Should You Wear Panty Hose to a Job Interview?
Wednesday July 23, 2008
I've been in the midst of a conversation about whether you should - or shouldn't - wear panty hose to a job interview. Even the Wall Street Journal has gotten involved in the discussion about bare legged ladies, noting that many older managers are feeling frumpy, even though they grew up during an era when you would never leave the house without panty hose when you were going to work, let alone on a job interview.
This could be a generational issue, especially since many younger women don't ever wear panty hose, regardless of the circumstances or the weather. What do you think? Should you wear panty hose to an interview, or doesn't it matter?
Comments
I hate pantyhose with a passion, but if they help to present a more professional image then I’ll wear ‘em. But a pantsuit with trouser socks is always a better option!
I hate panty hose, but I think it’s important to look professional when interviewing for any office-based job. Women with very tan, smooth and unblemished legs, and shoes that cover much of the foot, can probably get away with not wearing hose, as it can be hard to tell the difference. With a pants suit, a woman can wear trouser socks.
Obviously, if you’re interviewing to be a lifeguard, corporate garb might actually interfere with the appropriate image for the job.
Hi Alison,
When I lived in CT, I used pantyhose for my interviews. Since I moved to PR, I never use pantyhose. It’s just too hot down here for another piece of clothing attached to my body.
I agree with Jennifer. If you are tanned and your legs are smooth and blemish free I think it is fine but otherwise put them on. More important than hose I think are shoes. Have professional looking shoes and leave the sandals/flip-flops/sneakers (seen all 3 in interviews before) for the beach.
Stay with the pant suits if you do not like pantyhose.
While I hate them, however I would wear pantyhose to an interview. The only other time I wear them is for formal business events.
I think the pantyhose rift is generational. Many professional women over 50 have a hard time understanding why women under 50 detest some of their antiquated mid century ideas about a woman’s “professional dress”.
Who wears a dress or skirt to an interview these days anyway? I say pant suits and trouser socks all the way!
I refer to the adage — When in Rome, do as the Romans. If given only a choice of either a yes or a no — I say YES. Like some of the other comments I’ve read, I agree that it depends on the job. If you are interviewing to be a lifeguard, then perhaps it’s not necessary but if you’re going after an accounting job, then yes.
Believe it or not, there are companies where slacks are not allowed for women and they are required to wear panty hose – year round. On a hot day (it is 105 in OKC today), I have great compassion for them. But, as mentioned in an earlier email, when in Rome – - do as the Romans. I saw 50 a long time ago and I can tell you no woman over 45 should wear a skirt at/above her knees without hose. Longer skirt – - no problem. But gravity wins and it’s first conquest is your knees!!! I know.
Kay
A (female) boss I had in the mid- to late-90s had a policy that women in the office were supposed to wear pantyhose, and was told by HR that such a mandate is illegal…as it should be…so I can’t imagine that it’s legal to require a woman to wear a skirt or dress to work either.
I do not wear panythose anymore. A great substitute is Stayups!
As long as your skirt is long enough… it looks as polished as pantyhose.
As a matter-of-fact, I always wear stayups. Just my two cents.
As a man who works in an office environment I have grown up with strong gender roles. Not to sound like I am 90 years old, I am 31, but I believe in a man who wears a suit and a woman who either wairs a pant suit or a blouse and skirt with hosiery. Many women from a young age detest wearing pantyhose because they feel it is an uncomfortable garment, but as another woman already wrote, stay ups, or thigh highs as they are called in my neck of the woods, are a perfectly suitable alternative. A classic garter belt with stockings may revive imagery of something out of a steamy novelette, but also works around the office. Although some women may feel that only the old women around the office wear nylons, I believe it does look much more professional than bare legged women I see interning during the summer walking around in flip flops. I will admit, that as a man, and even though there shoouldnt be room for this around the office, I feel a women’s legs look much better in hosiery, than not. But thats just a personal opinion.
A 31 year old male office employee’s point of view,
William
I’ve been reading up about what to wear to an interview and it seems that skirtsuits are a better option than pantsuits. So, if you don’t have tanned, blemish-free legs you should wear pantyhose. A pantsuit with trouser socks may not work and it would be better to heed on the side of conservatism and just wear the skirted suit with pantyhose.
skirt suit and pantyhose is the professional way to go.It is always professional, elegant and never old.Old is gold anyways.It can never wear out.
To the person who says who wears a dress or a skirt to an interview many days, many people for that matter. I have noticed many women want to tell me how to dress and not to wear dresses as much, so I was relieved to finally work in a setting where women still wear skirts and feel feminine. By the way, I have worked in office settings where women wore skirts without pantyhose, so in today’s work environment it is unnecessary unless it is part of the dress code. Pantyhose are bad for the environment as they run easy and often end up in landfills. Using self tanning lotion on your legs covers just as much as good pair of stockings would anyway.
On an interview, dress better than you expect to dress on most work days. I would choose a trouser suit, trouser socks and closed toe pumps, but I am over 50 and concealment helps my image.
Given a hot day, a youthful aspect and a casual job opportunity, I say, go with a long skirt, coulottes or trousers and gartered stockings or trouser socks if you can’t abide pantyhose.
How many of you have found your thigh-hi stockings lose their grip? I ended up with garters on them, just in case.
None of the other speakers mentioned health issues but I’ve never heard of a man getting an infection from a tie.
I’ve worked for state government since the 70s and it has mellowed so much that I was amazed to receive permission to wear clean running shoes to work–any day.
I’m an administrative assistant; most of the time, I do not greet or interact with clients, but it happens.
Given that the days I wear a dress with tights or hosiery are the days the copier or printers break down and I end up crawling around trouble-shooting, I choose the slacks & sneekers 99% of my work life.
It could be the West Coast casual makes my attire acceptible.
I wear socks and sneekers most of the time and I’m delighted.
My back and knee injuries have less flare-ups, and I have more attention devoted to doing my work, rather than finding nail polish to catch a run.
you should wear a smart skirtsuit with panty hose. That way you’ll look professional as well as feeling nice and feminine.
I seem to be in a minority here, and, being that this is the case, I feel I must put in my two cents.
I agree that from a comfort standpoint, pantyhose are a curse upon women in the workplace. Having worn mostly skirts in this male-dominated environment, I hold true that, when I have worn nylons, I have garnered a greater degree of respect than when my legs were bare. This observation is given from a paralegal at 43 years of age – you do the math.
As it happens, I love the way my legs look when I am wearing hose – perhaps that is revealing too much personal info, but I always wear stockings when I attend formal functions. Wearing stockings under the dress you just bought for an evening gala where your husband will address his colleagues is always a turn-on.
why do you hate pantyhose? i honestly don’t understand it! they feel so wonderful, and look so classy. and men, LISTEN UP WOMEN, love them, even if they won’t admit it. and the way it contributes to your overall appearance is without debate. so, why? i just don’t get it. if you want a job, why not look your best? not to mention…you never know when the man of your dreams will be out there…and do you really want to look frumpy?
I agree with Jackie
All the men commenting on this should be required to wear pantyhose for one day before they are allowed to speak. Otherwise, you just sound like misogynist douches. This is a cultural problem that needs to be overcome. Why are you assessing a woman’s legs in the workplace anyways? Personally, I am not opposed to looking nice in the office and wearing the occasional skirt. But as a young professional, the idea of wearing pantyhose to work makes me want to gag, and furthermore, I think in a progressive workplace it makes you appear really out of touch and more importantly – weird as hell.
Oh, and one more thing, William. Your solution to pantyhose being uncomfortable had the words “thigh-highs,” “stay ups,” and “garter belt” in it. You have just set the women’s rights movement back about 50 years.
Come on, William is only saying what all men are thinking. Men look at womens legs because well, THEY ARE MEN, no matter how much we try to change them, it won’t work. I have a tattoo on my leg that is not really noticable, especially when I wear hose and one of my bosses commented that even I had a tattoo when a discussion came up about working in an office environment and having to many body embelishments. Well, that means that my straight laced boss has looked at my legs and he has never ever made a pass at me or made me feel uncomfortable, he is JUST A MAN!!! That being said, wear the hose or not, it is up to you but I would never go to a job interview wearing a skirt without them. After your hired and doing a great job, then test the waters by wearing a dress without them, not before.
Whether you like it or not, men and women alike have input on what looks professional in the office. Discounting an opinion because it comes from a man is kind of pointless, unless you only work with women.
Pantyhose can be uncomfortable. what about getting a run while exiting the car in front of thw building you are interviewing at.. what looks worse.. run or no hose.
I wear pantyhose based upon my outfit. Pants.. never. long skirts.. prefer thigh level hose. dresses or mid-length skirts..neutral colored pantyhose.
hot days, pantyhose can be very uncomfortable. Cold, rainy days.. they can keep the legs warm.
Should it be a practical use . there was a time when cotton stockings, knee highs were more the fashion and nylon stockings weren’t common.
Yah, I’m old school and I wear pantyhose to an interview. And guess what, I rarely wear a pants suit to an interview. I know I look good in a skirt, so why not dress in a way that is professional and becoming? After I get the offer, I can dress in slacks or w/o pantyhose as long as I’m not breaking the dress code.
To the person who says pantyhose are uncomfortable, I say, so are bras and for that matter shoes. But we wear them in the workplace, too.
And to the person who said her HR Director told her it was illegal to make wearing pantyhose a dress code policy. Wrong. It is not. A company has a right to determine it’s dress code. It can be different between departments within the same company, and quite often, is.
I’ve read all the comments and they have been helpful….but if you do decide to wear pantyhose to a job interview….what color?!?!?! If wearing a black linen suit, white blouse….would you wear a sheer soft black, or a neutral color?? Please feel free to post your opinion…have an interview tomorrow…would love your feedback!
Pantyhose are SO tacky and out-of-fashion that I’d immediately look askance if an applicant did wear them! Tights if the weather is inclement, sure, but nude pantyhose? Awful. Gross. I’d rather wear a paper sack.
It isn’t 1993, people. Pantyhose are no longer worn, and wearing them makes you look like a giant dorky idiot.
I guess if you’re working for a phenomenally conservative place in the midwest somewhere you might need them, but otherwise, ditch the nylons. For the love of god PLEASE.
I live in CT and I would look really foolish in the middle of January going to work in bare legs and a temperature of 5 degrees with a strong wind. My company does require we wear hosiery and its in the handbook.
Even in the summer i do the thigh highs with skirts just below the knees.
In this economy if the handbook says hosiery thats what you wear then, and I think anyone who owns a business has a right to say what type of attire you must wear.
And by the way I know everyone is thinking I’m over 50, but I’m actually 24 and don’t have a problem wearing them.
And I’m in very good athletic shape and will also have a nice tan soon, but to the company who pays me very well I will go by the rules of the company. And I really don’t mind.
What a controversial topic! Who’d a thunk
Well, my 25 cents on this is unless you are going to an interview for a burger flipping job or to become an intern for some fashion diva a la “The Devil Wears Prada,” where the hose! If you really want the job, where the hose. You aren’t there to be fashionable; You are trying to demonstrate that you are professional.
Oh, gee, “wear” not “where.” Where is my brain today?
Many companies remain “conservative” and they are not all in the midwest. It is an absolute that you know about the culture of an organization BEFORE you to in to the interview. And yes, it’s okay to ask the HR/Recruiter if hosiery are required for an interview for their organization than to just assume that the bare-legged look is appropriate. In my opinion, it is a bigger faux pas to under-dress in an interview than to over-dress.
One time pantyhose were originaly mandated by the health department…For women in the food industry who work in short skirts…
Women that complain about pantyhose are not buying the good brands… The supermarket brands and some department store brands are very uncomfortable and can feel like sandpaper and can feel prickly when you sweat.
I turned by friends on to some brands from Germany, Spain and Italy…these pantyhose can last for a few months without a run and are a pleasure to wear. Some can be so comfortable and invigorating you will not want to take them off
Nancy
Come on, team. First of all, consider the alternative to pantyhose, ie, what came 40 years before…. Second, men DO look at legs, so I say wear hose to be professional, but wear the sheerest ones you can find. That’s far from dorky. Third, let’s focus on the REAL, bottom-line pantyhose-related concern: you’re professionally dressed with nice, not dorky, hose, but your bare-legged female interviewer passes judgement on you based on your legs and not on your brain. Scary.
I guess it depends on how badly you want to work for the company with which you’re interviewing.
In the summer I generally skip wearing pantyhose, regardless of skirt length as long as I don’t look hoochy, since my job’s “gray collar,” and requires sometimes working from my office, sometimes driving to people’s houses or a variety of situations. I try to stay as cool as possible since I can’t afford to get the a/c fixed on my car right now.
Not every company is going to have a culture that expects females to wear pantyhose. Not every company is going to mind tattoos or body piercings either.
But if I wanted a job enough and knew there were certain expectations regarding appearances (regardless of whether they’re “illegal” requirements), I’d make up my mind to comply before ever applying with the company.
After all, I’m going in to try to get a job, not initiate a lawsuit.
Nancy, I just read your comment about the pantyhose from Germany, Spain and Italy. I’m intrigued. Would you mind mentioning the brand names and if there’s a Web site to find them? Thanks!
I am a guy and I wear pantyhose everyday!
I love the way they feel.
And yes I think EVERYONE should wear them ALL the time.
-Hose On! Petra…
Eliewriter….
These are the top European stuff that makes all the difference…
“Cecilia de Rafael” from Spain is my favorite..
From Germany try the Falke brand…
From France try Fogal…
Italy try Givenchy brand..
Austria has Wolford brand..
Shmancy
Thanks Nancy! I’ll check out those brands.
I just wanted to add one more comment. I used to work in a hospital and many of the female technologists wore pantyhose under their scrubs to prevent fluid accumulation in blood vessels from being on their feet all day. Eventually that accumulation can lead to varicose veins.
So, even though I’m not crazy about wearing pantyhose, women may want to consider that there are other personal benefits to wearing them, aside from aesthetics.
I just make is a general rule. I will always wear pantyhose when I leave the house, and most of the time when I am home I will wear pantyhose too.
The cheap grocery store brand pantyhose in the wrong color can look tacky – but a pair of quality stockings (real hosiery, not junk) can look sensational. If you’re wearing a skirt to a job interview, I say don’t leave your legs bare – tights or hosiery, please! If that thought’s unbearable, opt for a professional looking outfit with pants. Once you land the job, you can look around and get a feel for what’s appropriate at your new workplace – but it’s always best to look like a success story instead of someone whose biggest ambition is to be “comfy.”
I went to a business school that had a dress code of dresses/skirts and no slacks unless 32 degrees or colder so I have dressed professional regardless of the dress code ever since. Fast forward 25 years, I interviewed on a Friday and noticed office employees wearing jeans. I asked, “is Friday casual day?” The response I rec’d from the male Administrator is, “I hadn’t even noticed”. As an employee of 1.5 years who works for the Administrator of a 16-physician office in Dallas with 160 employees, I am now addressing “inappropriate casual attire” so here I sit searching for policy language and stumbled across this survey. I believe you should wear hose, thigh-highs, knee highs if your skirt hem in long enough AND get rid of those flip-flops!
Being from the UK, this is quite an interesting debate to stumble upon. Pantyhose (”tights”) are more than common over here, they’re actually currently on trend, and can be found in many different colours and patterns. Maybe it’s because our weather isn’t quite so friendly, but tights – here and across Europe – are not seen as conservative or frumpy.
While for an interview it’s advisable to stick to plain nude or dark tights, once employed, patterns are more than acceptable; many women wear tights to work, and they can in fact be quite sexy (for those days when you’re not heading straight home after work). And I live in London, and work close to the City, so that’s about as professional as it gets.
As for the comfort factor, I would have to agree that you get what you pay for (I’ve been a victim of cheap tights!) If you buy cheap, you’ll be buying often, as they ladder and ball very easily. Whereas if you spend a little bit more, they can last a whole season.
My current favourite is Tabio, a Japanese brand (Asia has led the way on trendy, fun hosiery and socks for years). Not sure if they’re available in the US, but well worth a look.
It sounds like America needs to discover good, fun, playful tights!