Fashion or fetish? Sheer pantyhose for men
NEWS.com.au - Australia
By Alison Stephenson, October 14, 2008 10:00pm
IF women are worried that their previously exclusive fashion domain is being invaded by men in manscara and man-bras, there's another cause for concern.
"Mantyhose" are pantyhose for men, the latest in a string of men's fashion trends straight from the bizarre files. And everyone from truck drivers to cowboys are wearing them.
Self-confessed male hosiery-wearer Harisnya is so passionate about the issue he set up e-MANcipate, a website aiming to "accelerate the acceptance of male pantyhose as a regular clothing item".
Harisnya says the UK-based website is "as serious as fashion can be".
"It's fun, but no joke," he said, and is adamant that both males and females should be allowed to wear the sexy sheer garment.
"Men have great legs and hosiery is a great way to show them. It's quite practical in some ways. It prevents chafing, for example, when horse riding or cycling, but it's also a good alternative to bulky underwear if you need some warmth.
"Going to work on a cold autumn day in regular trousers with 20 denier hose underneath helps to avoid getting cold. Plus you won't ever have to worry about loosing or matching your socks," he joked. The site even offers men a step-by-step guide on how to wear pantyhose without damaging them.
Specifically designed men's pantyhose comes with a "male comfort panel" that better fits a man's shape, and sometimes offers a convenient fly opening.
Harisyna's love of pantyhose - which he insists is about fashion, rather than a fetish - is backed up by testimonials from truck drivers who swear by nylon hosiery for its circulation benefits and cowboys who don them under their Levi's for warmth.
"At the recommendation of my wife, I got several pairs of sheer knee-high support hose that I wear under pants, and I wear either light to medium support sheer beige pantyhose or thigh highs openly under shorts, and I've noticed a major improvement in how my legs look and feel," said Mike, a truck driver from Coralville.
"I fully intend to continue to openly wear hose both for the health benefits and for the look and feel of the soft, comfortable fabric, and encourage other men to have the courage to do the same," he added.
Harisnya believes pantyhose serves not only as a comfort and circulation-boosting garment, but also helps to "illustrate" a man's legs, a part of the body that can easily support fashionable wear.
"Not all men like to hide in grey uniformed clothes. It's an easy way to dress differently, pairing the colour or pattern of your pantyhose to the rest of your clothes just like you do with the colour or pattern of your tie.
"It's relatively easy, too, as hosiery goes easily with almost every kind of shorts and shoes."
At the forefront of e-MAN-cipate's campaign is the push for companies to produce pantyhose made specifically for men.
"Don't buy female pantyhose at all," urges the site. "Don't strengthen those companies who don't produce/sell male pantyhose. Buy male pantyhose. Do help with your purchasing power to those who are on your/our side."
Copyright 2008 News Limited. All Times AEST (GMT +10).
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Comments: 8
i guess it would be an okay fetish . . . but i definitely wouldn't wear them out in public if i were a guy. i hate pantyhose regardless but this is just too much if these are wanting to take off in the fashion world!
Most times when I wear hose with shorts, I wear suntan or other color that pretty well matches skin tone, so it's not really very noticeable. I've had extended conversations with people, all the while thinking 'they MUST be aware that I'm wearing hose' (due to bright sunshine, etc.) only to discover later in the conversation that they had no idea I had them on. SOOO, if they're that hard to even notice on someone, what could be the big deal about it?
P.S.: A few days ago, I came across an interesting couple. The guy's wife used to not mind him staring at her when she'd wear tights under her shorts but after she got annoyed at being looked at as a sex object, she decided to make him try it on for a change and refused to wear pantyhose until he stopped staring at her. At first he begged but then he decided to listen and learn. After trying them on and feeling comfortable wearing them under his shorts, his wife was turned on and he realized fully well why his wife was annoyed at him. They finally agreed to a compromise that if one wants the other to wear them under their shorts, both have to wear them. Once in a while just like the encounter, the two of them go out together dressed in shorts and tights and yet the man looks masculine in them while the woman looks feminine in them amazingly. I can learn from them.
You say that when they both go out dressed in tights (hose?) that they each look masculine/feminine accordingly. That's not surprising to me at all. If a guy is wearing some sort of legwear along with otherwise masculine attire (i.e., guys shorts, polo shirt, etc.) I don't see at all where the legwear would make him look less masculine. Some of the photography on the e-MANcipate site show that pretty well. The photos of the two guys out with the two women--all dressed in hosiery--display what you describe very well, too.
The man and woman in their times didn't mind it at first but somewhere the gazing got a little out of hand. I guess each was afraid that the partner would focus on the pantyhose and not the person in general itself. I could be wrong though.
It could run the gamut from the stereotypical fetish-type of response on the one extrem, to simply drawing a certain amorphous feeling of comfort and contentment from the feel of the fabric on the skin, on the other. Anybody else have some thoughts on this?