By the way, how often do you wear hose? I wear it at home and to sleep.

By the way, how often do you wear hose? I wear it at home and to sleep.

@evilhomura
I must admit that, when I searched around internet for information related to pantyhose, I saw a good number of men actually wearing it and proudly posted their images on web. It did freak me out a bit. Maybe general perception of relating pantyhose wearing to transvestite kind of thinking still lingering around general public. Same thing happened to ladies many years back when wearing pants was an absolute taboo. Eventually that was overcome.

ms

HISTORY OF MEN IN PANTYHOSE
By jm2fly

History of Men's Pantyhose

Men have been wearing pantyhose for as long as they have been around. In the middle ages only men wore tights as women primarily wore long dresses. This was the rule through the Renaissance, and the early years of America. The showing of a female leg was considered very risque until early in the 20th century. By that time men's clothing had turned to wearing mostly trousers as they blazed a trail west, built railroads and worked in steel mills. The times called for a rugged garment that provided protection. Times were tough and wardrobes limited for men.

However, only in the last few years has openly wearing pantyhose and tights become more mainstream. For a long time they wore in secret, in the privacy of their own homes or under long pants. They borrowed from sisters, mothers and wives. They mail ordered them from catalogue companies. When they wore their pantyhose out of the house it was always hidden by long pants. Now more and more they are going out and running errands and conducting daily business wearing pantyhose or tights with shorts. What has happened to ignite the fuse to this phenomenon?

The Internet and availability of a discrete source of their own hose has stirred up and brought together men online who previously might have thought they were the only ones to appreciate wearing waist high hosiery. It may have started as a fetish for some but then the more they wore them the more they found them as a comfortable alternative to socks and tightie whiteys. Some found the benefits of compression hosiery too great to not purchase and wear support hose. Some had their doctors recommend supportive socks or stockings for DVT or other arterial issues or diabetes. Some were coaxed by a female friend to try some on either for bedroom fun or to help them with their tied leg complaints.

A lot of credit for these otherwise "normal" straight men to start wearing pantyhose on a daily basis goes to Steven Katz of Granville Ohio and G. Lieberman and Sons, Ltd. In 1998 he started researching the demand for such a product and found that there was indeed a market for a men's style of tights or pantyhose. In 1999 he launched ComfiLon's® ACTIVSKIN® Legwear ( http://www.comfilon.com/home.asp ) for Men the first made for men brand of sheer nylon tights. Beginning with 2 styles, today they sell 16 or more styles of pantyhose and tights as well as a number of other men's nylon socks and underwear. Now ComfiLon® is the premier men's legwear company which sells legwear and lingerie designed and proportioned strictly for the male form.

The forum Legwear as Unisex Fashion  (http://forums.delphiforums.com/LegwearUF ) owned and hosted by Don (Draytx) began in early 2001 has also had a major impact of uniting men and a few women who enjoy wearing nylon hosiery for non-fetish reasons. The forum is a resource for men to find out about different aspects of hose wearing. Topics range from reviews of different brands and styles to discussing going out in public wearing pantyhose and shorts. There is a lot of encouraging each other that goes on there as well.

Another pioneer of men's pantyhose advocacy is Geraden ( http://geraden.blog-city.com/ ). This is a blog by a gentleman from Great Britain, that has been around for several years which focuses on Geraden and friends adventures in tights and sheer hose. There are many advice articles and letters written by Geraden and regulars to his forum. This one has been in my favorites for a very long time.

Lately e-MANcipate.net ( http://www.e-mancipate.net/ ) has gotten a lot of press. It has recently become a go to web site for press to quote. If you haven't been there it is a very nice web site that has some great pictures of men in various styles of men's clothes and pantyhose in everyday settings.

The Nylon Gene ( http://www.nylongene.com/ ) is a blog which was by began by Steve Newman only this year and has already made big steps towards normalizing men's pantyhose. Steve is the ambassador for ComfiLon's® ACTIVSKIN® and men's legwear in general. Steve has been heard on the radio, seen on television news programs and read in numerous articles.

Where will it go from here? Only time will tell. Athletes have discovered the performance enhancing ability of compression and men in tights are seen on the field at many if not most sporting events. Levee, Wolford and Gerbe three of the finest hosiery manufactures in the world have come out with men's lines and many other smaller manufacturers have addressed the men's market. Men in hose have shown up on Paris runways, on the battlefield worn by soldiers in the desert to ward off sand fleas, on truck drivers, firemen, equestrians, scuba divers, construction workers and men in nearly every field imaginable. Mantyhose is being sold in department stores in Great Britain. Who knows what's next. I'd bet there is a man in your life that you may or may not know he's wearing pantyhose in your family, office, classroom, job site, or Facebook friends list.

Source 1

WHY A MAN WOULD WANT TO WEAR PANTYHOSE
By jm2fly


Many women now profess a sincere hatred for pantyhose. They have been forced, due to dress codes, to wear for years. So why on Earth would a guy ever want to wear something that a lot of women consider restrictive, hot, itchy and generally uncomfortable garment that has even been equated with medieval torture devices?

Many guys simply feel more comfortable wearing pantyhose or tights. They usually wear them as a one piece replacement for socks and underwear. If pantyhose are sized properly there is nothing for men to find uncomfortable in them. Since the development of Comfilon and many other new men's tights or pantyhose brands men now have a variety of styles to choose from. These male focused brands are sized and proportioned for men. Some of these male styles even have a fly opening for convenience of those who prefer a fly.

Some men like to wear hose simply because like the way pantyhose look under close fittings trousers. Since they are a one piece garment there is no visible underwear or sock lines. I like the support in the groin area as much as the support in the legs. Most traditional men's underwear has little to no support in this area. Boxers are fine, as long as I have a pair of tights on underneath.

Athletes have found that wearing compression leg wear helps them with their performance. Athletes from every sport including running, swimming, cycling, football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, hikers, mountain climbers, aerobics and dance have all discovered the benefits of compression leg wear. If your sport involves leg muscles then performance will be increased using compression.

Just as many men as women suffer from circulatory issues or tired heavy or aching legs and turn to support wear to help with these issues. Men may try support socks at the suggestion of their doctors. Doctors will often prescribe compression stockings for a variety of medical conditions. Some opt for knee high or thigh high but a lot of them just feel that the waist high is easier or more comfortable. I tried some knee length men’s support socks to help with tired heavy feeling legs, but like many others found that I did not like the tight band at the top of my calf. So I switched to waist length hosiery. I can get relief from support pantyhose without going to a medical grade product. I will start posting reviews of the many that I have tried and will continue to try.

Wearing pantyhose or tights as a base layer for activity in cold or hot environments or any activity where you sweat also will benefit the wearer through perspiration removal. Wear beneath cotton or wool and the perspiration will wick, passing through the nylon weave to be absorbed by the top layer leaving you drier and more comfortable. There are many other commercial undergarments made for this purpose. These other garments usually cost between 40 and 75 dollars. The most I have ever paid for tights or hose was less than 30, usually much less.

So how do most guys end up trying pantyhose for the first time? Pre-teen or adolescent young men try on their mom's or sister's pantyhose out of curiosity. Some older guys innocently dressed up as a member of the opposite sex for Halloween or during role playing with friends or lovers. Many as little boys were dressed up by their older sisters for fun. Some of us, me included, were dressed in tights as young boys as was common practice in many communities and had no desire to stop. Bicyclist and runners may try on a pair to keep warm and remain aerodynamic when they train in cooler climates. Hunters and outdoorsmen for years have been stealing their wives or girlfriends pantyhose to keep warm.

However they first tried on a pair, once they pulled them on they had no desire to take them off. The more they wore them, the more they realized how good they felt.

Here is a news flash for you if you are not aware; most of the men that wear pantyhose or tights on a regular or even daily basis are straight. Many of them are conservative even Republican men wear pantyhose. Religion is no barrier for most men to wear either. There is a discussion going on at one blog about what the bible says about men wearing tights. Most of us have simply found that they are a comfortable, practical and helpful garment that just feels nice to have on. 
Source 2

Did you know that men were the first ones to ever wear pantyhose?
Centuries ago men wore hand knitted stockings made of wool.

In 1589, William Lee of Calverton, Notts, invented the first Knitting Frame.
Excited about his invention, Richard Parkyns (a member of the Parliament for Nottinghamshire) arranged for William to meet Henry Carey and Lord Hunsdon (members of Queen Elizabeth Privy Council).
With a pair of wool stockings to show what great work William’s new invention has done, they presented it to the Queen for approval.
The Queen at first rejected the idea in consideration of what it would do to her poor subjects. It would bring them to ruin by depriving them of employment, thus making them beggars.
The Queen turned to Lord Hunsdon and declared, “Had Mr. Lee made a machine which could give me silk stockings, I would perhaps been justified in granting him a patent”. Then looking at William she said “To enjoy the privilege of making stockings for everyone is too important to grant to any individual.”

Not giving up on the dreams William had for his invention he worked making and selling wool stocking until 10 years later when he had finally perfected his invention to knit silk stockings. Unfortunately the Queen passed away in 1603, a bit too late for William to present his improvements.
William took his invention and moved to France where he met the De Caux brothers, and drew up a very complicated but precise contract in partnership for the manufacture of stockings made from silk and wool.

Tights were made as a close fitting garment for men of nobility such as King Henry VIII of England, the material would be made of silk or wool, rather than the coarser fabrics used by the so called “lower classes”.
The technology remained reasonably the same, until the 1930’s when a new circular knitting machine meant garments could be made in one piece, and no longer needed to be sewn together.
A man named Julian Hill discovered that by pulling a heated rod from a mixture of coal, tar, water, and alcohol, he could create a filament that was strong, sheer, and silk-like in appearance. Further research led research led to the first synthetic fiber, which soon came to be known as Polymer. In 1937, Du Pont patented his discovery.
At the World’s Fair in New York in 1939, synthetic fibers were first shown to the public.
Taking the “NY” from New York, and adding “Lon” from London (the origins of stockings) came the word “Nylon”. The first Nylon stockings appeared in New York stores on May 15th, 1940. Women of course started wearing the newer, lighter, softer, nylon stockings and well over 72,000 pairs were sold in the first day alone, causing the Japanese silk market to collapse overnight.

During World War II in 1942, nylon production was switched into tent and parachute manufacturing for the military forces. American soldiers still wore silk stockings under their uniforms to prevent ticks and other woodland insects from crawling up into their genital area. During which time, women who could women who desired the look of wearing stockings would shave their legs and often draw a vertical line up the back of their legs to simulate the effect.
In 1953, Allen Grant Sr. of Glen Raven Knitting Mills developed a commercial equivalent named “Panti-Legs”, but didn’t introduce it to them to the markets until 1959. During this time another North Carolinian, Ernest G. Rice invented his own design (similar to what’s used today) and in 1956 submitted a patent title Combination Stockings and Panty.
It wasn’t until the 1960’s improved manufacturing made them cheaper, spandex (or elastane) made them more comfortable, and the miniskirt made them a fashion necessity.

Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s sales started to plummet, and women more preferred the “bare-legged” fashion. Pantyhose where no longer required in a workplace for women’s dress code.
While sales remain low, alternative styles have seen growth. Fishnets, patterns and colors, opaque tights, low-rise, footless shape wear, and pantyhose for men.

The company Legg’s has done research and has discovered that more men enjoy buying, and wearing their product than women.

Now there are many companies that make pantyhose for men, or today otherwise known as “Manyhose”
(which in my opinion is a ridiculous name).

Some of the companies worldwide are:

* ActivSkin
* Leve’e
* Legwear For Men
* Mytights.com
* Shapings.com
* Comfimay
* Lexwear
* Silk Stockings
* Kousenboetiek
* Luxelegwear
* Howieria
* Maennerlingerie
* Strumpfversand
* Kelkoo
* Taac.it
* Collants.fr
* Ferillo
* Loretta
* Derstrumpf
* Megasam
* Its4you
* Harisnyadiszkont
* Tights Fashion
* Tightsstore
* Modehaus Henssler
* Silver Lingerie
* Mentights.com/warntex

A link to each of these companies website can be found at
e-MANcipate.net, a website dedicated to the fashion of men wearing pantyhose as an everyday garment.

Men today who wear pantyhose are:
NFL football players who wear them under their uniforms for warmth, Hunters/Campers often wear them for warmth and to protect against ticks and other insects, Soldiers in Iraqi and Afghanistan are wearing them under their uniforms for protection against sand fleas, Men with varicose veins or other circulatory problems wear medical hose for to improve blood circulation.
There are hundreds if not thousands of men wearing pantyhose for hundreds of reasons. I can't speak for those men on the subject of why they wear pantyhose… I only have one: "They’re comfortable"!

A lot of the information in this report was information I found on Wikipedia. Other information was gathered on information that has been passed along to me from talking with random strangers who struck up interesting conversation after seeing a man wearing pantyhose (me).

How much of it is 100% accurate, I am unsure... What I do know is this:
Men have been wearing pantyhose since the beginning of the invention of Stockings, and men are still wearing pantyhose to this day.

Only after the 100 plus years that have passed where Women have taken over the Legwear fashion, men are finally stepping up, and taking back what was faded out. Only we're not really "taking it back". We're not greedy... Women look Great in pantyhose... we're just trying to share, and show the world that pantyhose are a unisex article of clothing.

-(giggle),

the couple pictured in e-mencipate.net looked kind of cute. , pretty nice hunk too..

Now that you mentioned that, I do believe probably many guys do love a pair of beautiful legs, even better if wrapped in hose in well revealed manner like short skirt, or shorts . Many ladies just loved those designs posted on earlier postings, fancy designs are cooled to have. Though myself not a big fan of it. I did notice on a few occasions, I went outing after works with my bf, when wearing shorts, he did to run his hand on my hose covered leg .. maybe there is this "in-thing" in many men, a bit fetish like. Now that I am thinking, if I can get a pair of those hose for him as gift, it can be a playful suggestion to ask him to wear it while going out with me. I am a big fan of "couple-dress", couple dressed alike. 

One thing for sure, I knew well about effect of black pantyhose, I usually opted for skin color,a good friend, my co-worker , her hosiery is usually is usually black, opaque or sheer, she did command good attention from men at times, especially while doing presentation with me at the side watching. Even some man stared at her from head to toe from time to time. Any ladies reading this, care to comment ?

ms

Rikrik,

"I would say that i'm kind of person who r more into feeling... "

I completely agreed with that 200% , I think we got past the resistant level of sweaty ~ too hot, small size ,constant runs blah blah blah with all those excuse why "pantyhose should be banned at all cost".. To me, yes, it feels good, makes my leg more attractive and pretty too, even send a few man out sweating..

Many ladies also had poor experience that probably drives them to avoid wearing pantyhose altogether. Also like to attribute the root cause to many local businesses that markets the hose, completely lack of knowledge from sales person, or having a sales person that hardly good experience wearing one at all. So, how to even sell and convince customer is a good buy ?

Irony is, even guys are enjoying that feel good factor while many gals are shunning it.

Just watch a re-run of Lara Croft- Tomb Raider, her rugged adventure outfit is kind of cool , I am thinking , pair the short with sheer glossy hose , oversize boots and white socks. Top it up with sporty bra, leave the oversize shirt unbutton to reveal some cleavage ,, so cool.. feminine from the inside and yet feels the power from the outside.

Last statement will sure send a few man reading this thread out sweating ....

So, guys & gals, any nice hose wearing ideas to share. ?

ms

Any reason of doing so?
More warm or for any health purpose?

More on comfort and I like the smooth feeling of a pair of good hosiery on my legs. I am alost a 24 hours wearer.

Maysee82 and evilhomura89, for M&S, you should check out the 40 denier pantyhose, I think they cost about RM60 upwards for 3 pairs...very nice quality and durable. It comes in a pack of 3.

I wear it up to waist. I think it will tends to roll down if you wear it from anywhere above waist.

ANother question for the crowd here. Has anyone tried wearing stockings with garter belt for a day?
I wear it few times, well...I got to say the experience is interesting. No big movement as I worried the garter belt might snap off. And the stockings starr rolling down. Later I discovered that a good garter belt, those with metal clasp, and of 6-8 straps, would actually prevent this. However, I think I will stick to the pantyhose, course I like the feeling of pair of pantyhose wrapping my waist area.

Rikrik, that is a good website. Some American brand is equally good as well, i.e. Hanes & Leggs as mentioned by maysee82. I realised that some affordable brands from Europe and American are pretty good quality, and not necessary you must go for those high end brands. Which is different from Malaysia. You almost certain need to pay a bomb to get a decent pair.