This one's for the ladies! Gen X women, did we kill pantyhose?

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Good_Connection_547@reddit

I think I wore hose more as a tween and teen than I ever have as an adult.

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chamrockblarneystone@reddit

Why were L’eggs everywhere? Like they were in 7/11.

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kermit-t-frogster@reddit

I think because as a product they sucked so much, haha! They were always getting runs and only lasted for one wear, so you had to pick them up at the most inconvenient times.

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Not only that, but most states had the old "blue book laws" that limited what could be sold on Sunday. Pantyhose was on that list! Don't know why, but I remember my mom complaining about it almost every other week!

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chamrockblarneystone@reddit

That sounds about right. When I would go out with a big group someone was always tearing up their stockings.

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Diligent-Touch-5456@reddit

because they were the worst for runs. Nothing I did stopped them from running, but it was big deal for women to wear them.

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Iamstarstuff1972@reddit

The dress code for women was a knee-length skirt, hose, blouse, and pumps. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would be to sit for 8 hours with my knees pressed together and my ankles crossed! We killed hose and I'm happy! More importantly, we moved the bar for how women must dress in the workplace.

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chamrockblarneystone@reddit

Think about it. Or I’m thinking about it. Women in the work place is still a fairly new concept. Really only since WWII and in large numbers later than that.

I’m not mansplaining. This is just for other men.

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Iamstarstuff1972@reddit

😁

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AlmeMore@reddit

coquihalla@reddit

I'm originally from western Canada and it wasn't until the coldest days I would wear slacks and jackets in Illinois. I'd get so much grief in the spring and fall with people worrying over me freezing myself to death.

It was common enough to get (unfixable) runs so I assume women had emergencies where they needed to replace their pantyhose asap and it made sense to offer them in convenience stores/drug stores (at a high mark up).

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rosmaniac@reddit

It was common enough to get (unfixable) runs so I assume women had emergencies where they needed to replace their pantyhose asap

Omg, I remember making my mom mad all the time bc i always conveniently “forgot” to wear slips under skirts and dresses.

ChrystineDreams@reddit

I hated wearing panty hose, or even dresses. I endured it until I was in my teens and when my mom and grandma tired of fighting my "bad attitude" I started wearing slacks or other dress pants. 30 years later, I still do not wear dresses. Not even once leggings became a trend.

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We still do this! I bought a lot off eBay of colored knee high pantyhose in the eggs to wrap around the hose that drains into the sink.

I - to this day - do not know how to wear pantyhose with very-fitted skirts without said skirt crawling up my legs when I'd walk. Slips I guess? But they were a hot mess, too.

I'm of an age where most of my skirt wearing days were in the pantyhose era so I never did figure it out. Problem not solved itself.

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kklove2001@reddit

Ding dong nylons are dead! And good fricking riddance! Every once in a while I see women wearing them and I think “damn they still sell that shit?”

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TwyZilla@reddit

After tucking my skirt into them after using the restroom one too many times, I gave up!

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Lonely_Storage2762@reddit

I had a sensitivity to them and couldn't afford silk. I just gave them up when I started teaching and wore more dresses. When I had to change to sneakers because of foot issues, I just gave them up. Best choice ever.

I did learn a trick as a young lady from Cosmopolitan. It was an article on model tricks. They said they shave everyday because it stops razor irritation. It also makes your legs shiny and smooth.

I once had a second grader reach a hand out and quickly stroke my calf as he walked by. As I turned around to tell him that was inappropriate, I heard him telling his table mates that I don't wear panty hose. Then one of the girls asked me how I made my legs shine. I told the teachers at lunch and they were shocked as they always thought I wore panty hose. I think this model truck is why.

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White_Stetson@reddit

Order GenX here. Wore them everyday until I gave up on dress and wore mostly dress pants to work, but I did wear knee highs after that. I had a mail order subscription company that sent hose to me monthly.

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catedarnell0397@reddit

Yes thank god. Pantyhose in the summer were a menace

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OkAd8714@reddit

I still love pantyhose as someone who bruises and scars freakishly easily.

But I have a cautionary tale…a few years ago, when I still worked in the office, I noticed a run in my stockings as I was driving to work so I stopped at a CVS to pick up a new pair.

As I was perusing the options (somebody must still be wearing them because they had quite a selection!) a creepy older man with a German accent sidled up to me. He got way too close, looked me up and down and said “I adore pantyhose. You look beautiful. I like to wear them too.” (No judgement there, buddy, that’s great for you, but…!) He seemed unnaturally thrilled to have found a fellow wearer of the hose, like we were going to be BFFs now.

I said something polite and walked off. He proceeded to follow me through the store. I somehow managed to lose him briefly as I approached the checkout counter. I whispered to the cashier that there was a creep following me and that I was afraid to walk out to my car alone. She very kindly walked out with me.

Another pantyhose story: one summer night when I was about 11 or 12, my friends and I were playing Ghosts in the Graveyard with other neighborhood kids. My next door neighbor’s brother was a couple of years older and somehow I ended up sitting on their porch steps with him. He looked at my legs in the moonlight and asked me if I was wearing…pantyhose! I was flustered and embarrassed and muttered that no, of course I wasn’t. But the incident stuck in mind for years as one of my first “boy” interactions.

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scarlettohara1936@reddit (OP)

Aww!! What a sweet, utterly wholesome and innocent interaction!!

We used to play Ghost in the Graveyard in my neighborhood too!! Every evening in the summer. Sometimes, every once in a while, our parents would let us stay out for a little bit after dark... Such great memories!!

I will never forget living in my first post-college apartment with my roommate and her saying one morning as we were getting ready for work, “l can believe we have to get up this early for the rest of our lives.” And I replied, “I can’t believe we have to wear pantyhose for the rest of our lives.”

I had a job with a dress code like that too. The hiring manager made sure I knew about that rule on day one. 😒 I wore thin trouser socks or knee highs. The whole time I worked there I was hoping someone would ask me to pull down my pants in order to see if I was wearing panty hose under my trousers. (I had the phone numbers of employment lawyers in my purse.)

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toblies@reddit

Thank god norms changed and I got into tech a few years later

I’m 45 and same. I do not feel like I am properly dressed without them and I think they look so nice. I prefer nude hose and black but sheer for an evening event 👵

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

color of tilapia

Yep just about had water thru my nose with that comment.

reminds me of my wife's legs.

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lola_dubois18@reddit

I still wear them too. Feels like it holds everything together. I feel uncomfortable with bare legs except for non-work casual stuff. I don’t expect anyone else to feel the same though. I know I’m a hold-out by how hard they are to find.

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AliCracker@reddit

Same but for different reasons. I’m Laura Palmer white and ppl will literally shield their eyes at my blindingly blue legs. I don’t know why my legs won’t take a tan, and I’m too lazy to problem solve it

You must have slipped into nursing right after scrubs finally became acceptable nursing attire! I got my nursing degree in 94 and I shit you not!! The first 3 years I was nursing, not only did I have to wear white hose or tights, I ALSO had to wear that ridiculous paper/cardboard nursing cap WITH the white fucking BOBBY PINS!!! AND!!! To make matters worse.. I have always had very short hair! Like can't fit into a curling iron short!!!

WHERE THE FUCK DO THE BOBBY PINS GO!?

Sorry. I'm yelling again. Yelling. Didn't mean to. Again.

Thank God for scrubs!!!!! The damned caps went out the windows because they looked ridiculous with scrubs!!

FYI. Nursing caps are so idiotic that Android emojis of nurses don't have them. They're not in the list of hats either!!!

I'll try to find a gif.. gimme a minute..

gif

Haven't thought of that jingle in twenty years at least. This thread brought it right back

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BigFitMama@reddit

I went to a homecoming rally a few years ago when those coochie skimming dresses were big. Number 1 - parents let their girls wear these. No questions asked. Number 2 - no one had hose on or even pettipants or shorts. They were full thong. And they didn't know how to sit!

I'm not a prude but a few times we got to witness how undressed they were.

We fought for dress that is comfortable. Pockets! Not full frontal.

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Honeybee3674@reddit

Well, when the girls school sports uniforms are basically underwear that rises up, girls have been conditioned that it's normal to show off your buttocks in family friendly environments.

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PRC_Spy@reddit

Barely anyone bothers to teach girls how to sit demurely in a short skirt any more. And still no pockets.

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Competitive-Fact-820@reddit

I never figured out how to sit demurely so never wore a skirt shorter than knee length, still can't sit "like a lady" but I'm always in jeans, sweats or pjs so what does it matter that I manspread with the best of them!

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PRC_Spy@reddit

It doesn't. And being asked to sit down nicely and sit properly without flashing persuaded our girls into jeans and long dresses as well.

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ErrantTaco@reddit

It’s my own hang up and for now I’m ok with that.

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ticktockyoudontstop@reddit

I love my freshly shaved legs, don’t let anyone make you feel bad if you do too 🩷

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Traditional-Start-32@reddit

My apologies if I made anyone feel bad. That was not my intent. If any one cares the last part in my previous post is from Mrs. Doubtfire (the bus driver).

Blossom73@reddit

Pantyhose were extremely thin, fragile, and uncomfortable (hot in the summer, don't keep you warm in the winter). And I can't count how many times a BRAND NEW pair would run as I was putting them on for the very first time, completely ruining them.

atomic_chippie@reddit

I wear tights all the time, but adorable argyle & wool tights, not that sandpaper- nail polish nonsense we used to be forced to wear.

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Magerimoje@reddit

Pantyhose and slips. Haven't worn either since I was forced to as a teenager.

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kermit-t-frogster@reddit

What was the point of a slip exactly?

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HotLava00@reddit

It keeps your skirt from getting stuck between your legs, keeps the fabric smooth, or for a thinner-fabric or light-colored skirt, it makes it so it’s not see-through. Thus white, beige, black and other color slips. Also, in case of a gust of wind, the slip would give you an extra layer of modesty. Surely they are (were?) a throwback to petticoats that were part of billowing skirt styles only a few decades before.

nite_skye_@reddit

I worked a retail job at a large department store, early 90s. It was in the dress code that pantyhose were required if wearing a dress or skirt. We had to dress “nice” and also wear makeup. Luckily we got a big discount and hour long paid lunches. For retail it was a decent place to work.

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Charming-Insurance@reddit

In 1995, I was 19 and worked for a county agency. It was actually IN the dress code. I remember making decisions about buying food vs pantyhose. I got a promotion by time I was 25 and wore a uniform. Never looked back. So archaic.

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Skylark7@reddit

I grew up wearing hose any time I was dressed up for church or a party. I did like how they looked because I'm so pale. Hose were pretty much mandatory for business as well. The darned things always had a run, slid down, or bunched up at my ankles though. There were run resistant hose and they weren't as sheer but way easier to wear.

I feel like it was Millenials that killed pantyhose. I wore them plenty, right up until 2003.

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Ike_In_Rochester@reddit

As a guy, I want to say I miss the hose with seam up the back. That never failed to catch my eye.

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WordleFan88@reddit

The last time I saw someone wearing stockings, it was a goth girl with a shredded pair for the look , I guess.

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magerber1966@reddit

I had to go to a formal gala work event last year, and actually tried wearing a pair of black hose. I put them on, went to my car, drove for five minutes, and looked down to discover I already had a run from above my knee to mid-shin. I am white as a ghost, and have very lazy leg shaving habits and I still won’t wear them because I simply can’t keep them intact.

I live in Southern California, and mostly go bare legged, but do enjoy tights with shorter skirts in the winter. But they can be hard to find, so I have to buy them on line.

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girlgeek73@reddit

My mom forbade us from wearing hose until we were 16, I think. Before that we had to wear opaque tights. Hose was for grown ups.

In the '90s I discovered that thigh-highs were much more comfortable to wear anyway. I don't recall making a conscious choice to stop wearing hose, and I'd be willing to bet I have some unopened packages in my lingerie drawer right this moment! 🤣

Absolutely hated them. Refused to wear them. So hot and being tall they were not long enough for me so the crotch was always half way down my thigh.

No I am old I love wearing opaque tights in the winter and my height is catered for now.

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Humbled_Humanz@reddit

🫡 I DID MY BEST

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anitalincolnarts@reddit

That tight in the wrong places, unbreathable garbage was only good for movie props when someone was robbing a bank.

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schmigglies@reddit

I was in my late 20s trying on shoes at Nordstrom and I asked the salesman if you could wear these with hose, and he snorted and goes “sure, if people wore hose these days.”

That’s when I realized it was finally okay to wear bare legs!! (I work in law, which is still very formal sometimes, so I was last to get this memo)

Before someone drops in to say that even lawyers mostly don’t wear hose unless maybe for court, yes, I’m aware. This was 25 years ago.

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scarlettohara1936@reddit (OP)

Flight attendants still wear them. I wore them as a nurse until scrubs were finally deemed proper. And that only happened because of Grey's anatomy

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schmigglies@reddit

My nurse mom was wearing scrubs in the 90s!’

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InTheMoment1970@reddit

So glad they went away. I was always poking holes in them no matter how much I tried not to.

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w0lfqu33n@reddit

I'd wear them on limited occasions when wearing a dress, and I so rarely wore a dress that I didn't care about washing them.

scarlettohara1936@reddit (OP)

While I was in high school I did. But only when I had to. I never wore dresses or skirts to school.

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mstrixxxx@reddit

I’m 52 and the last time I wore pantyhose was @ my wedding in 1998. I wear dresses but go bare legged. I do a subtle at home sunless tanner.

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bexfromtx@reddit

My dad was the head of HR for a small chain of local banks until he retired. In the mid to late 90s, he started getting complaints about the dress code and the panty hose requirements for women. He felt the need to study why the pantyhose were required, if the complaints were valid or not. He sent out an anonymous survey to employees to gage reactions and to collect data so he could make an informed decision about a major dress code change that had been in the books for decades. His research made one thing very clear, the women wanted to ditch the hose, but the men (who never had to wear the stupid things) thought it gave a more professional, polished look. BTW, this was in South Texas. I worked for the same bank and loudly complained to my dad about the hose every chance I could.

One morning, I stopped by my parents' house on my way to work, and Dad was eating breakfast and watching the Today Show. He was really focusing on the TV, then exclaimed, "Katie Couric has bare legs!! Am I really seeing Katie Couric on National TV without stockings!?!"

That was the moment that my dad decided he could be on board with dropping the panty hose requirements from the official HR dress code.

In my book, I would say my dad, with the help of Katie Couric, killed panty hose! Maybe not across the entire US, but for the female employees of a small local chain of bank in Texas!!

I miss him!

TLDR: Katie Couric's hose free legs on TV helped my dad change his mind, leading to women have the choice to wear hose or show their bare legs in a small chain of local bank branches in Texas.

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scarlettohara1936@reddit (OP)

I found this

Katie Couric has been one of the most stalwart and high-profile bare-leggers, bringing her tanned gams into living rooms every day with the TV news. But the sight of bare legs is so repulsive to some that a forum has emerged on Stockingshq.com, a website for stockings fans, dedicated to persuading the chipper news anchor to wear pantyhose. Fundraisers, bribes and beatings are a few of the strategies discussed. One man lamented that he’d been forced to switch to Fox, where the legs are rarely naked.

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bexfromtx@reddit

This is awesome! My dad was a progressive hippie and didn't know it! I should have seen the signs. He took me to my first concert, Willie Nelson, when i was 8, before he got into banking, he worked in HR at Lone Star Beer. He had no idea how his views on panty hose would be so revolutionary!!! 🤣🤣🤣

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ElleGeeAitch@reddit

I wore them occasionally before high school for special events, and all through high school (88-92 because my magnet had a dress code, suits for the boys, skirts/dresses for the girl. Occasionally I'd get a long skirt to avoid wearing panty home. I fucking hated them. Hot, itchy, inner thigh chafe. Always with tears, the fucking aggravation! Wore them occasionally in college, never again since I graduated from college.

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Heavy_Spite2105@reddit

On the east Coast, panty hose was required for an office job and church. When I moved out west, l noticed no one wore them, so I stopped. Never missed them!

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artsy7fartsy@reddit

I certainly hope so.

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jennyloudwalker@reddit

Wore them as a kid when my mum made me and haven’t ever since. My legs wanna breathe! Fuck that uncomfortable bullshit! I look foot loose and fancy free and feel great! 😛

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Affectionate_Song_36@reddit

When I think of how much money I spent on hose in the 80s-90s 🤦🏻‍♀️. I live in SF and have friends who do drag, and when I hear them complaining about having to wear hose for maybe 4 hours tops at a weekly gig, I have to refrain from snapping at them, “Try 8 hours a day! 5 days a week! For decades!”

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MichElegance@reddit

Moved to the US, ditched the habit for work but still wore for fancy evening events. Stopped entirely when we moved to work on a horse farm, dinner or no dinner. I think I have 3 pairs that are older than my adult son, still unopened.

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BlueButtons07@reddit

I mostly wore them HS age. Any dress I would wear now, would be long enough I could get away with knee/thigh high. The full pantyhose were uncomfortable for me, and seemed like I would alway get a snag/run in them.

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Double_Objective8000@reddit

Yes and would do down so the crotch was 2" too low but with control top too difficult to pull up easily. Worse if you had control top undies too and a slip. So many layers I was so hot and grumpy, lol

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Anonphilosophia@reddit

OMG - Slips.... "Only sluts don't wear slips" lololol. I guess I'm a slut because I haven't worn one in years.

Anonphilosophia@reddit

Princess Di - she didn't wear them. I actually remember using that as justification.

Then Sally Hansen came out with leg paint, IN BROWN no less. I was done. That leg paint made them look magical (my legs were one of my best features, but I had a few scars from childhood.)

But now I don't even care enough to paint and I still have scars and a few visible veins added, lol. I do still have a few pair just in case, but I usually wear open toes shoes when I'm out.

Capital-Meringue-164@reddit

As a teen in Seattle in the late 80s/early 90s, they were totally out of fashion. I definitely wore opaque tights a LOT though. Later I moved to a conservative small town for college and when looking for jobs, was shocked that one required all the women worked there to wear pantyhose. Temp jobs in Seattle in certain industries (insurance, legal) required them too. I did not take any of those jobs - they seemed sexist and out of touch. I recall evil pantyhose well from childhood, and I was glad to get away from them asap. I will say that the artist Senga Nengudi did really beautiful work with them - check it out!

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mldyfox@reddit

As a teenager, I absolutely hated them. To the point I wore jeans or sweats to school. Mom asked me of it would be easier to wear a skirt and tights, and I told her it took longer to take off and put on tights for gym, and if you left them on under sweats for gym you'd get a zero for the day.

A skirt or dress was required to go to my grandma's for holidays, and I remember griping about the hose or tights and grandma saying that's the price you pay to be beautiful. I cracked her up when I said I'd rather be ugly.

I'll wear them on occasion because I want to wear a dress or skirt and the weather requires covered legs. Otherwise, pants or jeans, baby!

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WhiskeyAndWhiskey97@reddit

Same here with the pantyhose. My mother taught me how to put them on and how to stop a run.

A while back, I discovered trouser socks. I buy them in packs of 3 pairs, so that if one sock gets a run, I can just throw out that one sock vs. an entire pair of hose. I have some cute pairs of sandals for warm weather (so no need for hose), flats, heels, and boots for cool weather (so, trouser socks), and sneakers for the gym (so actual socks). I even wear trouser socks with my heels when I go to a ball.

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astro_nerd75@reddit

I hope so! I HATE pantyhose. Safety shorts all the way!

Yes, we did!

I was the weird girl at school with striped tights in strange colors. You couldn't force me to wear pantyhose.

I wish they would come back. I have spider and varicose veins so I dont wear skirts to work because I dont want to show my bare legs.

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tastysharts@reddit

Ok, I got another. Remember slips? I didn't realize just how useful they actually are.

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liand22@reddit

I actually worked for a major hosiery company from the mid 90’s until 2000, and the dot-com boom + the influx of casual workplace did the industry in. I do still wear them with formal attire and tights in the winter.

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Reader288@reddit

I hear you, my friend I remember wearing pantyhose with my grad dress. But after my 20s, I don’t recall wearing them ever again.

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kb7384@reddit

I'm end of the boomer era & had jobs as a corporate trainer back in the 90's. I had to wear business professional & it was unthinkable then to wear my skirt suits without pantyhose.

Always hated them, so glad they're gone.

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Far_Designer_7704@reddit

I wore them twice and never again.

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Kit_Kitsune@reddit

When I worked at Kmart as a teen (1992-1995), we were required to wear pantyhose as part of dress code. They ripped so often, I would occasionally steal them. Statute of limitations has run, so I can now admit it. But hose where $4-6 and I was paid $5.25/hr. IN CASH!!

Years later in law school, I went to a "Women's Student Law Caucus" event featuring a female judge on our syate supreme court. She told the group how important it was to be "professional" in court by wearing pantyhose, otherwise no one will respect you.

I walked out immediately. Never wore them and still made a career.

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esp735@reddit

Male here: I think it's safe to say the we miss them too.

THE look in the late 80's was black stockings pulled up over the knee and a black skirt that came down to mid thigh. There was something more sexy about that 3-4" of skin than everything else!

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CreativeMusic5121@reddit

I still wear them for dressing up. I don't like bare feet/legs with dress shoes.

I will never forget the day I quit wearing nylons.

I was on my way to an outdoor summer wedding in a maxi dress in 1993. My mother's sister saw me putting on my sandals and lost her mind that I was bare legged.

I still wear them occasionally, especially during cooler months when I wanna wear a skirt or dress.

EdgeCityRed@reddit

I think I had to wear them with my uniform in the Air Force, when I wore the skirt instead of the pants (which was rare). I had a job that was 50/50 camo and dress uniform days.

Really haven't worn them often since! I do like black or colored opaque tights in the winter though. Like wine or navy or dark green.

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Lcky22@reddit

I remember as a teenager feeling like I couldn’t wear a dress without control top pantyhose. Then as an adult young teacher in the early 2000s the other teachers were scandalized by my bare legs

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nicoleyoung27@reddit

I did until I was introduced to dance tights and I have never gone back. Those are hardy, you can wash them and dry them, and they lasted for at least a semester.

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HeyKrech@reddit

Thinking about how one of my criteria for a career was that I wouldn't be required to wear pantyhose or tights, maybe you're onto something!

(My career clothing requirements are - sometimes close toed shoes, no questionable screen print messages and no holes in your pants that would illicit a discussion).

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Tinawebmom@reddit

I wore them for choir (competition choir!) and hated them.

I wore fishnets in school (oh boy did that get me in trouble!)

Afterwards? I think twice? Hate them.

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Roguefem-76@reddit

I wear thigh-highs multiple times per week, just because I like them. I've never found them scratchy, and I like feeling my legs are covered.

Plus, come winter I can wear fleece-lined thigh highs and stay toasty warm. 😅

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StellerDay@reddit

I could never get those to stay up unless they were the garter kind

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Roguefem-76@reddit

Do you get the ones that are made to wear without garters? Mine have a rubberized band around the top to keep them from sliding down.

I buy them a size bigger and then if I need to, I use garters that are basically just adjustable bands of elastic with a buckle.

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SummerBirdsong@reddit

All the rubberized band did on me was roll down. They'd just slowly roll down until I looked like Vicki Lawrence in Mama's Family.

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UnfairNight7786@reddit

🤣😂

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BetMyLastKrispyKreme@reddit

They’d leave an unsightly bulge right in the middle of my thigh that was obvious through my skirt. And it felt like they were going to fall down. So I just stuck with regular pantyhose, even though I hated wearing them.

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Roguefem-76@reddit

Like I said, I buy them a size bigger so the rubberized band sits comfortably above the widest part of the thighs. It's so much better.

I was in banking and wearing them until 2006 at least. So it seems it came along after that point.

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crystalclearenigma@reddit

I started working at a grocery store in high school around 1993 and there were 2 choices of uniform; polyester dress or polyester pants and top. Went with the dress, figuring it was the lesser of two ugly evils, even though it required a slip and pantyhose.

Some of my hose was basically a giant run around the top with a wall of clear polish holding it back from running down the legs. Lol

I think it was a year or 2 later when we were finally given the same option as the men to wear black dress pants, white dress shirt, tie and polyester vest. I immediately switched and have pretty much never worn pantyhose again in any job. I occasionally wore black hose if my skirt was on the shorter side or if it was a fancier evening event.

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lantech@reddit

Back in the day, I learned from Green Berets I was on an exercise with: wearing calf high pantyhose under your socks helped with friction and blisters on long ruck marches, as well as helped a bit in cold weather.

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Lanalee67@reddit

Pantyhose were hot, but that was why I would wear them to the office. Offices were always freezing in the summer. I used to keep a shawl and sleeveless gloves at the office for that reason, too.

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Neither-Wishbone1825@reddit

I remember cutting off the leg that had the run and reusing by pairing with another pair that had a cut off leg.

I still wear them. Don’t hate me. I just cannot have bare legs in my classroom with a knee length skirt; I feel way too exposed.

Ironically, my coworkers just smile at me, especially those my age (I’m 49). Honestly, I think I’m the only one at my high school who still wears them. It’s getting harder to find them in my favorite color (Bare) but when I do I stock up.

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montanawana@reddit

If you ever need an alternative, bike-style shorts are great under skirts. Jockey makes some incredible ones that aren't hot called "Skimmies." They're what makes me feel comfortable wearing a skirt that isn't heavy and knee length.

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ShadowBitch42@reddit

I remember buying the L’eggs once or twice. I had already noped out of church by my teens. I think that high school senior year events and graduation made me think there would be a continuing need for dressing up.

Hated tights as a kid, hated pantyhose and maybe wore them a total of 5 times or less my whole life.

I've always been for bare legs. I can't with the sausage casings.....

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ProblemLucky7924@reddit

I remember the bare-legged look started cropping up in the late 90’s in fashion mags, red carpet events, on Sex and the City, etc.. I remember having a temp job in 1994 where it was dress code to wear nylons and I haven’t worn those babies since. Black tights with boots in the winter is the closest I’ll get!

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flgirl-353@reddit

I remember the transition from standard hose to the toeless hose that could be worn with open toe sandals. I remember thinking what a great idea that was because I am from Florida and almost all of our dress shoes are open toe.

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gif

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ZorrosMommy@reddit

🤣🤣🤣

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MorningGlory439@reddit

Yes! We traded them in for tights from Hue and then...bare legs?

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Ornery_Treacle7266@reddit

OMG I worked at shoneys a buffet style Midwest restaurant in the early nineties...it was straight up polyester skirt prince looking shirt with ruffles...flying around that place in hose and all that extra....thinking about that shit is hilarious now!!!

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StJmagistra@reddit

I live in Alabama. As soon as I discovered no-show footies, I stopped wearing pantyhose. My feet are too sweaty to wear shoes without some kind of sock/stocking, but I hated pantyhose. Now, I absolutely love tights in the winter! But was glad once the social pressure to wear pantyhose ended.

Does anyone remember the scene in Steel Magnolia at the wedding where some of the characters are judging a guest at the wedding for not wearing pantyhose? Glad that’s a piece of history!

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MzChrome@reddit

Clairee - "Looks like two pigs...fighting under a blanket"
Truvy - "I haven't left the house without lycra on these thighs since I was fourteen."

Sorry, one of my favorite movies haha

But man I hated pantyhose too. Now I do no show slipper socks for my dress shoes, trouser socks or nothing. It's too blasted hot to be layering up all that nonsense. When my feet get hot I get miserable.

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Pedals17@reddit

Clairee: “You were brought up right.” 😂

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loony-cat@reddit

I hated pantyhose and did my best to avoid wearing the stupid things. I haven't worn them since I graduated high school in the late 80s. Pants are much more comfortable than skirts and dresses. None of my jobs had a dress code stricter than office casual so I've been strictly jeans, trousers, and shorts.

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Arboreatem@reddit

I hope so! But GenZ brought back those silky blouses with the bow tied at the top that our moms wore. So I’m hoping they don’t get any more ideas.

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Foxfyre25@reddit

God, I hope so.

That said, doubtful. When I was traveling in 2023, they were making a comeback worn under shorts. Unsure if that's still the fashion.

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slpybeartx@reddit

54M here, so I asked MrsSlpybeartx. She emphatically says YEESSSSS!!!

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CyndiIsOnReddit@reddit

My first pantyhose experience was taking the eggs, the pointy part, and putting them in my little tiny training bra and going to school like this. I got pushed in to a door frame accidentally and one of them cracked and cut me and my teacher had to take care of it. So humiliating. I dont' know why a third grader was wearing a training bra. Probably wanted to feel more grown up. I don't know why we all wanted to grow up so fast!
ANYWAY....

Remember in the 80s when we had so many bright crazy colors for hose? Not just tights but the stockings. I had fluorescent pink and yellow fishnets I'd wear together under my little bubble skirts, frou frou lace socks, and my standard white pumps.

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itimedout@reddit

About once a month or so my mom and I would shop the L’eggs outlet store where they sold the irregulars and QA rejects and whatever else they had wrong with them. We had to, those things were expensive and we both wore them in our respective office jobs. They might not fit right or the toes may be off but they were also about half the regular price and well worth the trip. This was in Orlando in the late 80’s - 90’s, I wonder if that place is still there?

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CreatrixAnima@reddit

I hope so. They suck.

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Alman54@reddit

I'm a guy and I've been wondering this for a long time. My wife used to wear pantyhose to work, and eventually stopped. I've never understood why women had to wear them. Is the sight of bare legs that shocking in public?

Same goes for television. Women characters in the 70s and 80s always wore pantyhose in informal situations. Perfect example, Daisy Duke on the Dukes of Hazzard. The network required her to wear pantyhose if she was going to wear the short shorts. So, there's Daisy wearing pantyhose driving her Jeep or working at the Boar's Nest.

I never understood this.

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Bostonterrierpug@reddit

You killed them with short shorts.

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Dapper_Ad_8360@reddit

Ahh but did you ever…. Cut the leg off one and keep the top and wear two different legs (same color) with two tops, because they were to expensive to throw out just because one leg was bad 🙋‍♀️

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BulliedTeacher1@reddit

All the time!!! It was a way to stretch your dollar.

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Karamist623@reddit

I haven’t worn pantyhose for YEARS!

I do remember wearing them, and for some reason, I just stopped. I still wear dresses to work just barely legs now.

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BluebirdLimp4295@reddit

Strangled it with its own itchy, constrictive, uncomfortable self. That's it, nothing more. I'm glad to have it gone out of my life. Huzzah.

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Agniantarvastejana@reddit

Did anyone else have one of those pantyhose subscriptions? Or you got two or three pair every couple weeks in the mail?

I was required to wear them with my waitress uniform back in the day. Being a very tall young woman meant l could either cope with having the icrotch halfway down my thigh, or go for the plus size brands via mail order.

These were also the "no snag" kind, which was a joke, but they did last a good bit longer than something like l'eggs.

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nottodayautoimmune@reddit

YES WE DID! Sorry not sorry. Tights still exist, though. And that’s okay, because winter dresses and cold legs are a thing.

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anythingaustin@reddit

I still wear tights on occasion when it’s bitter cold outside but wool base layers are too bulky for the outfit. Haven’t worn actual Leggs pantyhose in decades though.

I avoid them as much as possible. Can’t even remember the last time I wore them. Probably at some wedding or something. I will wear opaque tights in the winter on the rare occasion I wear a dress. I love wearing dresses in the summer. But it’s bare legs all day. I remember my grandmother wearing pantyhose with shorts because she hated how her legs looked bare.

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Renetia@reddit

Yup. But I will wear black thicker ones with my skirts with cute ankle boots.

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HoneybeeXYZ@reddit

My mother was an early adopter of bare legs! We moved to a hot climate and in the late seventies, the women were wearing tanned legs bare and Mom never looked back! I had a few pairs of pantyhose in high school but by college (which was in a cold climate) I went with far more comfortable tights.

But I do remember going to fancy events with bare legs and older women telling me not to do that, and I ignored them.

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I never liked nude hose. I wore white sometimes in high school, but mostly it was black hose, black shoes. Still like that look. In college (late '90s), even the black hose started to seem passé, and opaque tights became the thing.

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lusciousskies@reddit

I made sure what ever career path oi choose, pantyhose wouldn't be part of the equation

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Happily killed them - hated dealing with them childhood up to early working career

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eatingganesha@reddit

yes!

damn those yeast infection causing torture devices. I cringe hard when I see someone wearing them now.

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splorp_evilbastard@reddit

I wanted to participate, even though I'm a dude. Enjoy.

My best Halloween costume. My wife made the dress, apron, shoe covers, and Dart's costume (Rooster is your clue to what I am).

hyperdog4642@reddit

Yes, and thank goodness!!! The only time I've worn a pair since the early '90's was at my grandmother's funeral because my mom said it would upset my grandfather if I didn't. Had to go on a search to find some just for that. At least it was November, so they actually helped keep my legs warm.

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Mugwumps_has_spoken@reddit

I'm glad they are gone! They made me itch so terribly, no matter what I did I wanted to scratch my skin off. I was miserable wearing them.

YouHadMeAtDisgusting@reddit

I was just talking about hose with somebody a couple weeks ago. They went hand in hand with the actual dresses we wore for work and occasions back then. My mom and I each had a good drawer full.

I was raised in NYC during the 80s and 90s, I'm too far in the trenches to be saved. Even still, at 46, I own fashion tights to wear under shorts/skorts/distressed jeans. I have stockings with the garter built in for sexytime. I've been Winter Soldiered and the person with the code is long dead. There is no hope for me 😭

But these legs tho lolol

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Mysterious-Gas-9539@reddit

Not sure when it ended. I waitressed in a dress type uniform and wore pantyhose all the time from 1989 to 1992. I remember having a drawer of pantyhose. I remember about 1995 my accountant friend buying a large Costco pack of pantyhose because dress code in the office required it. I think pantyhose disappeared when casual Fridays become casual everyday in offices.

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DaniCapsFan@reddit

Because of an oddity in my figure, wearing pantyhose (and later a garter belt with stockings) was problematic because it didn't stay at my waist. And thigh-high stockings also didn't stay up well. Unless it's cold, I go bare-legged. I don't know if it was us or Millennials--maybe the two groups working together--but I'm glad they're no longer required in most workplaces.

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IfICouldStay@reddit

Honestly I liked them. I felt “lady like” wearing pantyhose and a slip. My only problem with them was my love of open toed shoes. I liked that thing in the 90s where you wore mono colored hose, shoes and skirt. It looked so pulled together. Nowadays on the rare occasions that I wear pantyhose I think my legs look fantastic.

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OhPointyPointy@reddit

Definitely made the transition to opaque tights in high school… and I haven’t worn anything like “nude” hose since probably high school choir!

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ElteeRyan@reddit

I hated them too. By the end I had an old fashion garter belt or thigh highs. Had to find them at Sears. Not sexy at all they were practical. Even now if I go to a wedding or something I'll maybe use thigh highs. But really only if its winter.