Pantyhose as pants? Not for the office, Please

I am admittedly not someone who participates in the world of high fashion. I probably am best described as watching from a distance with a sense of awe and at times disbelief about what is considered to be fashionable. In an effort to be open, I try to understand that many of the very out-there ensembles seen on the runways are artistic expressions, rather than clothing that is expected to be seen on sidewalks and in office break rooms.

With that, there was a New York Times headline that got me recently: “Is Pantyhose-As-Pants A Real Thing?”

The first thing to pop into my head was “please, heavens, no. This cannot be a thing.”

If you are someone who has the confidence to wear pantyhose and no pants out in a social environment, I am not here to tell you that you can’t do it. I have never and will never have that kind of self assurance, but far be it from me to tell you what you can wear in your social life.

Where I will get my back up on this topic is the office environment. This is way across the line of what is appropriate in work situations. I contend that leggings are not pants for the purpose of business attire, so the idea of pantyhose-as-pants goes way over the edge.

I do not argue this point to in any way tell those who identify as women that they are responsible for how others see them, or for making sure that they aren’t causing “inappropriate thoughts” in their coworkers. My outlook on this is not based on body shaming or any of the nonsense you hear about how female identifying persons of all ages must cover themselves to avoid harassment or worse.

It is simply about respect for the work environment and dressing in a way that reflects how we think of one another and our clients. Every office doesn’t require formal business attire, but there should be a dress code or other expectation about how everyone will portray themselves and the business in a professional way. Winnie the Pooh, cute and cuddly as he may be, is not an example of how to dress for work.

Like it or not, we as humans make very quick assessments and judgments about one another, and a large percentage of how we arrive at our opinion of someone is how they look. Fair, probably not. But it is reality of how our brains work.

If I were to walk into a business and encounter a worker wearing only pantyhose with a top, I would wonder what I had walked in on. I think I might be so flummoxed by a person sans pants that I could forget the reason I came into the business.

Dress codes for work are there to avoid this kind of distraction and to focus both the employees and the clients/customers on the work of the business. Selecting your attire in line with the professionalism of your office is a way of also setting your mindset toward professionalism.

So please, I beg of everyone out there, do not make pantyhose-as-pants “a thing” in the workplace!