Pantyhose for men

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Man wearing pantyhose.jpg

In American English, the term pantyhose refers to a garment traditionally worn by women, at least since their introduction in 1959. However, some manufacturers also produce pantyhose for men (or male pantyhose, "mantyhose" or men's legwear). As men have begun to discover the benefits of hosiery--especially the support varieties--they have become a distinct emerging market force that is still yet to approach its potential. Being so strongly associated with women's clothing in many people's minds, it was at first difficult to overcome societal obstacles to men wearing pantyhose. At first, only a very few dared to openly acknowledge they wore pantyhose. Now, the sight of a man wearing pantyhose or opaque tights on any major city in the U.S. attracts barely even a second glance.

Contents

[edit] History

There have been anecdotal stories of men wearing pantyhose for practical purposes nearly since their original introduction in the women's market, but were typically difficult to verify because the men in question tended to be very tight-lipped about it. These have included:

  • NFL football players wearing them under uniforms in cold weather,
  • Hunters and campers wearing them as a base layer beneath other cold weather attire,
  • Men with varicose veins or other circulatory problems that did not require surgical hosiery,
  • Horseback riders wearing them to prevent chafing and saddle sores.

Most initially elected to wear them only beneath their bluejeans or dress trousers, fearing ridicule based on misplaced misconceptions about cross dressing, fetishism or homosexuality. With the growth of the internet, forums[1] and discussion boards arose to address nearly every subject imaginable. This new medium allowed men to become increasingly aware of large numbers of compatriots who were also wearing pantyhose for non-sexual reasons. The anonymity of online discussion groups allowed them to discover that their situation was far from unique. This led some to begin wearing them more openly and acknowledging it to friends and family members.

In 1996 L'eggs, a US pantyhose company opened a storefront together with a product-related bulletin board on the web. They soon discovered that most of the visitors talking about their products were men[2]. After conducting a survey[3] in 1998, Steven Katz [4] came to the conclusion that, in fact, many men were wearing pantyhose as a regular clothing item, and would buy a well-targeted male product range--if it existed.[5]

Based on this survey and other market research, G. Lieberman & Sons (GLS Hosiery) began to manufacture and market ComfiLon[6] in 1999, which became Activiskin[7] in 2002. Comfilon/ActivSkin was so successful it inspired Levee, a German pantyhose manufacturer to create a unisex product line called WoMan in 2002. Wolford, a German luxury hosiery manufacturer also introduced 'Waistsocks' for men. Nearly every year since then at least one manufacturer has entered the market with a male product line, such as Collanto in Germany and Gerbe in France. A heretofore untapped market had been discovered.

The market for men's pantyhose has continued to grow steadily since 1999. While ActivSkin, the leading seller of male pantyhose and tights, does not release specific sales data, they now sell to customers worldwide in 76 countries and have reported growth each year since their inception. An important component of that growth is continued expansion of public awareness of this phenomenon. A blog called The Nylon Gene was launched in early 2009 to provide background information on men's pantyhose, as well as opinion pieces and sample photography. To manage public relations and serve as spokesman for issues related to men's pantyhose in the U.S. media, GLS hired Steve Newman[8] in 2009. The company expects to reach a tipping point in the near future with respect to public perception and growth of the male pantyhose and tights trend.

[edit] Uses

[edit] As normal clothing

Men who wear pantyhose as a regular item of clothing have come to the attention of the media with increasing frequency since 2002, beginning with a front page Wall Street Journal article on the subject, entitled "Kingsize, Not Queen: Many Men Are Taking to Wearing Pantyhose".[9] Some of the reasons for wearing them include:

  • to stimulate circulation if working in a profession that requires them to sit all day, or conversely, if on their feet for extended periods of time. In addition, compression can help reduce swelling and decrease the dangers of circulatory problems.[10]
  • to improve athletic performance, energize and revitalize tired, aching leg muscles[11]

One can find both sheer and opaque pantyhose for men, the denier ranging from 8 den (very sheer) to over 100 den (opaque). They usually come in black, brown, tan and navy blue colors. In the U.S., hosiery above 70 den are usually referred to as 'tights'. This threshold is subjective, and hosiery of lesser denier may be considered tights in the U.S. vocabulary.

Some men wear male pantyhose under trousers, with or without socks, while an increasing number are now wearing them with shorts. They have found that it is not necessary to give up the benefits of leg support and comfort while wearing short pants. It is very difficult to notice pantyhose closely matching skin color, as long as leg hair is either removed or kept closely trimmed. As men's pantyhose continues to move from the periphery toward mainstream acceptance, more men are also wearing colored legwear (black, blue, dark brown) with shorts. You can see a some examples of men wearing pantyhose with shorts by visiting The Nylon Gene[12] or the eMANcipate[13] website.

With regard to appearance, some men who wear pantyhose with shorts shave their legs, or practice other forms of hair removal. Others may simply trim leg hair with scissors or barber trimmers. Still others may practice no hair removal at all, but this tends to be limited mostly to those with thin or light-colored hair--or who wear pantyhose only under long pants. In contrast to women's practice, shaving is not considered obligatory for men.

[edit] Fetish

Main articles: Pantyhose fetishism and Transvestic fetishism

[edit] Medical reasons

Pantyhose and other so-called "compression stockings" can be worn to provide relief from leg/ankle swelling and varicose veins. They provide warmth and support for men who have Raynaud's disease, which cold weather causes toes and fingers to go numb. They can also worn as supportive therapy for vein disorders such as lymphedema and deep vein thrombosis.

[edit] In scuba diving

Some scuba-diving men have been known to wear pantyhose or similar garments under their wetsuits to get a bit of extra insulation against cold water. It also assists in putting on and taking off the wetsuit. Pantyhose are also an effective protection against box jellyfish stings.

[edit] Producing pantyhose for men

Reasons why manufacturers are now producing pantyhose for men:

Opportunities:

  • the female market has been in decline since the late 1990's, while the male market is growing[14]
  • online hosiery retailers have reported that the majority of their sales are to male customers[15]
  • men require a different product from women on account of anatomical and lifestyle difference
  • men are likely to require a longer lifespan from their purchases and will therefore pay more per item for greater quality[16]
  • surplus production plant and machinery may become available as manufacturers in the female sector outsource production to the countries in the emerging world
  • produce-on-demand methods allow the investment in stock to be minimized
  • considerable media coverage of the men's pantyhose trend has evolved from early ridicule to one of acknowlegement of a legitimate trend, creating an opportunity to inform public perceptions to acknowledge the practical reasons for men wearing pantyhose.

Threats:

  • the male market is still small compared to the women's hosiery market and at present cannot achieve economies of scale
  • unfavorable associations with cross dressing or fetishism still exist in some people's minds
  • as a result of these associations, many men (and their wives) regard pantyhose for men as an abnormal fashion choice
  • hosiery manufacturers perceive that by embracing the male pantyhose market they may put off female buyers

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://forums.delphiforums.com/LegwearUF/start
  2. ^ http://www.geocities.com/lewisinph/leggsmen.html
  3. ^ http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fashion/browse_thread/thread/b6d1e23453c6f297/791438df49f4bafa
  4. ^ http://www.comfilon.com/dloads/20020607_FTLondon-MensPH.pdf
  5. ^ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1138565
  6. ^ ComfiLon
  7. ^ ActivSkin
  8. ^ Steve Newman
  9. ^ "Kingsize, Not Queen: Many Men Are Taking to Wearing Pantyhose"
  10. ^ http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060918/NEWS/609180302&SearchID=73257245076374
  11. ^ http://www.medicineonline.com/news/12/4836/Compression-tights-may-give-runners-a-lift.html
  12. ^ The Nylon Gene
  13. ^ e-MANcipate
  14. ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/09/reports/rhose.php
  15. ^ http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=LegwearUF&msg=4732.1
  16. ^ http://www.comfilon.com/FAQs.asp

[edit] External links

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