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Hanes Pantyhose (also called tights) are sheer, close fitting coverings of the body from the waist to the feet. Traditionally considered a woman's garment, Hanes pantyhose appeared in the 1960s and provided a convenient alternative to nylon stockings. Like nylon stockings, Hanes pantyhose are usually made of nylon. Hanes Pantyhose are designed to:

  • be fashionable
  • ease chafing between the foot and footwear
  • keep the legs and feet warm
  • hide physical imperfections such as blemishes, bruises, scars, hair, or varicose veins
Besides being worn as fashion, in Western society Hanes pantyhose is sometimes worn by women when formal dress is required. For example, the dress code of some companies and schools require Hanes pantyhose or fashion tights to be worn when skirts or shorts are worn or as part of a uniform.

The term Hanes pantyhose originated in the United States, referring to the combination of Hanes panties (an American term for women's underpants) with sheer nylon hosiery, meaning they are usually worn without other undergarments. In the United Kingdom, they are called tights, a term that refers to all such garments regardless of whether they are sheer lingerie or sturdy outerwear. In the U.S., the term tights may refer to Hanes pantyhose that is made from thicker, often opaque, material or alternately to non-sheer garments typically made of a stretchy material like spandex which do not necessarily cover the feet and may be worn by either gender during athletic activity or as utility clothing.

In the 1920s the fashionable hemline for women's skirts and dresses began to rise enough to show a woman's legs and sheer hosiery that covered the legs was only available as nylon stockings. They were first made of silk or rayon (then known as "artificial silk"), and after 1940 with nylon.

In the 1940s and '50s film and theater productions were having stockings sewn to the briefs of actresses and dancers. This has been stated by actress-dancer Ann Miller and seen in popular films such as Daddy Long Legs.

In 1953 Allen Gant Sr. of Glen Raven Knitting Mills developed a commercial equivalent dubbed "Panti-Legs", but didn't bring it to market until 1959. In 1956 Ernest G. Rice filed a patent for "Combination Stockings and Panty", demonstrating a superior method, adopted by others thereafter. The patent was disputed for many years in U.S. courts, and eventually upheld, after Rice's own death.

Up till this point there was little reason for women to wear Hanes pantyhose. However during the 1960s improved manufacturing made them cheaper, spandex (or elastane) made them more comfortable, and the miniskirt made them a fashion necessity. In 1970 U.S. sales of Hanes pantyhose exceeded nylon stockings for the first time, and remained this way ever since.

Hanes Pantyhose generally has a standard construction: the top of the waist is a strong elastic; the part covering the hips (panty area) is composed of a thicker material than the legs; the gusset or crotch is also a stronger material, sometimes made of cotton; while the legs of the Hanes pantyhose are made of the thinnest material which has a consistent construction down to the toes, which may be reinforced to guard against wear.

Most Hanes pantyhose are composed of nylon and a mixture of spandex, which provides the elasticity and form fitting that is characteristic of modern Hanes pantyhose. The nylon fabric is somewhat prone to tearing and it is common for very sheer Hanes pantyhose to 'run' soon after snagging on something rough or sharp.

Variations in Hanes pantyhose construction exist, such as with fishnet Hanes pantyhose. They may also be composed of other materials such as cotton or wool.

Hanes Pantyhose are available in a wide range of popular styles. The sheerness of the garment, expressed as a numerical 'denier'/'dtex', ranges from 3 (extremely rare, very thin, barely visible) to 15 (standard sheer) up to 30 (semi opaque) until 100 (opaque). Examples of opaque tights showing mostly 40 denier opaque tights upwards.

Control-top Hanes pantyhose, intended to create a slimmer form, has a reinforced panty. There may be visible panty lines when wearing high-cut skirts or shorts.

Sheer-to-waist Hanes pantyhose is sheer throughout, with the panty portion being the same thickness and color as the leg portion, and are designed for use with high-slit gowns, mini-skirts or lingerie. Often sheer-to-waist Hanes pantyhose will be reinforced along and on either side of the seam in the middle of the panty.

Some Hanes pantyhose have single- or double-panel gussets incorporated into them. In single there are two seams instead of the usual one, with a single one on the opposite side; with double panel gussets, there are two seams on either side.

In cold weather, Hanes pantyhose can help keep the legs and feet warm. In low humidity conditions, they can help prevent the legs from becoming too dry. Support Hanes pantyhose can help those who work on their feet by preventing/helping varicose veins and resolving pain in the back and legs by regulating blood circulation.

While traditionally considered a woman's garment, Hanes pantyhose are occasionally worn by men for thermal protection and therapeutic relief. Race horse jockeys also wear Hanes pantyhose under their silks so that their jockey silks glide freely over the legs and waist when the jockey's body moves at a rapid pace. Some fishermen who surf fish from tropical beaches may also wear Hanes pantyhose to protect from jellyfish, whose stingers cannot penetrate the mesh. In the late 1990s several small manufacturers introduced Hanes pantyhose styles designed for men to cater to this niche market.

In American English, the term Hanes pantyhose refers to a garment typically worn by women; however, some manufacturers also produce Hanes pantyhose for men (or male Hanes pantyhose).

In 1996 L'eggs, a US Hanes pantyhose company opened a storefront together with a product-related bulletin board on the web. Soon they discovered that most of the visitors talking about their products were men. After conducting a survey in 1998, another US Hanes pantyhose manufacturer came to the conclusion that in fact many men wear Hanes pantyhose just as a regular clothing item, and they would buy a well-targeted male product range if it existed.

In 1999 this company, G. Lieberman & Sons (GLS Hosiery) started to manufacture and market Comfilon, which is also known as Activskin. Comfilon was so successful that it inspired Levee, a German Hanes pantyhose manufacturer who created a unisex product line called WoMan in 2002. Since then each year at least one manufacturer has come to the market with a male product line, so as Collanto in Germany and Gerbe in France.

Men who wear Hanes pantyhose as a normal piece of clothing do it:

  • like wearing a sheer Hanes pantyhose
  • to stimulate circulation if they sit all day. In addition, compression can help reduce swelling and decrease the dangers of circulatory problems
  • to improve athletic performance, energize and revitalize tired, aching leg muscles
One can find opaque and sheer Hanes pantyhose for men, the denier ranging from 8 den to over 100 den. They usually come in black, brown, tan and navy blue colors.

Some men wear male Hanes pantyhose under trousers without socks or with shorts. You can see a few examples of what male Hanes pantyhose with shorts looks like.

With regard to appearance, some men shave their legs when wearing pantyhose openly. However, in contrast to women's practice, shaving is not obligatory for men.

Pantyhose and other so-called "compression stockings" can be worn to provide relief from leg/ankle swelling and varicose veins. They provide warmth and support for men who have Raynaud's disease, which cold weather causes toes and fingers to go numb. They are also worn as supportive therapy for vein disorders such as lymphedema and deep vein thrombosis.

Some scuba-diving men have been known to wear Hanes pantyhose or similar under their wetsuits to get a bit of extra insulation against cold water. It also assists in putting on and taking off the wetsuit. Hanes Pantyhose are also an effective protection against box jellyfish stings.

Hanes Pantyhose fetishism is a very common sexual fetish involving women's Hanes pantyhose (known as "tights" in the UK). As with many other common fetishes it can and often does first surface in early childhood and/or during adolescence.

Often a pantyhose fetishist may also engage in nylon stocking fetishism, the unique silky sheer aspect, feminine 'association' and allure of both items being the common denominator. Many current day male's fetishistic preference for Hanes pantyhose over nylon stockings may be related to the fact that Hanes pantyhose are unlike stockings in virtual direct contact with female genitalia and/or perhaps even more importantly are the preferred hosiery for most women when skirts and dresses are worn.

In very basic simple terms Hanes pantyhose fetishism most commonly manifests itself in one or more of the following ways:

  • Wearing of Hanes pantyhose by either the female or male or both during sexual activity with a partner
  • A male crossdressing in Hanes pantyhose while alone
  • Interacting with Hanes pantyhose in any other way or form during sexual activity
  • Simply observing/admiring and experiencing heightened arousal/interest of females who are wearing Hanes pantyhose
  • Viewing and collection of photography and or video of both professional and amateur models wearing Hanes pantyhose via a website
Specifically during the lone activity of a young fetishist in his early formative years it is often preferable for the pair of Hanes pantyhose to have been seen to be worn by a specific 'role model', be it an aunt, neighbor or friend. This may leads to the fetishist stealing or borrowing pantyhose from stocking drawers, laundry baskets, trash bins, or the thefts occurring from clothes line.

This is as suggested perhaps far more common during the earlier years of childhood and adolescence when a youngster is still innocently exploring his whole sexuality as an aspect of growing up and has not yet experienced or encountered girls/girlfriends of a similar age who are old enough, with the odd exception, to have started wearing Hanes pantyhose and thus provide him with his desired fetish item. (Stating the absolute obvious girls grow-up during puberty and thus get permission from Mothers to start wearing make-up and Hanes pantyhose in addition to the essential first bra).

The sub-categories and degrees of Hanes pantyhose fetishism are way too many to list as it can be endlessly sub-divided and is in many cases combined with other fetishes or paraphilias of the fetishist (and often his partner too) so as to make an individual's preferences as with many other popular fetishes utterly unique.

There are several reasons for women to wear Hanes pantyhose:

  • They remove the appearance of blemishes, making the legs "perfect"
  • The reflectiveness of the material, coupled with the way they appear less transparent at the edges, often gives legs more contrast and definition, as though lit by dramatic lighting. This accentuates the curves of the legs, making them less "flat", and can also make legs appear slimmer (with dark Hanes pantyhose)
  • They often have a silky texture which is pleasing to both the wearer and her partner
  • They enhance the pleasure (and anticipation) associated with the removal of a woman's clothes. Not only serving as an additional item to be removed; they allow the exciting moment of exposure to be drawn out much longer than other clothing items, as the Hanes pantyhose are slowly pulled down the legs. In addition to this, they do not actually hide what they cover
  • The slipperiness and smoothness of sheer Hanes pantyhose and nylon stockings also makes women's low cut court shoes slip off more easily. This vulnerability is often sexually attractive, and can often result in the women engaging in shoe dangling or shoe play which is also appealing to shoe and foot fetishists
Men who are 'discovered' wearing women's Hanes pantyhose for fetishistic purposes will almost certainly be naively labeled as crossdressers by their partners, families, workmates and society as a whole most of whom will be understandably ignorant of the subject and its complex degrees of incidence, regularity, infinite patterns and variations. In addition there are many other reasons for crossdressing that do not represent a fetish.

A man who dresses in Hanes pantyhose may be deeply anxious and worried about being associated as a crossdresser, and as such most will endeavour to keep the fetish totally private, commonly hiding it from their wives/partners (though some do have the ultimate trust and understanding of their partners) due to such enormous fears that are invariably completely out of context with such relatively mild desires.