No, this isn't me, but it will be me this weekend. Got a big, long run scheduled. Unfortunately I think it will be too cold to be dressed like this. I may be wearing Comfilon tights, or Under Armor Cold gear, depending on the weather. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
New group
I joined a new group, http://legwear.gather.com/ Lets' see if we can get some conversation started!
No, this isn't me, but it will be me this weekend. Got a big, long run scheduled. Unfortunately I think it will be too cold to be dressed like this. I may be wearing Comfilon tights, or Under Armor Cold gear, depending on the weather. Wish me luck!
No, this isn't me, but it will be me this weekend. Got a big, long run scheduled. Unfortunately I think it will be too cold to be dressed like this. I may be wearing Comfilon tights, or Under Armor Cold gear, depending on the weather. Wish me luck!
Hey there Mr. PH! Thanks for posting a comment over on my Gather page (http://jakebwotha@gather.com). I took your invitation and came over here to check out the site. I like it. Maybe I'll have my wife check it out when I have a chance, too. She's like Mrs. PH in that she doesn't much care for pantyhose herself (although not to the extent of the sensory issues that Mrs. PH shared in one of the early posts), but she has trouble understanding why guys would want to wear them.
ReplyDeleteMy almost appearance on the Oprah Show generated some long-overdue, straight-forward discussion on the topic. She doesn't like having other people know that I wear them, as she feels embarassed by it. Thus, I've scaled back my outspoken-ness of late. I still don't wish to have to keep my legwear a closely guarded secret, because that has the connotation of there being something 'wrong' with it. So, we're trying to come to some sort of better mutual understanding on this issue.
BTW, I know who that is in the picture. It's... ME! Not sure where you came across it, but it was taken out at Steve Katz's place in Granville, OH--I think in 2006--for some potential photos to use on the ActivSkin website. Don't worry, though. I don't mind you using it.
BTW, I'm a runner and cyclist, too. So, I'm seen in my neighborhood in that outfit, or something very similar, on a pretty regular basis.
Thanks for joining us Steve! Hope you don't min your picture on our site. I too am an avid cyclist/runner. I got a very long race this weekend. So you were going to be on Oprah? Any idea if they will be still doing that story?
ReplyDeleteMr. PH, no I don't mind you using the picture. I'm flattered that you like it well enough.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was going to be on the Oprah Show to discuss men's pantyhose. I was all geared up for it until about 6:30pm the evening before, when I got the call from the producer saying they weren't going to do it after all. That plane crash in the Hudson River was taking a lot of the attention away that day and they didn't want to do it unless they could give it the attention it deserved, he said.
Since then, I've not heard anything more, so it may have been one of those things that fell off the radar screen and is way back on the back burner now.
Just as well, though, as my wife expressed some significant misgivings about me doing the show after the initial opportunity was canceled. She had given me a qualified "OK" at first, but since the whole thing came up with so little warning, she had not completely expressed her resistance to it. So, when the delay provided her some breathing room, she said she REALLY did not want me doing the show.
Had they called me back the next week, I would've discussed the issue again--just in case. But, I think she has some pretty firmly entrenched resistance to it, so I don't know that it will happen at this point.
I haven't yet had the chance to suggest she come to this site and check it out. But what does Mrs. PH have to say on this matter? My wife is mostly resistant to me doing various publicity items (interviews, etc.) because she fears the embarassment that she anticipates will come with it when our friends see/hear it on the TV, radio, etc.
For my part, I think that in reality the reputation of the person who is featured wearing hose provides credibililty to the whole men's hosiery trend--rather than the person being DIS-credited by being associated with wearing pantyhose. In other words, to the people who know me, I'm well thought of, and considered to be a regular, down-to-earth, regular guy. If I'm seen in a news article wearing hose/discussing it, people will tend to say, "Hmmm, although this men's legwear thing is a bit odd, I know Steve's OK so it must not be all bad." or similar. I don't think people who know us will just reverse their opinion, based on the fact that I wear legwear. Especially if that comes across via an article that does a good job explaining this new trend.
A number of years back, it may have been more like that, but not today with as many articles are popping up all over about men wearing 'mantyhose'. In fact, even after I was quoted for that front page Wall Street Journal article back in 2002 (2/19/2002) I didn't get any negative feedback. Of those who saw it and had a chance to say something to me about it, every single one was positive or at least neutral.
So anyways, does Mrs. PH have any insights into this dynamic that is going on here in my house? As much as I want to make use of my unique opportunities to promote men's legwear by being bold enough to speak openly in the news media, it's not a necessity that I do so. But, I'm going to continue wearing legwear, as I've got some venous insufficiency going on and don't want to go back to dealing with the daily achiness in my legs. My wife would prefer that I treat it as a deep dark secret and keep my legs covered at all times. I feel that just makes it become an item of embarrassment by hiding it away, and I also like the comfort of wearing shorts when the weather's nice. So it's easier for me to agree to not take part in any more publicity type things than it is for me to either stop wearing hose, or to keep them hidden under long pants at all times.
This has gotten rather long... sorry for the long-winded post.
Hey Steve, I'm going to sit on the couch with your wife. While I have some sort of understanding, there is still some discomfort about talking about it to others because it isn't the norm.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes when it comes to something being beyond the norm, even if it's deemed harmless... well, it can be uncomfortable and embarrassing to talk about openly. At least from my perspective.
I mean I don't talk to anyone about Mr PH's wearing at all outside of this format, and I really wish I did have someone. But it's one of those things that I'd rather keep a secret than deal with the potential embarrassment.
I may come back to this and expand some more later.
I haven't visited your site for a little while, and also haven't gotten around to sending the URL to my wife. However, in the mean time, many things have been going on in our family. First, I was laid off from my job as an engineer last Monday (3/2) and that was quite a blow. One of the first things I did was touch base with my good friend Steve Katz, since I had worked some for him a few years back, doing some publicity and marketing. It was a fortuituous meeting, as we each had a need the other could fulfill. I was looking for employment and he had need for someone to take over many of the marketing burdens he had not had the time to attend to. The next thing you know, I'm ActivSkin's newest employee.
ReplyDeleteNow this has worked wonders for my wife's attitude toward men's hosiery (and mine in particular). She has embraced the concept and I am free to promote the men's hosiery concept to my heart's content. Although the job loss was quite a shock, it has led to something that promises to not only provide some great opportunities for a change in career path, but also removing a great stumbling block in our relationship. That makes me happy indeed.
And, of course, since this came up the other day I/we have been talking to our friends about the whole men's pantyhose thing quite openly, which has been such a trip! And, everyone has been very accepting of it, too. I'm not aware of any of her friends who have voiced any negative comments about it. So, it has tended to wash away those embarassment fears quite quickly I think.
Congrats on your new job! I hope the benefits package includes an unlimited supply of Steve's product, one of the best by far!
ReplyDelete