Hose in different area codes
I have always regarded pantyhose as a tool of the patriarchy (or, possibly, the devil). Show us your legs! But partially obscure them! In an uncomfortable way!
So I was glad to read (in the Wall Street Journal, of all places) that not wearing hose is now officially OK.
So I was glad to read (in the Wall Street Journal, of all places) that not wearing hose is now officially OK.
The weather grows warmer, and the debate heats up: Are bare legs proper? [My question is, are bare feet proper?--Ed.] In today's casual workplaces, many women have peeled off the panty hose, and it is now common to see bare legs even on conservative Wall Street and at business events. Yet the transition has highlighted a generational divide. For women who entered the work force before the 1990s, hose were considered as necessary as underwear. But many twentysomethings have never worn panty hose at all.DC, to my mind, has been uncharacteristically ahead of the fashion curve in this regard--probably because we live in a reclaimed swamp and would really have to resort to loincloths for true comfort May through October.
posted by Waage on Thursday, June 05, 2008
3 Comments:
Try being *required* by official dress code to wear these beastly things in the middle of the summer in the desert. That's exactly what has happened to all female personnel who work at Tucson, Arizona's University Medical Center. Da-yam!
Whaaa? I thought the Constitution prohibited things like that!
Good post. I've often wondered the same thing about hose. I'll take a swing at it. The female leg is a work of art, and in general a good thing to show off. However, a layer of "something" implies formality while preserving the shape.
Obviously I've never worn hose, so I can't put myself in a woman's shoes. But consider neckties for us guys. Sure, on a cold morning it might keep us warm. But otherwise it just dangles there uselessly. Things get worse if we're required to wear them all day during summer.
I think that's the point of formal attire: wearing something irrational as a token of respect to others.
Phil (tool of the Patriarchy)
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