Family BBQ

Reprinted from the LAUF Forum by kind permission, this contribution by the owner of legwear4men.com is a really positive experience that should encourage us: the future belongs to us! 

I was at a family BBQ yesterday. And very interesting it proved to be too.

Most of my family know about L4M and know that I wear, but I am not sure if my cousin and his family knew (prior to the BBQ yesterday). However, I was wearing a t-shirt, ¾ shorts and sandals with a pair of Comfilon 577’s in beige. I am long past the point of being self-conscious about wearing openly; I wear everywhere now – shopping (Morrison’s, Asda, Halford’s yesterday), visiting the barber/hairdresser, to the office, etc., so I was completely at ease about wearing openly around my cousin and his family (that is, himself, his wife, and three of their 5 kids, aged 15, 9 and 7). So, a couple of hours into the event, we were all chatting away, when I noticed my cousin's youngest son (7), who was playing around on the floor, stop and look at my feet. ‘Are you wearing tights?’ he asked, but the hubbub of conversation was such that no-one else heard him besides me. ‘Yes’ I replied, but as I was taking part in another conversation, he just sidled off and carried on playing. Later on, I was sitting on the back step, chatting with his sister (9) who was fascinated with my car (I drive a Smart ForTwo city car) which she said was ‘so cool’ and ‘boss’! when the youngest lad re-appeared, and sat on the step by my feet. He looked down at my legs, and said, ‘Why are you wearing ladies tights?’ to which I answered, ‘I’m not wearing ladies tights; I’m wearing men’s tights.’ At this point, his sister, who had been listening in to the conversation, said to him (in that tone of voice that kids use, which means ‘you moron!’), ‘They do make tights for men too, you know! D’uhhh!’ to which he replied, ‘Well, I didn’t know!’ She then said to me, ‘One of the (male, by implication) teachers at my school wears them with shorts and sandals.’ Was I surprised! So I said to the lad, ‘There you go – your sister knows all about it!’ And that was it; end of conversation – they carried on climbing all over my car, and forgot all about my ‘ladies tights’! Another non-event!

And that, I think, is the first time anyone has commented on my wearing, and it was a positive experience, helped by one 'street wise' nine-year-old girl! Maybe (hopefully) by the time her brother reaches adulthood, all males will be wearing!