Panty Hose Policy

Jezebel takes a look into the weird world of one Republican Senate office's dress code policy:

Basically, pantyhose must be worn every day, she was told. Even in the summertime? Oh yes, and "no exceptions." Well, what about pantsuits? "Well, I suppose you can wear them," the supervisor sighed, "But you are going to need to check with the Senator herself whether or not you will need to wear hose under pants, as well. I'm not entirely sure of the Senator's stance on pantsuits at this time."

Normal practice in Democratic offices I'm familiar with is to let staffer go pretty casual when the congress is out of session.

Comments

Jezebel is a fun blog.

And always remember, Matthew, if you do well at The Atlantic, maybe you can move up to Nick Denton's world someday.

Posted by Petey | October 15, 2007 8:56 PM

WAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

I'm a fucking berkeley liberal, but seriously, call the wahmbulance d00d.

Who gives a shit what these people are forced to wear?

Posted by whatever | October 15, 2007 9:23 PM

Republican female senator?

I wonder if she requires pantyhose to make it harder for her spouse to engage in hanky panky with a staffer.

Posted by Jon H | October 15, 2007 9:24 PM

Thigh-high hose with garters is sexy as hell.

But panty hose where the whole lower body is stuffed inside like sausage in a casing is a big turnoff.

Posted by blah | October 15, 2007 9:30 PM

ankle hose or hose socks are big turn offs as well.

But yes, thigh highs with garters give me a big old woody and enable me to part with my money to the Senator that much easier.

It's also good when I'm not the one wearing them.

Posted by ankle thighs | October 15, 2007 9:38 PM

What a weird party...

http://political-buzz.com/

Posted by matt | October 15, 2007 10:03 PM

How the hell can you tell if somebody has pantyhose on underneath a pantsuit?

OT: Agent Zero cleared on all charges by gaming Star Chamber.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-28-175/HALO-Experts-Back-Gilbert-Arenas.html

Posted by joejoejoe | October 15, 2007 10:03 PM

How the hell can you tell if somebody has pantyhose on underneath a pantsuit?

Remove the pantsuit.

Posted by blah | October 15, 2007 10:22 PM

If the pantsuit is made of a natural material you can apply intense heat, say from a miniature welding torch. The nylons will eventually melt and leave dripping scars, hence pantyhose. If the scars that form do not indicate dripping nylon, there was no pantyhose.

Posted by ankle thighs | October 15, 2007 10:27 PM

One of Linda Tripp's complaints about the entrance of the Clinton administration into the White House was that the new female staffers engaged in such barbaric practices such as not wearing pantyhose.

Let this be another fine example of why life is better in the fields of science and engineering.

Posted by Tyro | October 16, 2007 12:53 AM

On the plus side, when Rudy is President the men will wear pantyhose too.

Posted by Cheerful Iconoclast | October 16, 2007 9:15 AM

Maybe it's just my bad ankles talking but the 'all heels all the time' policy is the one that's throwing me for a loop. What if you have a medical condition? It's heels or no job?

Posted by Persia | October 16, 2007 10:05 AM

Dollars to doughnuts that's Kay Bailey Hutchison's office. Word on the street is that staff are also required to walk behind her by about five feet...

Posted by kilroi | October 16, 2007 10:13 AM

Dollars to doughnuts that's Kay Bailey Hutchison's office. Word on the street is that staff are also required to walk behind her by about five feet...

Posted by kilroi | October 16, 2007 10:14 AM

Fey, Republicans, they're all about the role play. don'tcha know.

Posted by Northern Observer | October 16, 2007 10:29 AM

kilroi - it could be Liddy Dole.....

Posted by ET | October 16, 2007 11:24 AM

I would insist on sharp suits, with pantsuits allowable in colder weather but that in summer it's definitely skirts all the time for the ladies.

Panty hose encouraged but optional.

Posted by MNPundit | October 16, 2007 11:45 AM

ET - it's a short list, but you might be right. At what point do we start making phone calls to sort it out? Is Roll Call working on this already?

I'll put up dollars if you put up doughnuts...

Posted by kilrioi | October 16, 2007 12:23 PM

Requiring pantyhose in a Washington summer is sadism. I'd even go so far as torture. However, I'm 100% behind the ban on sandals. And since grown-up office shoes are murder without hosiery of some kind, that means pants in the summer (with natural-fiber socks) and sharp-looking skirts with tights during the mild Washington winter. Pants and boots to be allowed during the one week it snows.

Posted by M.C. | October 16, 2007 12:58 PM

Am I just old or something? When I was growing up in Hawaii in the 80s, women with "grown up" jobs, or who were attending weddings, funerals, or proms wore pantyhose. And that was a time and place where men wore aloha shirts instead of suits or ties. It was the style. Also, the kinds of shoes one wears with pantyhose tended to be less comfortable (prone to blisters etc.), not to mention stinky, when worn without any hoisery.

Fast forward 20 years and through business casual, and that's not really "the style" anymore, but some people move faster than others. I think Lynn Abraham, the Philadelphia DA, may have just gotten around to letting women DAs wear pants--or maybe not.

As for what to do with pants suits, you all are either fashion challenged or men (or both). If you are wearing a pump, sling-back, or other shoe style that would invite pantyhose if worn with a skirt, you wear knee high stockings. You know, they look like pantyhose, but only come up to the knees. Yes, it reminds one of one's grandmother, but they are more comfortable and don't cause pants cling, like pantyhose, but present a professional foot. Nobody will see the elastic unless you take off your pants. If you are wearing loafers, high heeled oxfords, or the like, you wear trouser socks--a thin, but opaque knee high sock. The same holds true if you are wearing "dress pants" of any kind--even if they aren't part of a suit.

Full length hoisery is constricting and somewhat irritating, but I do wear tights in the winter because I like to wear skirts some of the time. What's maddening about pantyhose is that they are too fragile, and are impractical, temperature wise. That is, they are too hot for summer and too cold for winter.

I suppose open toed shoes are a no-no in part because they don't look good with pantyhose, and thus invite a lack of pantyhose. I don't care so much about that, but don't even get me started on flip flops for work. Just. Don't. Do. It.

Posted by JMS | October 16, 2007 1:38 PM

Am I just old or something?

If you're asking yourself that question, the answer is "yes."

I wonder when the Republicans will start insisting on rubber wetsuits and buttplugs for men.

Posted by Flavor Flavius Julianus | October 16, 2007 2:52 PM

"However, I'm 100% behind the ban on sandals."

Sometimes around Memorial Day I put sandals on, and I take them off around Labor Day. Bye, bye, socks!

At least one female co-worker does the same. Once we went together on a group hike, and while all of us were in sandals , sans socks, a snake looked suspiciously like a rattler. So rather than checking, we gave it a wide birth.

Apart from the danger of stepping onto a venomous reptile, what are the disadvantages of sandals? It is not like pumps are pantyhose offered ironclad protection...

If I were a Senator... [listening how nice it sounds...]

If I were a Senator, I would forbid shorts with inseam under 1 inch, plus I would demand to cover at least 75% of the back, regardless how hot it is. Those numbers with just a string above the shorts do not look professional to me. But I am too big a prude to even suggest to my staff (If I had a staff) that underwear exists.

Now, for weighty matters... should there be any office policies concerning falsies? Say, requiring some degree of day-to-day consistency?

Posted by piotr | October 16, 2007 6:46 PM

I'm not entirely sure of the Senator's stance on pantsuits at this time."

It's a wide stance, no doubt.

Posted by greg | October 17, 2007 1:37 PM