Is there a real Difference between Compression Stockings for Men and Women?
Traditional mindsets and fashion trends of society have taught us (and are still teaching us) that there are typical clothing items for women and typical ones for men.
In addition, there are of course also clothing items that are specifically designed to accommodate certain anatomies and body parts of the male or female body.
If you are wondering – What does this have to do with compression stockings? – stay tuned and keep reading…
When it comes to compression stockings, whether they are knee highs, thigh highs or pantyhose style the manufacturers have basically decided which ones are for men and which ones are for women.
Men looking for compression stockings will quickly discover that the selection offered for them is pretty sparse especially when it comes to compression hosiery to address conditions that affect us above the knee level. Women on the other hand seem to have a much wider range and selection of both functional and fashionable compression hosiery items to choose from.
I think we all can agree on the fact that both men and women have very similar legs and both men and women tend to have the same problems with their legs.
Furthermore the all-important circumferential measurements on the female or male leg for compression stockings (above the ankle, mid-calf and upper thigh) are the same. One real difference that comes to mind would probably be the size of the feet where men usually have the bigger proportions.
Nevertheless there are always exceptions where girls can have bigger feet and guys can have smaller feet than the average size range for either gender. Another dissimilarity that would have to be considered as a clear difference is fashion.
Since compression stockings have emerged from their once drab “one ugly beige color fits all” existence into the spot light of high fashion appearance with vibrant colors and creative designs these increasingly “sexier” compression stockings are obviously intended for the female wearer of compression hosiery.
We say Compression Stockings are Unisex or “If the Compression Stocking fits …”
This means if the size fits your measurements and/or if the price is right you might as well consider wearing compression stockings regardless of which gender they are targeted at by the manufacturer.
Shopping for compression socks and hosiery with some disregard of “labels” both men and women can find their most suitable styles and materials ranging from sheer to opaque with colors from skin tone beiges to sun tan, brown, navy blue to black. For the more avant-garde this can even include patterns such as ribbed, striped or checkered designs.
As a final tip for men – you will in many cases be able to make better finds and spot much more reasonably priced compression stockings among the much larger selection of compression hosiery items originally targeted at women.
This may simply be a question of economics due to lower purchasing and production volumes for specific “male” compression stockings, which may not permit for the lower prices that can be found with women’s compression stockings.
It is also a stated fact among online sellers that a large percentage of male buyers of compression stockings have been purchasing women’s compression stockings for a long time and have found their perfect fit in doing so.
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