An anonymous reader asks some great questions.
Eugene, do you have many friends out there in Vancouver? What do they think of your choice to wear hose? Do they wear themselves? For me, only my immediate family knows that I wear and I go out in shorts/hose and am real hesitant to wear in front of friends/family. Would just like to know your experiences. Thanks.
It dawned on me, that I have not given a major update on anything, and have only been giving you all tidbits here and there. Read the remainder of my post for the info.
I don't currently have a lot of friends out here. I know a lot of people, and I am on good terms with most of them, but I don't really have an interest in spending time with them right now. A lot of them live lifestyles which involve spending money. Also, I tend to not have the same interests or perspectives in life.
I do spend time with a few small groups on a weekly and biweekly basis.
Each of my 2 role playing groups don't care. We meet on a regular basis. They never even brought up the topic of clothing, until I showed up in pants. We're not a close knit group. If I recall correctly, none of us have ever asked each other how we are doing. I can imagine that there is a certain level of distancing that prevents us from commenting on another person's clothing.
My writers group meets every 2 weeks, and none of them said anything. I seem to get respect from them, so I assume that they don't care.
Of these 3 groups, I don't recall a single man or woman wearing hosiery. :^( Maybe I should start nagging them. ;^P
For me, I never really had any close friends, and I met these 3 groups after I committed myself to wearing hosiery and shorts. They have open door policies, so it's easier for me to walk in and literally not care what they think. Also, there is a bit of a subconscious psychology going on here. New people tend to be more tolerant of strangers, than they do of their own kind. Seriously, would you criticize a stranger for walking into your club, if he were a white guy wearing a turban or a protective helmet for fashion? That guy would be a bit weird, right? But you'd probably at least get to know him, or at least openly hear him out, before you'd judge.
For my friends that I grew up with, it was much harder to tell them about it, because I have something to lose. I have former army buddies that don't know. Most of my past friends don't know. If they ask, then I'll tell them. I told a few, and only 1 of them really gave me any "It doesn't bug me." type of feedback. She was more than willing to hug me in public, and we keep in touch. Another former friend saw me volunteer during a Canada Day parade, and she hugged me. She might not have noticed my red opaque hosiery, but whatever.
I honestly can't think of many/any people that I know that wear hosiery on a regular basis. Usually I am quite surprised if I know people that wear it.
My biggest struggles have been with the relatives closest to me: mom and brother. They are finally onside, and I know that a couple of extended family members don't care.
I understand why you are nervous about the perspectives of those who are close to you. Relationships are more important than clothing, and you have a lot to use. My best advice is to plan ahead and deliver convincing arguments to strangers, to see how they react, before you try revealing yourself to family and friends. Most importantly, let us know what happens.
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