My love/Hate relationship with pantyhose

Pantyhose and I have had a love/hate relationship for many years.  It has also been a source of many a conversation between Tasha and myself.  Some of you may read this and think, why do they even care about pantyhose?  Does it even still exist?  The answer is yes it does and yes, some of us still wear it.

When I was in law school we were told that pantyhose in court was a must.  When I started working in my office I was told the same, it was part of the dress code.  It was a common female trial attorney theory that it was proper courtroom attire to wear pantyhose with a skirt suit.  I distinctly remember being told that during a jury trial you had to wear pantyhose, so no one would take offense to your bare legs.  You wanted the attention to be on the case, not on you.  Apparently bare legs were shocking to some and who was I to rock the pantyhose boat?  So, I wore pantyhose for countless years in court.  Thankfully pant suits became more popular, which eliminated pantyhose, but I do still like me a good power skirt suit.

If you have never bought pantyhose (and we are talking about hose, not tights here) they are pricey and tremendously flimsy items.  I have ruined many a pair catching them on splinters on the chair, so carrying clear nail polish also became a must.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about consider yourself very lucky.  They are even difficult to find now.

These older unwritten rules extended also to open-toed shoes and sling backs as well.  These were also on the long list of no-no’s in court.  Tasha and I have debated this for years.  Her opinion has always been as women who shouldn’t be constrained by having to wear pantyhose in court because they are so horrible and symbolize male suppression.  I never felt like I was being suppressed, in fact they can be helpful in several unseen ways:

1.       You don’t have to worry if you shaved your legs, have any bumps or bruises or if your skin is horribly dry; and

2.       Your feet don’t get sweaty in your shoes which helps cut down on blisters.

Covid has made me re-think some of the older restrictions I put on myself in the office and court.  It was tremendously liberating to wear sling-back, open toed shoes to court this past summer (that’s right, I’m a complete rebel).  And there have been a few occasions where I even skipped the pantyhose and the world didn’t come to an end.   

Perhaps it’s time to give up the pantyhose or at least only pull it out when I don’t feel like shaving…