Mantyhose: An Interesting Frontier

"Dude, I got a run in my mantyhose. Fuck!"

From construction workers to athletes and businessmen, the male populations have found a passion for pantyhose, claiming they wear the hosiery for support, comfort and aesthetic purposes. Luckily, there are now pairs made specifically for men so that they don't have to ravage their wives’ or girlfriends’ dressers to nestle into a pair of nylons.

According to an MSNBC article, European men have been sporting hose for several years, but the trend has been slow to catch on in the U.S. (It is important to note that the trend has no connection to men who wear hose to cross-dress, since they prefer to wear pairs that are more feminine.) The "mantyhose" is also part of a larger trend of nontraditional men's underwear designed to lift, sculpt and suck in that beer belly — from the "mirdle" (man-girdle) to Australian designer Equmen's Core Precision Undershirt, touted as the "Spanx for men." A small group of male pantyhose enthusiasts from America, Canada and Europe even set up a Web site, the U.K.-based e-mancipate.net, "to speed up the mainstreaming process of male pantyhose" for men all over the world.

I realize that many of you out there are a little taken by the fact that men are wearing hosiery, but I say get over it. For those of you who have been studying your fashion (and reading my blog), you are aware that the trend these days is to blur the lines of gender and sexuality. This is just another step in that direction. Let us not forget that there is man makeup, man bags, and so on. As we move further into a new day, more fashion trends such as this will come about. Whether you like it or not, mantyhose is here to stay.

What is my personal opinion on the subject? I don't like the idea of pantyhose on a man for any reason, support or not. Something just seems off to me about it. I am a James Bond kind of guy ... well-groomed, but still ready to whoop ass when necessary, and lacking in real sensitivity. James Bond don't do no damn mantyhose.

I will say though, if a man is going to wear mantyhose I would prefer that they look like these photos in them. The better you look in something, the more likely people are to forgive what you wear. I can certainly forgive nice legs like these. You should too.

The lesson we should all take from the mantyhose is again that fashion is a reflection of society and where it's headed. I have been saying for years that the future will blur the lines of sexuality and gender. Before long, those boundaries will be a thing of the past. Fashion is reflecting that by creating clothes that are can be worn by men or women. I think we should all just embrace the change, and help it along. That way, there's less of a chance that the blurring will be done badly. I have already seen mantyhose in purple, so there needs to be more fashion conscious people watching this trend to steer it in the right direction.

Here's to style. Cheers!