Valentine’s Day the perfect occasion for pantyhose

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

The other day, the topic of this blog came up during a meeting with our vice president.  Kelly Linh said “All you ever write about is celebrities.”  To which I responded (in my ever-endearing style) with something like: “ ‘F’ you, beeeeeatch!”  (I can say that to her because she’s not just an employee, but also my dear little BFF.)

Besides, I like writing about celebrites.  Who else am I gonna write about, the girl in the department store not wearing pantyhose?  C’mon.

It’s celebrities who instigated the “bear” legs movement, and it’s celebrities who most influence fashion in everyday life.  I feel it’s my duty to recognize and heap loads of praise on those special entertainers who set a good and postive example by wearing pantyhose, and “dis” and sling tons of criticism at those who don’t.

And another thing … since it was Kelly Linh who pointed out that all I ever write about is celebrities, she’ll just have to understand that since this post isn’t about them, meaning I can’t include any pics of hot entertainers wearing pantyhose, she has forced me to look elsewhere for a source of photos for this post.

So, without her permission (but since I’m the boss), and since this post would look kind of “bear” without pics of a lovely lady in pantyhose, the photos you’ll see here are some candids I just happened to find among my private files.

Kelly Linh preparing to leave for work (well, "work" is too strong a word, actually).

OK, this post is for you, Kelly Linh.

Oh, and for Lester and Crystal, a married couple who each have written comments on this blog about their love and devotion to one another, and how Crystal’s wearing of pantyhose is a major factor in their happy and healthy relationship.  Was it them, or another reader who suggested I write a piece about what ideas men could come up with to try to get the women in their lives to wear pantyhose for them?

That was a great suggestion, and I was a bit surprised that more readers didn’t comment on that comment with their suggestions.

Kelly Linh in Act III Pink.

In any event, I have always believed that a loving relationship should be a 50-50 deal.  I mean a relationship is a partnership, a give and take, a yin and a yang.  And that means husbands and wives, or bfs and gfs, should make sacrifices for each other.  Whether the thermostat gets adjusted, a different TV show gets watched, or whatever, sacrifices always should be made.

I’m surprised that women today seem so unwilling to make the simplest sacrifice that 99 percent of the male population wants – them to wear pantyhose.  Actually, to even call such a thing a sacrifice is ridiculous.  It’s not as if men are asking their women to wear 6-inch heels every day.

There was a time (seems like a long time ago) when women wanted men to notice and appreciate little things about them, including how they dressed.  Of course, there has long been the notion that women dress for other women – not for men.  Today, I think women just dress for themselves and don’t care what anyone thinks.

Kelly Linh napping instead of working.

It’s sad that some women don’t take notice, or just don’t care, that men love them in pantyhose.  But when you’re in a relationship, I think you shouldn’t have to deny yourself the pleasure of seeing the one you love in pantyhose.

The key is communication.  You have to find the right time and have a heart-to-heart talk with your girl.  Then, you have to be sincere.  Don’t complain, don’t demand.  Just let her know that you think she is beautiful but that she would absolutely rock your world if once in a while she would wear pantyhose.  Tell her that to you it has nothing to do with what’s in style or not in style, what’s fashionable or not.  Rather, it’s something you have always loved and there’s no one you’d rather see in pantyhose than your wife (or gf).  Ask her to do this for you.

Kelly Linh puts her best foot forward in Act III Beige.

If there were ever a time for men to do this, it’s got to be this month.   What occasion could be better than Valentine’s Day for men to ask their women to wear pantyhose for them?  It’s the most romantic day of the year, and fortunately, women still want that to be a special day.  Yes, if there were ever a day when men could ask their wives or girlfriends to put on pantyhose for them, Valentine’s Day would have to be it.

Kelly Linh's tasty toes in pantyhose (Act III Suntan).

And so, we decided to help.  In honor of Valentine’s Day, and for the first time in our 11 years in business, ActSensuous offered our world-renowned beautiful and sexy pantyhose at half price.

I have to say I was thrilled with the response.  Many of our longtime customers stocked up on their favorite colors, and a record number of new customers for one month decided to give us a try.  In fact, we’ve more than tripled our usual numbers for orders in February, and half the month remains.

For those of you who bought ActSensuous to give as a gift to your special someone on Valentine’s Day, I’d love to hear from you.  Gentlemen, did you give your lady ActSensuous and ask her to wear them for you?  Did she oblige you, and was it fun for both of you?   And to the ladies who ordered ActSensuous, did you take my advice and wrap them up as a gift to give him to give to you?  Did he love it?  Did it make for the exciting night you anticipated?  If you want to share your stories, please feel free to write to Kelly at kellylinh@actsensuous.com

Kelly Linh looking awesome in Act III Suntan pantyhose.

Now back to our Kelly Linh.  Maybe you can tell from her last name she’s Vietnamese.   And she’s no Twinkie (yellow on the outside but white on the inside) either.  Well, OK, she actually is pretty Americanized,  but ethnicity-wise, she’s 100 percent Asian.  And, as such, she grew up constantly being told that she’s worthless because she’s female (sons are very important and highly valued in Asian culture; daughters, not so much).

Now, this is a girl who has not one, but two bachelor’s degrees and a small aircraft pilot’s license. (AND SHE ENDED UP WORKING HERE!!!  )

She’s an amazing person, but to this day, Kelly has no idea how incredible she looks in pantyhose.  I’ve tried to convince her, but she aint buying what I’m selling for a minute.  She says I’m biased.  Well, yeah, she’s got me there.

Nevertheless, I’m trying to convince her to become the next model on our website’s gallery.  Wish me luck.

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Pantyhose wearers catch more eyes

    

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

     From time to time, I hear from ladies who say they love wearing pantyhose because of the extra attention they get from men when they do.  

    They say they love it when they catch men staring at their pantyhose-adorned legs out in public. 

     Others tell me that their boyfriends or husbands are so grateful whenever they wear pantyhose, that they wear them often to please their men.

   More than anyone else, I hear from ladies who wear pantyhose at the office, sometimes because it’s required, or at least, expected. 

     In offices where the wearing of pantyhose is not required or particularly encouraged, it’s the ladies who are highly professional and classy who wear pantyhose of their own volition.  Those are my heroes. 

     These ladies tell me that when they wear pantyhose, they get a great deal more attention from their male co-workers.  But they say that this often causes a sense of uneasiness or even resentment among their fellow female employees.

Office girls in Korea would never not wear pantyhose to work.

     They tell me that female co-workers will approach them and say something to the effect of “You know, you don’t have to wear pantyhose.  You can go bare-legged.”  Or, “How can you stand to wear pantyhose every day?” Or (and I love this one), “Pantyhose are so  ‘out’ these days.” 

     Well, you know me – I think it’s downright pathetic when women blindly jump on the bandwagon in the name of what is thought to be “in or out of fashion,” especially if it gives them an excuse to be less feminine and not as desirable.  And I think it’s just plain wrong when women use that same excuse to go against time-honored business acumen, and then try to encourage others to do so, as well.    

     Anyway, it got me thinking:  How many of you have been approached by your co-workers about your wearing pantyhose at the office?   Or how many of you have noticed that you get more attention from co-workers, those in your circle, or people on the street when you wear pantyhose?

     Are you seen as a threat to your fellow females who don’t wear pantyhose and don’t want you to wear them either?   (And is that to keep you from garnering the attention of men, or to help them somehow  justify their own choice to not wear pantyhose?) 

     I’ll bet you have some stories to share.  Please do.

Office girls in China gather for a meeting. Wonder if the businessmen at this office find it difficult to concentrate?

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.

Wake Up and Wear the Pantyhose

Robin Maryland, president, ActSensuous

     Ladies, have you noticed that men have been telling us for some time now that they love women in pantyhose.  

     Men are talking about this subject on Internet chat rooms or blog threads.  They are subscribing to the hundreds and hundreds of Web sites out there whose content is dedicated to women in pantyhose.  They are looking at, posting and downloading pictures of women wearing pantyhose everywhere in the world.

      Call me crazy, ladies, but shouldn’t we be listening?  Shouldn’t we care about this a little more?  

     Throughout history, we’ve made every sacrifice out there to make ourselves more beautiful, more glamorous, more appealing. We wear high heels that one day will likely kill our feet forever.  We do spa treatments, obsess over hair and makeup, even undergo surgery if we think it’ll help our cause. 

     Yet, men aren’t asking us to do any of these things.  To men, none of these things make us sexier to them than our wearing pantyhose.  Men aren’t asking on a global scale that we wear shorter skirts or higher heels.  They simply, honestly and with compassion, are asking that we grace ourselves with the softest, silkiest, most decidedly feminine and beautiful thing we could ever wear. 

     Yet, women everywhere shun the wearing of this lovely, classy and glamorous accessory. In light of everything else we do to ourselves in the name of beauty and glamour, how did pantyhose become the enemy here?

     Here’s what I think:  Men ought to start fighting back!   That’s right –men should arbitrarily decide that they no longer are going to wear neckties, for example.  They should show up at the office in suits but no ties.  After all, ties are too hot, too tight, and too uncomfortable to wear.  And really, they’re sooooo yesterday. 

SPECIAL INSERT:  Guys, c’mon.  No comments from you about this?   I’m out here carrying the torch for your favorite fetish, beating up my fellow gal-pals over it, and giving you this brilliant suggestion about how to get back at women for not wearing pantyhose.    Yet, no comments?   I thought we were friends!   Where’s the love?

     Indeed, men ought to just unbutton their shirts to show off their gold chains instead?  We could call this new fashion trend the “bare necks movement.”  Or what if men wore designer suits but no socks?  The “bare ankles look.” 

     Really, men should show a lack of professionalism by dressing this way not only at the office, but on television shows, in movies and on the Red Carpet to collect their awards? 

     And how about on dates?  Men could certainly show their women how much they respect and appreciate them by choosing to look “so cultured” when being seen in public with them.  

     Think about it.  What if men arbitrarily decided that all of a sudden they just don’t need, or can’t be bothered with, dressing in good taste?

     Isn’t that exactly what most women are doing today?  And isn’t it getting a little old?

Should I wear Pantyhose to a Job Interview?

    

Seriously, how could anyone get any work done with Asakawa dressed this way for the office?

     It is said that millions of people struggle with the question of what to wear to a job interview.  

     Having worked in an executive search and recruitment business for nearly 20 years, I’ve coached hundreds of women  (and men, although not about wearing pantyhose) on this subject, but just to be fair, I researched the subject on the Internet today to learn what is being taught right now. 

     Happily, Ive found that the advice of career experts is exactly the same as it’s been forever.  Yes, women should wear pantyhose to a job interview.  

     Look, if you’re going to interview for a job at Wendy’s, you don’t need to wear a corporate grey skirted suit, with high heels and sheer nude pantyhose.  Unless the opportunity there is for a regional manager or higher level position.

      So let’s say you’re interviewing for an office position in corporate America, and the company adheres to a business-casual dress code.  What then?  Still, you wear a suit, heels and pantyhose.  Why?  Because you’re on duty. 

     It doesn’t matter what the company’s dress code is, or if you’re just lucky enough to be interviewing on casual Friday.  You are the one who needs to make a good impression.  You should always dress the way a senior manager would, or should, because it shows good character, a good attitude and demonstrates that you are serious about wanting to work at that company. 

     You will never not get a job offer because you dressed better than you needed to during the interview.  But not dressing according to accepted standards of business attire could cost you an opportunity.

     In his book, When Job-Hunting: Dress for Success, Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., of Quintessential Careers, writes:

“The standard job interviewing attire for women is a conservative dark navy or gray skirted wool blend suit.  Job experts and employers seem split on the notion of pants suits, so a skirted suit is a safer choice.  Makeup should be minimal, with lipstick and nail polish conservative tones.  Pantyhose should be flawless (no runs) and conservative in color.”

     Yes, but he’s a man, you say?  OK, well, according to Kim Zoller at Image Dynamics, 55 percent of another person’s perception of you is based on how you look.  Her Dressing for Success suggestions:

• Solid color, conservative suit
• Coordinated blouse
• Moderate shoes
• Limited jewelry
• Neat, professional hairstyle
• Tan or light hosiery

     OK, think that’s just old school?  

     How about what CollegeGrad.com has to say:

• Always wear a suit with a jacket; no dresses
• Shoes with conservative heels
• Conservative hosiery at or near skin color (and no runs!)

     It’s not rocket surgery (a cross between rocket science and heart surgery) here, people.  Just because Hollywood created the bare legs phenomenon to which women all over the world now subscribe, it doesn’t change the fact that in the real world, there still are standards of right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable. 

     And in the workplace, especially during a job interview, pantyhose should always be worn.