Tights for Men

Not so long ago the very idea of tights for men would have seemed ridiculous but it is clear from our e-mail box, and talking to our suppliers that a very high percentage of on-line tights buyers are male.

Of course there have always been tights made for men, some with fly openings being scarcely distinguishable from thermal underwear. If you speak to women whose husbands fish or work outside they will often confide that they wear tights under their trousers. Most of these men are wearing “women’s tights”.

Men wear tights for all sorts of reasons, from wearing as a thermal layer on the one extreme to part of a female wardrobe for their inner woman on the other, this last group could possibly be called transvestites or cross-dresser but whether you are a transvestite is more about state of mind than mode of dress.  A very large group are those men who just wear tights or pantyhose because they like them.

Any time that men in tights is mentioned in the media it is usually met with nervous giggles or poor humour.  For some reason a lot of men feel threatened by the idea of men in tights, quite possibly because they have thought of the idea themselves and have suppressed the urge to try them for fear they may turn gay, or become a “tranny”.  

The fact is that tights are seen as female attire because the companies that market hosiery target women in their adverts and packaging.  Women are encouraged to show off and enhance their legs, and men are programmed to respond to that stimulus.   Looking back into history women kept their legs covered and it was men who wore hose to display their legs.. a well defined calf on a man was considered highly desirable. If you ask a group of women today what they look for in a man physically a large percentage will say his bum.   What shows a bottom off better than a pair of tights?  The fact is that a large percentage of women like the idea of men in tights.. they like the look and they like the feel.

So men, if you like tights and are comfortable in them don’t let anyone put you off. Give them a try as part of your daily wardrobe. 

All the tights reviewed on this site have been tested for fit by a tall man so you can rely on the reviews.  With a few exceptions tights “made for men” are no different from the larger/taller sizes of “women’s tights”. Although they don’t shout it from the rooftops hosiery manufacturers know that men are a vital part of their market.

For further insights on this topic take a look at

30 March 2006

January 2007 saw the arrival of hosiery for men on the catwalk and the announcement from Gerbe that they are about to release sheer tights for men.  We took the opportunity to entice our webmaster, all 6’5 and 15 stone of him, out from behind the keyboard and in front of the camera to recreate the look in the Gerbe advertising.

What do you think? 

No comments about hairy legs please.  There are limits!