Pantyhose for men

Pantyhose for men (or male pantyhose) is pantyhose specially designed and manufactured for men. It usually has a "male comfort panel" that fits better the shape of men, and sometimes a convenient fly opening. A good hose for men is also made of carefully selected yarns with more reinforcement than women's, as men are, in general, more intensive users than women.

Apart from a few exceptions, male pantyhose is usually sold through online shops over the internet.

The reasons for men wearing pantyhose fall into two kinds: as a normal clothing choice and as a fetish item. Wearers may of course have a mixture of both reasons, but they will by and large gravitate into one of two camps: the mainstreamers (those who wish to see pantyhose become a normal and acceptable fashion choice for men) and the fetishists. This is because ultimately these two are irreconcilable. To the fetishists, the mainstreamers are spoiling their enjoyment. To the mainstreamers, the fetishists are giving male pantyhose wearing a bad name. Read more about Pantyhose fetish.

Men who wear pantyhose as a normal piece of clothing do it to improve athletic performance, energize and revitalize tired, aching leg muscles, and to stimulate circulation if they sit all day. In addition, compression can help reduce swelling and decrease the dangers of circulatory problems. And of course there are many men who simply like the soft material and the comfort that sheer pantyhose provides.

Until the end of the 90's men wearing pantyhose were considered as crossdressers, transvestites or even transsexuals, as it was illustrated in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Wearing pantyhose as a man was associated with homosexual, bisexual and asexual orientations and/or sexual fetishism.

In 1996 L'eggs, a US pantyhose company opened a storefront together with a product-related bulletin board on the web. Soon they discovered that most of the visitors talking about their products were men. After conducting a survey in 1998, another US. pantyhose manufacturer came to the conclusion that in fact many men wear pantyhose just as a regular clothing item, and they would buy a well-targeted male product range if it existed.

In 1999 this company, G. Lieberman & Sons (GLS Hosiery) started to manufacture and market Comfilon, which is also known as Activskin. Comfilon was so successful that it inspired Levee, a German pantyhose manufacturer who created an unisex product line called WoMan in 2002. Since then each year at least one manufacturer has come to the market with a male product line.

Due to the increased number of male pantyhose product lines and to the media coverage, pantyhose for men is more likely treated as a fashion thing rather than a gender role issue today.

One can find opaque and sheer pantyhose for men as well, the denier ranging from 20 den to 100 den. They usually come in black, brown and navy blue colors, and without patterns. Most men wear male pantyhose under trousers, without socks. An increasing number of men are wearing it more openly, most frequently with shorts. You can see a few examples of what male pantyhose with shorts looks like. There are endless first-hand reports saying that men wearing pantyhose openly as part of a male outfit is generally accepted, and in many cases ladies are even giving compliments to men they see in pantyhose. With regard to appearance, most men shave their legs when wearing pantyhose openly. However, in contrast to "women's practice", shaving is not seen as obligatory for men to wear pantyhose.

There are many reasons why manufacturers are now producing pantyhose for men.

Opportunities:

• the female market has been in decline since the late 90's whereas the male market is growing
• online hosiery retailers have reported that the majority of their sales are to male customers
• the male market theoretically can be as large as female market
• men require a different product from women on account of anatomical and lifestyle differences
• media and fashion industry participants are finally getting used to the idea
• men are likely to require a longer lifespan from their purchases and will therefore pay more per item for greater quality
• 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 minimised.

Threats:

• the male market is still a niche market and cannot at present achieve economies of scale
• there is still a way to go before men (and their wives) regard pantyhose wearing as a normal fashion choice and not as something weird
• hosiery manufacturers perceive that by endorsing the male pantyhose market they may put off women buyers.

• Bringard A, Perrey S, Belluye N. Aerobic energy cost and sensation responses during submaximal running exercise--positive effects of wearing compression tights. Int. J. Sports Med. May 2006;27(5):373-8.

• Norton, Amy Compression tights may give runners a lift Reuters Health/Medicine Online, May, 2006.

• Preston, Shelley Wearing Pantyhose Is Serious Business For Some Guys The Ledger, September 18, 2006.

• Annis, Elisa An industry that lost its footing International Herald Tribune, October 9, 2006.

• Helliker, Kevin Kingsize, Not Queen: Some Men Have Taken To Wearing Pantyhose The Wall Street Journal, February 19, 2002.

• Temple, Mathew Men in tights FT.com, June 07, 2002.

• Comfilon/Activskin, the first and best known male pantyhose manufacturer
• Geraden's blog, a fine community place
• LAUF forums, where most of the men who wear pantyhose meet
• e-MANcipate.org, which focuses on men who wear pantyhose
• Hosierymarketing.com, a site that helps hosiery industry professionals