Weighing in on Hosiery

If there is a male equivalent of panty hose -- forcing wearers to balance comfort and formality -- it is probably the tie. Ties aren't required at Mid American. "The revolution has already taken place in the tie area," says Mr. Holt. He wears ties only on Mondays for his weekly Rotary Club luncheons.

As for fairness, it's hard to say whether ties or panty hose are more uncomfortable. One male reader of this newspaper, after making a bet with a female co-worker, attempted to discover the answer by secretly wearing panty hose under his business suit for several weeks. He claims ties are worse.-- Christina Binkley, Bare-Legged Ladies: Hosiery Reveals Office Divide, The Wall Street Journal, June 5, 2008

Just when you thought you had enough to worry about, Christina Binkley brings us this story on the state of dress code policy at Mid American Credit Union, a small financial institution in Wichita--more specifically, on the company's rules regarding the wearing of panty hose. Who wears hose these days?

When my mother was in grammar school, nylons were de rigueur. This was during WWII, when stockings were scarce, families had to use vouchers to secure their food staples, and my grandmother used special recipes like "War Cake," made with reduced amounts of eggs, milk and wheat flour (little did they know they were going vegan). One day at school, a friend of my mother's showed up bare-legged. How did the nuns react? They made Theresa wrap her legs in newspapers for the remainder of the day.

After pressure from staff and a consultation with experts on dress codes for the workplace, Mr. Holt has decided to relax the hose code, although the option female staff choose may still be a factor in performance reviews.

I suppose we've come a long way.