I recently came across a very typical account of a guy wearing support hosiery and thought it was worth sharing in an article here because there are many men out there that have similar stories.
The name of the person has been left out to protect privacy.
Hi,
I suffer with circulation issues in my lower legs and was advised many years ago by my doctor to wear compression hosiery to help eliminate the pain associated with it.
Initially I had a prescription for compression stockings and got them for free because I was still studying full time. When I started work however, I had to pay for them and the cost was even then considerable and so I stopped wearing them for several years.
My girlfriend at that time, who is now my wife, suggested that I should try standard store bought support hosiery that was intended to help with tired legs. Admittedly it felt a bit weird at first but it was amazing how much better my legs felt even compared to the prescription hosiery I had used originally. The cost is also much lower than the so called specialist compression hosiery products.
Fast forward, more than 10 years later I am still wearing support pantyhose. During the summer months I go with a lighter denier of the sheer type pantyhose because I have to wear suits and they allow my pants to glide. In the winter I go for thicker support tights (70-150 Deniers) in black or gray without the socks.
So far I have never been the victim of a negative comment although I don’t advertise the fact that I am wearing support hose. But who does advertise what underwear they are wearing? My wife and family all know and have no problem with it. When at home in the evening and on weekends I can openly wear them with shorts weather permitting.
When I am out and about I tend to cover them up, because there are closed minded people out there who I suspect would easily come to the conclusion that I am a transvestite, even though men some time ago actually wore pantyhose style legwear first.
I guess for me the bottom line is – it is my life and my health and I do what I need to do to feel comfortable and be healthy.
Isn’t it peculiar how societal thinking and standards tend to be rather compartmentalized? For example, there are occasions such as in ballet dancing, theatre or sports where it is perfectly acceptable for males to wear hosiery garments that are generally thought of as more “female”.
On the other hand if tights or pantyhose are worn by males openly in public it is still perceived as “odd”, “strange”, “weird” or worse by many members of our society.
Considering the many eccentric clothing choices and combinations that can be spotted on female or male members of the population on any given day one would think that a guy wearing tights, support stockings or support pantyhose of any type should be no big deal.
Curiously when it comes to women’s fashion many traditionally male clothing items have been creatively adapted and migrated to become accepted mainstream fashion for females. Unfortunately the prevailing attitudes in our society do not grant men the same kind of tolerance and acceptance at this point in time.
Given the fact that support hose or compression stockings can provide considerable health benefits in the way of preventative care or in controlling and sometimes even improving existing symptoms for a wide range of conditions our stance on this issue is clear.
Neither men nor women should be discriminated against or hassled for wearing compression stockings or support hosiery as legwear.
Obviously the topic of discrimination and harassment covers a wide range of possible areas for discussion. However, for the purpose of this article we would like to invite all male and female visitors to leave their comments on this issue and express their opinions about men wearing compression hosiery openly with shorts, especially during the hotter months of the year.
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I believe you have observed some very interesting points , thanks for the post.
I've been told to wear compression hose from morning until bedtime. I do so with shorts that are well above my knee (to keep cool). The only comments I get (from other than a medical professional) are about either my hat or the shoes I'm wearing. It's really no big deal.
Charley
That should be encouraging for other guys. Thanks Charley.
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Well to start with I started wearing because of the amount of time I spent sitting and while doing so my legs would swell. I spoke with my Dr. about it and he recomended compression hosiery. I started with a knee length and would have swelling above the knee, and decided to try pantyhose and they were a good match. After trying just about every manufacture out there and looking for a place to purchase compression hose at an economical price, I went with Ames Walker and purchased style #33 beige they are very durable and long lasting and blend with my skin tone very well.
As time went on when not wearing my legs would turn redish/purple so it was decided I would need to wear daily, my dr. said I have Chronic Veinous Insuficiency he also said I should wear from the time I wake up till going to bed. So after years of wearing long pants over my hose and in the summer months feeling very uncomfortable I decided to give shorts a try, I worried about what people would think. Well I've come to find out that the fear I had was unfounded. It was all in my head, nobody has any issues with me wearing, the public doesn't need to come to terms with me wearing because they don't have any problems with it, and it's not just where I live, as a matter of fact I live in the Ol South.
I wear every day with shorts when not at my job (must wear long pants), and I've never had a negative comment or have not had anybody make fun or laugh at me. So if we are waiting for the general public to come around to us wearing comfortably, your wasting your own time...PLEASE nobody cares or in most cases nobody even notices. So please if you are interested in wearing take little steps...
Here's how I started with my little steps. Try going out after sunset wearing your shorts (I wear tee shirts and shorts just above the knee, socks and running shoes) and go to a store, or coffee shop you can see inside to see how many people are in there, if there is just a few try walking in (have confidence in your self, stomach in chest out) and make a small purchase. You will find out in most cases nobody will notice (as time goes on and you do this more often you will feel like, hey people I'm wearing hose...trust me) if someone does notice it's usually 1-2 seconds then they just turn away and that's it. If your arms, and face, are tanned and your legs are white then just wear suntan colored hose to match your arms and face and you'll be good to go. Please make sure you shave your legs, that's what will create a lot of attention is seeing all of the hair crunched down. I'm fairly lucky, because when you have poor circulation in most cases you don't have hair...so my legs are mostly hairless, if anybody ask you, you can say that it's a result of poor circulation.
I wear everywhere while going out with my family, my daughter, and son don't care, along with my wife. I have full support from them because a blood clot can kill!
So PLEASE, PLEASE get out there and give it a shot, I promise nobody will call the newspaper, you won't see any helocopters flying over...etc
Wear confidently,
Terry
That was an awesome and inspiring contribution. Thanks Terry