Another memoir from my retail days.
I worked at JCPenney in high school, in the women's accessories and purse department for about 6 months. On a hot summer day I wore a tea length dress to work. (Mid-calf length.) We had to dress nice, no jeans, no sneakers, which worked for me, I didn't mind.
I stood at my register, mindlessly ringing up customer's purchases. A manager came to my station to clear something for me, a return I guess, my memory fails me at the moment... It was a Saturday. There were people everywhere.
"Thanks for helping me out!"
"No problem." The [female] manager starts to walk away. "Oh, you are required to wear pantyhose when you wear a dress to work."
"...I am? Why?" I think of the 90 degree humid weather outside.
"It's the dress code, it's in the handbook, you have to."
She walked away. I never wore pantyhose with dresses. In my mind, even at a young age, pantyhose have always been the definition of old fashioned fashion rules. I really saw no point. To me, at that age, I thought the only women who should wear were those who need the tight support pantyhose to help their circulation. The ones they sell at Walgreens, that stick out the bottom of the cardboard so you can feel how supportive they are.
I'm all for colorful tights to wear as a part of an outfit. I just bought some adorable Betsey Johnson tights printed with colorful cartoon strips. Sheer, nude colored pantyhose are just not necessary anymore in this day and age.
Who likes the swishy noise they make when your thighs rub together as you walk? Unless you're rail thin, this happens to you, admit it.
I mean, did my manager think I wasn't wearing any underwear beneath my dress? What exactly were pantyhose going to do to improve the way I looked? My legs were smooth, I'm thin, my dress suited my figure. If I had them on, they probably wouldn't match my skin tone and be completely obvious. Pantyhose are supposed to be unseen and invisible. So...why wear them at all?
We also weren't allowed to wear open-toed shoes, according to OSHA regulations. Luckily I did not run the risk of having them web my toes together in a pair of strappy sandals.
I guess that rule was in place in case something fell on us. Then I began to wonder if something fell on me, while I was wearing a dress and sheer nude pantyhose, would they prevent me from getting a gash on my leg from whatever fell on me? I guess a buckle on a purse could give me a good scrape. Or maybe a large paper cut from one of the price tags. If in fact that happened, my pantyhose would have been ripped.
Have you ever seen a woman with a rip in her pantyhose or tights? Instantly makes her look like she woke up in a trailer park that morning. Would I still be required to wear them if something that fell on me made them rip and I still had four hours of my shift left? Or, since the department in which I worked sold pantyhose, would they require me to buy a new pair?
Would I get to use my employee discount?
I HATE frickn' pantyhose. They make me itchy.
ReplyDelete"Have you ever seen a woman with a rip in her pantyhose or tights? Instantly makes her look like she woke up in a trailer park that morning."
ReplyDeletestory of my life. :)
i wear them, no clue why. i also wear high waisted jeans. but i do not think pantyhose are necessary, and if you did have to wear them for a job you should get the employee discount!!
I hate pantyhose! HATE!They're totally old lady! (and clearly invented by a man) I only own them in black, but typically opt for tights instead. I had the debate on Saturday for a funeral. My pasty white legs this time of year are no good, so I put on the black pantyhose, felt them already make me itch, ripped them off, and settled on a nice pair of black tights. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of tights, either, but it was the lesser of the evils.
ReplyDeleteI got into so many arguments with my mother about pantyhose. She felt it was unladylike to go without. (Something about needing as many layers covering my body as possible, especially while in the company of young men...)
ReplyDeletePantyhose would always cling to my skirt/dress, making it ride up my legs; I'd be constantly trying to hold it down. They were itchy and made my legs sweat. As soon as I'd get to whatever event (or at least out of the house), I'd peel them off and stow them in my purse for the remainder of the evening.
No matter what brand or quality I purchase, I inevitably get a run in them the first time I wear them. I have a drawer full of pantyhose with one ruined leg.
I can understand you might feel more comfortable wearing them if you have particularly pasty legs compared to the rest of your exposed skin, or maybe if you haven't shaved in a while. But they are generally useless for warmth or appearance purposes. A waste of money and sanity, in my opinion.
Ladies you LOOK BETTER IN NYLONS. They hide blemishes, and no man can resist the look of them.
ReplyDeleteThere are many shades now - my wife wears a color called Oatmeal that suits her very well.
She asked me once why I like them, I told her the look of them and how they feel on her when we are close to each other, snuggling on the couch or whatever. I asked her why she didn't like them and she stated a few reasons.
She said they were hard to take off when going to the bathroom, they wear uncomfortable around her waist, and that (apparently) they can be very warm sometimes.
So lately when we go out or there is a formal function she has been wearing Thigh-Highs, the kind with the little stay up straps. She says it fixes a lot of the problems that come with wearing pantyhose but she still gets that extra attention from me that she loves.
Men like them ladies, and I get that it's not your soul purpose in life to attract men, but if that's the name of the game then you might as well quit wearing make-up too.
I can guarantee you that if a product existed that men could wear that attracted 70% of the women out there we wouldn't HESITATE to wear it now matter how it felt. :)
Dude - I can't believe you actually talked about this. My company I worked at had the same rule, however no one followed it - However guys HAD to wear shirts with colars. And women get away with almost T-Shirts, and flip flops and sandals. This is so not fair.
ReplyDelete