Pantyhose
have been a common western commodity since the 1960s. These articles are
created by a man, Ernest G. Rice, and patented in 1956.
Although these articles seem innocent and often practical, there is a deep rift
of controversy and erotic connotations behind the scenes when it comes to the
use and purpose of pantyhose. Pantyhose were a big deal when they come out
to replace the old style of stockings women wear to cover their legs while
wearing skirts shorter than the ankle. It was often the case that
workplace and school uniforms required pantyhose as an article that women and
girls are required to wear. Hose are often worn by women to keep their
legs warm or to help buffer the discomfort from shoes. Some individuals
like the way pantyhose can cover imperfections of the skin such as varicose
veins, scars, and blemishes.
Pantyhose begin to strike up controversy from the
beginning. Not only was Ernest G. Rice’s copyright and patent contested
by other inventors of similar articles, but during the 1960s and 1970s was a
strong wave of feminist thought that advocated boycotting articles such as the
pantyhose and braziers (men’s inventions to suppress women). The argument
was that women should not have to use these articles to become the perfect
sexual objects men desire. This did not stop the hose from becoming a
highly popular commodity up through the 1990s. The hegemony of pantyhose
had taken hold of western society. With the turn of the century came the
popular style of keeping legs bare, thus the pantyhose were no longer
needed. However, it is still currently fashionable to wear hose with
formal wear and in the colder months tights become a fashionable way to keep
legs warm.
An unusual fashion for pantyhose has come to light recently:
“mantyhose.” These pantyhose for men may have started with the medical
use of compression socks for vascular problems or they may have been spurred by
the boon of keeping legs warm in addition to other types of pants. This
odd pantyhose fashion may have had a more erotic starting point.
There has been a fetshization of pantyhose from the time of
their creation. An appeal to long, slender, hairless, and smooth legs was
invigorated by the invention of pantyhose. The sexualization of pantyhose
was inevitable, and we can see that in the advertisements of the 1960s and
1970s. It became an incredibly erotic sight to see a woman in nothing but
pantyhose. This interest also spurred a re-occurrence of images
of women in the old fashion stockings and garter straps. There is a tale
of bondage and submission to be told about women encased in this hosiery.
The garments give a glimpse of the pressure the women are constantly under.
In the community of drag queens, pantyhose are necessary for the trade; to
represent the female means to submit oneself to the pressures she lives
with. Some fetishists who wear pantyhose seek the pressure of being
encapsulated by layers of nylon or spandex; full body stockings are popular for
this kind of erotic game of dress-up. Fetishists who enjoy wearing the
hosiery often seek the tactile pleasure from the experience. "
There is a movement of value in this commodity in the
economic and the social markets. In the past, pantyhose were a hot
commodity and have recently lost the interest of the public; the economic value
is depreciating due to changes in style. The social value of the
pantyhose is changing from respectable business woman garment to a drag queen’s
#2 wardrobe necessity. Though the business woman is not much different
than the drag queen in that they both follow their interests and make money
while looking good, there is a difference in the cultural groups in which they
conduct business in. The social capital accumulated by both individuals
and their pantyhose can be high or low depending on the way they display their
taste in hosiery (Bourdieu). Taste is a big factor in how others are
judged. In a business setting, the drag queen’s attire (hose and all) are
in bad taste, and vice versa, the business woman would not easily fit into a
crowd of drag queens. These two individuals remain connected through
pantyhose and through the message each is trying to send out. The
business woman is trying to portray a figure of conservative and sexy feminine
power. The drag queen is also displaying sexy feminine power but with a
campy style or over exaggerated femininity.
Tasteful or tasteless, pantyhose are the hegemonic tool to
make women perfect or they are the tools of the trade for a cross dressing
man. Used as clothing, medical apparatus, a face covering for convenience
store robbers, or an erotic device of bondage, pantyhose fit well into many
functional niches.
