this blog, libertariangman.

Here is what he wrote in a comment tonight:

Quick ActSensuous poll: What percentage of men do you think PREFER women in hosiery to “bear” legs?  And by “prefer” I mean – it matters enough to them to notice whether she’s wearing or not, and to be mildly disappointed if she isn’t.  One word of caution:  Don’t let your biases influence your vote.  Remember – if a significant majority of men preferred women in hosiery – we’d have never gotten into this situation where the hosiery industry was nearly killed off entirely. Women have never stopped wearing heels or short dresses after all.

Funny, I had been trying to come up with a subject for a new poll, anyway.  I never would have dreamed of writing libertariangman’s poll because it seems like a no-brainer to me.  Of course, I am thinking that the response would be overwhelmingly positive, but then again, I was surprised by the results of a similar poll I posted on April 28, 2010:

Pantyhose – To Wear or Not to Wear (ladies only please)

The answers attached to that poll ranged from:

I choose to because I believe in and wholeheartedly support the concepts of beauty, glamour, class and sexiness inherent in pantyhose

to

I choose not to because I believe in and completely support the cause for the bare legs movement … period

Surprisingly, (remember, I asked for only ladies to participate in this poll), not one vote came in for the negative response, and 19 out of 24 votes were for the positive answer.  (Three other answer-choices were of the middle-of-the-road type.)

The results of this poll (it’s still open, by the way) tell me this:  It wasn’t ladies only who responded.  But, if by some miracle, this poll reflected the true answers of real women, then that’s great.  Of course, let’s face it – we got a whole 24 total votes.  Not exactly a good measure of anything really.

This is one reason I say I never would have dreamed of running libertariangman’s poll.  First, it leaves the door open for women (masquerading as men) to vote that they don’t prefer women wearing hosiery.  See how easy it would be for the results of the poll to be completely inaccurate?

Other thoughts I have about the poll, as worded by libertariangman:

“What percentage of men do you think PREFER women in hosiery to ‘bear’ legs?  And by ‘prefer’ I mean – it matters enough to them to notice whether she’s wearing or not, and to be mildly disappointed if she isn’t.”

I probably would leave out the “mildly,” and say … “and to be disappointed if she isn’t.”  Actually, in my way of thinking, I’d like to say “extremely disappointed.”

“Remember – if a significant majority of men preferred women in hosiery – we’d have never gotten into this situation where the hosiery industry was nearly killed off entirely. Women have never stopped wearing heels or short dresses after all.”

The way I see it, the reason we’re in this situation where the hosiery industry was nearly killed off is not because men don’t overwhelmingly prefer women in hosiery, but rather because women no longer care what men like or want them to wear.  Instead, they don’t wear hosiery for all the reasons (dumb as they are) they continue to give:

• They’re old-fashioned
• They’re uncomfortable
• They’re irrelevant in today’s society
• They’re not in style

Of course, none of these reasons are valid.  They are merely excuses.  The main reason is that the bear legs movement was created in Hollywood, women jumped on the bandwagon, and the rest is history.  And, as for wearing short dresses and high heels, let’s all just be glad that women haven’t made these things the enemy (yet).

So, I disagree that we wouldn’t be in this mess if men preferred women in hosiery.  Nevertheless, I do think there’s a chance that if men had only made it known in those early days (late 1990s) of the bear legs movement that they had a strong preference for women in hosiery, the bear legs culture might not have taken off or become as strong as it did.  Similarly, I believe that if men today would make their voices heard louder and in greater numbers, we might win back more women.

Professional model Kate Moss in sheer pantyhose.

Obviously, men have made their feelings known because there are hundreds of websites and blogs that promote pantyhose over bear legs today.  But it’s not enough!  Sadly, men are living up to the rap that’s always been on them – they don’t communicate their feelings well enough to women.  If they would just care more and become more vocal, I really think it would make a difference.

And maybe that’s the point of the poll, as suggested by libertariangman.

Often, I’ve jokingly stated that men should ditch their neckties, or stop wearing socks, or maybe stop wearing belts, or even shoes.  How about a three-piece business suit complete with sandals?  Maybe that would send the message that men are tired of this ugly bear legs culture.  Enough is enough.  Women have had their fun.  They’ve gone on a long vacation, and now it’s time to get back to the real world.

I think men probably have too much class to do something like stop wearing neckties to express their disappointment in the bear legs culture.  I don’t see them stooping to the low level that women have just to make a point.

So, maybe it’s back to celebrities.  If some of the biggest male stars out there would just go on record that they hate this bear legs thing, it might help.  Then again, I’m beginning to believe that all of Hollyweird is hopeless, so that’s probably never going to happen.

What do you think?  Do men overwhelmingly prefer women in hosiery over bear legs?

Let us know your thoughts.  And/or take the poll.

I’ve edited the poll a bit.  Ultimately, it might not tell us much of anything.  But what the heck – we aint the Smithsonian here.

Why that Bear still won’t Wear — the Grizzly Awards

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

It was one of my first ever (and still favorite) posts.  It was Oct. 9, 2009.

Originally, it was called “Why women don’t wear pantyhose” but when I added a poll at the end, which I accidentally titled:  Today’s “Bear Legs Culture,” the name stuck, and I renamed the post “Why bears don’t wear pantyhose.”

In that post, I debunked the dumb reasons women give for not wearing pantyhose, and I proposed that we refer to those women from now on as having “bear” legs instead of bare legs.

Many of you picked up on that, and in your comments or letters, you refer to women going bear-legged.  Thanks for playing along.  I love that.

Since 2009, thankfully, we’ve seen quite an increase in the number of women wearing pantyhose.  We see it on TV, in TV commercials, in movies, in magazines, on the runway, and on stage.  That is great.

Yet, the majority of stories on Internet-based magazines, features and blogs about pantyhose remain negative, if not hostile.  And women still are giving dumb reasons for why they hate and won’t wear pantyhose.

So, like in October 2009, I feel it is my duty to set these bear-legged women straight.  Here’s their lame excuses for not wearing pantyhose, my response, and the logic behind my thinking:

Bears:  Pantyhose are hot. (Read that with a whiney tone).         

Robin:  Wrong, bimbo!   It’s that you’d look HOT if you were to wear pantyhose.                                                                                                    

Logic:   I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating.  You work in an office.  It’s air-conditioned.  In fact, you drive to work with the AC blasting in your vehicle.  And if pantyhose really were too hot, why then during the winter, do you complain it’s too cold to wear pantyhose?  Sorry, hater.  You gotta do better than that.

Bears:  Pantyhose are uncomfortable.

Robin:  What?  Pantyhose are soft and silky.  They’re the most delicate, decidedly feminine thing a woman could ever wear.  Pantyhose don’t weigh a pound soaking wet.  How could they be uncomfortable?

Logic:   If you wear control top or the super support kind that are made with too much Spandex, yes, pantyhose could be too tight and uncomfortable.   But instead of just swearing off pantyhose altogether, you should try 100 percent nylon pantyhose that are ultra soft and silky.  Then, if you still say that pantyhose are uncomfortable, you’re just looking for a reason to  hate on things that are feminine and that men want you to wear.

Logic II:  I know for a fact that pantyhose are not uncomfortable because it was not one of the correct answers to a question on Family Feud.   The question was “Name something women wear that hurts.”  A lovely Korean family correctly guessed 1.) Bra, 2.) Girdle, 3.) High Heels.   But when one of the family members guessed pantyhose, he got an “X” and the other family got a chance to steal the points.   They correctly guessed:  4.) Thong.   And that family won the game.

The lovely girls in the Korean family were wearing pantyhose and looked very beautiful, and I was sorry that they lost.   But, I think we can all agree now that pantyhose are not uncomfortable!

Bears:  Pantyhose are old-fashioned.

Robin:   Really?  Try telling that to Kate Middleton, Anne Hathaway, Milla Jovovich, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Julianna Margulies.  Not convinced?  Tell that to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyonce’.

Logic:   This has got to be the dumbest excuse women give for not wearing pantyhose.  Consider this:  Undergarments were invented in the 13^th century.  Pantyhose were invented in the late 1960s (stockings during the 1950s).  High heels were invented sometime around the 15^th century, and the first shoes were said to have been invented between 1600 and 1200 BC.  So should we all stop wearing shoes and undies now because they’re even more old-fashioned than pantyhose?  Come on, haters!

Bears:  Pantyhose are not necessary because my legs are tan enough, and pantyhose are irrelevant today because of relaxed dress code standards, even at the office.

 Robin:  Big mistake!  Sure, for informal occasions, bear legs look fine, but tan as they may be, they’re still no match for how much nicer they’d look in pantyhose.  Don’t kid yourself.  Unless you’re Zhang Ziyi (and even she wears pantyhose more than the average bear), those bear legs of your’s still have flaws.  Between uneven skin tone, blemishes, etc., your legs are less attractive without pantyhose.

Now, if you’re shopping at the supermarket on a day off, by all means, go bear-legged.  But, if you’re going to a wedding, a funeral, a fancy restaurant or any formal venue and you don’t wear pantyhose, you have no class.  If you work at a McDonald’s or Taco Bell, you don’t need to wear pantyhose.  If you work in a business office and don’t wear pantyhose, you are completely unprofessional.  Period!

Logic:   We’ve dumbed down enough in society.  Do we have to dress down, too?  The everyday people in almost every civilized nation in the world have more class, more grace and more elegance than us.  And they all dress better than we do.  It’s beyond time we improve in these areas.

When you break it down, the reasons women give for not wearing pantyhose have little or no merit.  They are giving very lame excuses.  Pantyhose were the standard of elegance throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s and most of the 90s.  Women wouldn’t think of being seen in public without makeup or pantyhose.  And pantyhose were the standard for professionalism in the business world.

But during the 2000s, an excuse was created for not wearing pantyhose, and millions of women jumped on the bandwagon and have been trying to justify going bear-legged ever since.

As you know, in this blog, I’ve recognized and praised professional entertainers who are devoted pantyhose wearers in my series: Credit ‘Wear’ Credit is Due.  And while we’ve seen more and more entertainers wearing lately, there still are far too many women going bear-legged.

So, I am starting a new series.  This one will recognize those celebrities who never or almost never wear pantyhose.

Introducing …

That’s right, the Grizzly Awards will “honor” those celebrities who contribute to the bear legs cause by never wearing pantyhose on their TV shows, in movies, awards events, appearances on late night talk shows, and whenever they are in the public eye in general.

And the first celeb to receive this “honor” has to be:

Sarah Jessica Parker

You know the story.  SJP is “credited” with creating the bear legs movement because her character and others on the TV show and movies, ‘Sex and the City,” ditched the pantyhose with their fancy dresses and sexy shoes as they gallivanted through New York City — the fashion capital of the world.

That started it all.  Hollywood always has influenced fashion, and what SJP’s charaters did was set a bad example for women everywhere.

For the first time, pantyhose were seen as being out of style.  Then, as more and more celebrities followed suit, and everyday women in droves jumped on the bandwagon, pantyhose were practically run out of existence.

Worse, the anti-pantyhose sentiment that resulted from SJP’s show grew into outright hatred for pantyhose, which became villified among women on a global scale.

In fairness to SJP, when I searched for a photo of her for this post, I found as many pics of her wearing pantyhose as not.  That really surprised me.

Here’s what I want to know:  When SJP looks as awesome in pantyhose as she does in this picture at right, why wouldn’t she want to be seen this way all the time, or at least much more often?

As I’ve written before, I have no way of knowing whether it was SJP or the costume designer for “Sex and the City” who ultimately made the decision to feature her character without pantyhose.

Is it possible that SJP doesn’t really have an agenda against pantyhose?  Is it time for us to forgive and forget?  I’d like to say yes, but the bear legs movement that was created as a result of her character on “Sex and the City” persists today in way-too-high numbers.

And she is bear-legged in her TV commercials for Garnier, so it doesn’t seem as if she’s trying too hard to distance herself from the bear legs movement.

Fair or not, the bear legs culture has a figurehead, and the pantyhose industry has an arch enemy.  Every good story needs a villain.  Whether truly earned or not, that person will always be Sarah Jessica Parker — our first honorary recipient of the Grizzly Awards.

Stay tuned.  There’ll be more recipients in future blog posts here.

NOTE:   My thanks to Bridget Brown, owner of Solarity Design, a professional graphic arts design company, and an ActSensuous customer, for her clever artwork featuring bears and our pantyhose.

What’s your ‘feeling’ about pantyhose?

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

      What is it that we love so much about pantyhose?  Is it the look, the feel, or both?  

     Most people will admit that pantyhose look better than bare (bear) legs.  I believe true lovers of pantyhose love their feel as much as their look. 

What is silky?   

     Almost universally, people say pantyhose have a silky feel, probably because that’s the word they’ve always heard associated with pantyhose.  But when they describe how pantyhose feel to the touch, most people use words such as “smooth,” “slick” or “slippery.”   

      I have always thought of pantyhose as “silky,” but to me, “silky” means extremely soft and delicate like the silk of a spider’s web. 

Not exactly silky

      When Lycra or Spandex are added to the nylon fabric, you get a “support” effect.  That can be good for keeping pantyhose from sagging, or for therapeutic reasons.  You get a  smooth, slick or slippery feeling to the touch.  If you run your hand over pantyhose like these, it will slide across effortlessly, as if on a glassy surface  – like running your hand over a  dolphin as it swims by.  

     I do understand how some people are attracted to pantyhose made with a bit of Lycra.  They can look alluring and still feel petty nice.  On the other hand (or legs), pantyhose made with a high degree of Spandex become real shiny (yeah, I know many people really like shiny) and elastic.   To me, those pantyhose feel like a rubber band stretched to the max.

      There’s a reason why women say they hate pantyhose and complain that they are too tight, too hot and just too uncomfortable. 

Give and take

     What I love is the extremely soft and truly silky texture you get from 100 percent nylon pantyhose.  I love that when you touch that fabric, it touches you back.  It gives.  It moves.  When you touch this fabric, you can really feel it, and you can make the person wearing it feel what you feel because the pantyhose will move on her legs, forcing her to “feel” the soft and silky fabric against her body. 

     And then, there’s the overall concept of 100 percent nylon pantyhose.  There’s just something very sexy about the sense of vulnerability that truly silky and delicate pantyhose provide.

     Most of the pantyhose you find on the market today are made with some degree of Lycra or Spandex.  What bothers me is that women who think pantyhose are uncomfortable might never have tried anything but that kind of pantyhose.  Perhaps they don’t realize they have a choice. 

     I can’t fathom how anyone would describe the feeling of 100 percent nylon pantyhose as “uncomfortable.”  The way I see it, nothing could be more soft, silky and delicate than 100 percent nylon pantyhose.  They make your legs look perfect, they feel so nice on, and they feel incredible to the touch. 

     Pantyhose can be practical:  The right thing to wear at the office, proper for a formal or special occasion, or good for a massage.  Or, pantyhose can be beautiful, decidely feminine and very sexy.  You do have a choice.

Wearing Pantyhose an Issue of Values

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

     Ever since the global bare legs movement began right around the year 2000, I’ve tried to figure out how and why this happened. 

     We know that it was actress Sarah Jessica Parker’s character on Sex and the City that is universally “credited” with running pantyhose as a fashion staple out of Hollywood.   As the show was set in New York City – fashion capital of the world – it’s easy to see how women everywhere would jump on the bare legs bandwagon.  

     Its effect has been felt all over the world – although nowhere more prevalent among modern nations than in the United States. 

     Initially, the reason women gave for arbitrarily ending their decades-long commitment to wearing pantyhose was that the accessory had gone out of vogue, as evidenced by the fashion fad Parker’s show spawned. 

     But fads in fashion typically don’t stay around long, and eventually, women’s excuses for not wearing pantyhose turned to: 

• They’re uncomfortable (the fabric being hot, itchy and saggy most often cited)
• They’re not necessary (my legs are tanned enough) 

     I’ve never bought into the fad thing because I believe fashion always should be about good taste – especially when it comes to being professional in the workplace.  

     As for the excuse: “I don’t need to wear pantyhose because my legs are tan enough,” I think some women are just missing the point.  It’s not that simple.  Nylons do so much more than add a little color to your skin.  They cover minor skin blemishes, soften lines, and enhance the shape of your legs, giving them a look of perfection that bare or oiled legs will never have.  More than all that, pantyhose offer an allure, a sense of glamour and good taste. 

     If you read almost any blog about pantyhose, you’ll always find some women complaining that they’re uncomfortable.   Oh, come now!   That is a weak excuse given by those who are lazy, spoiled and apparently not well educated, as most of them can’t even spell the word pantyhose correctly.  

     I Googled this subject: “most uncomfortable women’s clothes” and was pleased to see that pantyhose, while they certainly made the list, weren’t exactly the Number One bad guy.  Most women cited high heels, bras and thongs as the most uncomfortable things they wore.  

     Somehow, I got sidetracked to uncomfortable uniforms, and found that female police officers in almost every country except the USA wear much more feminine uniforms, complete with high heels and pantyhose.  Check out this picture of Russian policewomen.

     In the U.S., where everyone is spoiled, we can’t get most women to wear pantyhose with a business suit in an air conditioned office.   Our women wouldn’t last a day in Russia, China, Japan, Korea, and most other countries, who clearly have higher standards of what constitutes proper dress, if not good taste.  

     But I’m not picking on just women here.  I stumbled across one blog in which the founder of some computer software company wrote that he didn’t wear business suits anymore and couldn’t imagine why anyone ever would.  His post elicited 416 comments – most agreeing with his point of view. 

     I think we have lost some of our good sense, our values and our judgment about how we present ourselves.  Pretty soon, Casual Friday will turn into Casual Tuesday-through-Friday-but-wear-something-businessy-on-Monday, just for old times sake.

     Here are some pics of female police officers in other countries.  And if you think these female officers are decked out in dress uniforms for only ceremonial occasions, notice that they’re also dressed this way on the street for routine duty.

Pantyhose – To Wear or Not To Wear II

    

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

     Two months ago, I wrote what was originally going to be a follow-up to last year’s post: Why Bears Don’t Wear Pantyhose.  But the headline, and ultimately, the post, changed because I realized I first had to gather some current solid intelligence. 

     So I wrote the above-titled post in April and attached a poll under the same heading: Pantyhose – To Wear or Not To Wear.  The poll invited (ladies only) to select whether they choose to wear or not wear pantyhose and why/why not.  

     The choices for answers I offered were pretty strong: 

• I choose not to because I believe in and completely support the cause for the bare legs movement … period
• I choose not to because the excuse now exists thanks to the bare legs movement
• I choose not to on my own personal volition because I think pantyhose are uncomfortable, impractical and/or unnecessary
• I choose to because I believe in and wholeheartedly support the concepts of beauty, glamour, class and sexiness inherent in pantyhose
• I am not on one side or the other and would wear or not wear pantyhose based on the appropriateness of the situation/environment
• Other 

     I thought I was opening the door for those women with “bear” legs to pounce.  I figured that, once armed with the reasons real women gave for not wearing, I would write Why Bears Don’t Wear Pantyhose II and completely debunk all their ridiculous excuses. 

     Unfortunately, two things have kinda killed that plan.  First, no one has taken the poll (as of this writing on June 12, we’ve gotten only eight responses.)  Second, of those who did take the poll, only one of the eight chose a negative answer – the first one. 

     Now, of course, I am delighted that 88 percent of the poll takers selected the most positive response – I choose to because I believe in and wholeheartedly support the concepts of beauty, glamour, class and sexiness inherent in pantyhose. 

     Makes me wonder whether, despite my plea that ladies only take the poll, it was actually men who so overwhelmingly voted positively. 

     I am leaving that poll open, but I’m not expecting much more activity out of it.  

     I have seen many blogs in which women totally haterize about pantyhose and swear they never will wear them.  Yet, I give them a golden opportunity to anonymously trash the wearing of pantyhose (all they had to do was pick a button), and they don’t bite.  

     So tell me, readers (men and women), what do you think this means? Could there be a shift in fashion attitudes brewing out there?  Maybe those who’ve been committed to “bear” legs are starting to come over to the good side.  

We’re seeing more and more pantyhose these days.  They’re in magazines, TV shows, TV commercials, movies, concerts.  Are pantyhose getting a leg up in the marketplace again?

Pantyhose – To Wear or Not To Wear?

Robin Maryland, president of ActSensuous

     Ladies … hate pantyhose?  Refuse to wear them?  Here’s your chance to state for the record why.  Please take our poll at the bottom of this post.

     Last year, I wrote the post Why Bears don’t wear Pantyhose,  in which I rebuked the few lame excuses women typically give for not wearing pantyhose today.   

     The headline was my way of poking fun at myself for mistakenly using the wrong word in that post’s attached poll: Today’s Bear Legs Culture, as obviously, I meant “bare.”  (By the way, the No. 1 answer by far was “Can’t die a horrible death soon enough,” but then, I am sure it was mostly men who voted.)  

     Still, I can’t fathom why so many women are against pantyhose.  I suspect the biggest reason is just that this “bare legs” trend created in Hollywood gives them an excuse not to wear pantyhose.  They’re jumping on the bandwagon.  Oh, I’m sure there are those who are much more militant about it, but I think if pantyhose weren’t considered “not in vogue” today, women would be wearing, as they always have.  

     I was going to write a sequel to Why Bears don’t wear Pantyhose, but I decided that rather than guessing their reasons, I want to hear what they really are from real, live women today. ( Then, armed with their legitimate reasons, I’ll write Why Bears don’t wear Pantyhose II, and completely tear apart their ridiculous excuses.)  

     So here it is – The ultimate pantyhose poll.  It gives any woman who wants to participate, the opportunity to vote on why she would choose to wear or to not wear pantyhose.  I’ve offered the possible reasons, but there’s also a place to write in other answers, and I would encourage women to do that if my choices don’t reflect their true and accurate reasons.  

     Please Note: For this to work, it must be handled with the utmost integrity, so puh-leeeeeease . . .  ladies only.  Guys, please do not cast a vote.  (Feel free to comment on this post, just please don’t vote on the poll.)  The idea here is to gather real usable data.  Hard evidence.  I want to know the real reasons why women shun the wearing of pantyhose today.   

     Don’t you?