 
Balletlover - Balletmania
written by Seamless at on 18.04. at 20:37:56 - as answer to: Re: a tights laundry encounter by Seeker at > >Two years ago, in the spring, when the weather was still chilly I was sitting on a bench on the capitol mall waiting for the Smithsonian to open. As I sat there I idly started counting the number of joggers and walkers going by dressed in tights. After a few minutes I began to notice a very strange coincidence. I expanded my data collection and came up with the following interesting tallies.>Men jogging alone or with another man. In tights=20%>Women jogging alone or with another woman. In tights=52%>Men jogging with a woman who is not wearing tights. In tights 12%>Men jogging with a woman who is wearing tights. In tights 63%>Women jogging with a man not wearing tights. In tights=49%>For me there were four interesting tallies. First if a man was jogging with a woman who is wearing tights, there was a 51% greater chance he was also wearing tights. Second, if a man is jogging with a woman who is not wearing tights he is 8% less likely to be wearing tights. Third, the percentage of women wearing tights does not appreciably change based upon what their partner is wearing. Finally and probably the most interesting relationship, men jogging with a woman wearing tights also wear tights 43% more then they do by themselves.>Based upon my observations, it appears that a significant number of women are applying some sort of pressure on their jogging partners to induce them to go jogging in tights.>There have been several other incidents I have seen where a man and woman were out in public in jogging tights, but while not jogging. One time in a busy mall, three times in resturants and once in a grocery store. In all of these ocassions it became evident to me that the man was very reluctant and embarrased and that the woman was the leader in the activity.>Seeker--Hi Seeker; I definitely appreciate your efforts here. It would be interesting to see the real statistics you've gathered, to complement the percentages. Obviously, the higher number of individuals sampled, the more accurate the percentages. I agree that men are probably more comfortable wearing jogging tights when their female jogging partners are also similarly clad. But as to whether the women are encouraging it, I couldn't say. It is very plausible that the men are doing it without being asked. It could be they may feel more comfortable that their female companions are wearing tights. Or it is simply a matter of making a "matched" look. Because men who have a fetish for tights are a minority, it is easy to conclude that many men who wear jogging tights do it without any additional thought or interest. The garment simply helps them stay warm when doing physical activity. I have asked several male friends who have worn tights cycling or jogging, how they feel about wearing them (do you feel self-conscious that you're wearing something that has a tendency to be seen as feminine?). Without any hesitation or nervousness, they replied with no concern. One guy didn't really care for the feeling, but appreciated what they do for him (keep warm). In general, I would say that for the acceptance of men wearing tights, it is the men wearing them without a fetish who must drive the acceptance. But chances are likely that it can't get much beyond what it is right now -- men wearing them as a sports garment or in ballet (although there is the gay stigma for men in ballet). While women continue to wear them, tights will always be seen as a predominantly feminine article, and exclusively so in clothing fashion. I think there would have to be a complete phasing out of women wearing tights... to eventually men wearing them again. If you will recall, in medieval times men wore tights and women did not--it was not appropriate for women to show legs, even with form fitting clothing). Unisex never really seems to catch on, with the exception of jeans. Other than that, there is always a need for gender distinction in clothing. Right now, tights are predominantly feminine. And... that is part of the nature of the fetish. If tights were widely accepted as unisex, we wouldn't even be talking to each other right now. At one point, I put together a proposal to Donna Karan concerning men wearing tights. Donna caters to the taller woman, and thus her tights are about the only choice for tall men. In noticing some of her design trends, I suggested the idea of reintroducing knickers. An outfit would consist of a tapered and waist level jacket, with contoured knee length trousers (knickers), and tights for coverage from below the knee to the foot. An ankle high boot-like shoe would complete the look, with a tapered tip (these "unisex" type shoes were introduced in the mid 90's but disappeared after a short while). In my opinion, this would give a man a "sleeker", athletic kind of look. And show off his legs nicely. Men's legs are hidden too much by suits. Several female friends of mine have said to me that on the average, men have nicer legs than women. Why not show 'em off? ;-) Anyway, I never heard back... my next step would be to whip up a few drawings, maybe borrow a few professional fashion drawings, scan them in, and alter them to reflect what I have in mind. And now would be a good time, as this is the season where clothing designers are prepping for the fall clothing line. Highly unlikely anything will happen, but worth a try. ~Seamless~ Answers to this message:
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