I’m a slightly larger size and I like wearing hosiery to reduce thigh rub when I wear a dress or a skirt. I try to find them without the control top as these are more comfortable. Now that fall is here I’m also having trouble finding these in the stores.
Tights are about 100 times less likely to rip. As someone who worked for years where women wore hose every day the “looking nicer than bare legs” thing was very often instead a “you’ve got a hole in your hose which makes you look a mess” situation.
I wear pantyhose to work every day.
I also don’t understand the warmth factor of pantyhose. If they are thick enough to be warm - what do they actually look like?
I really challenge you to look around at an event, business or function where people - of all ages, including 45-70 or whatever are wearing dresses/skirts and do a hose vs. no hose count.
If I’m at a meeting of 30 women I would guess that less than 5 would be wearing hose. If any! I’m in Ohio and I’m 59.
I just left a meeting with women from all over the country (and men) and I don’t recall seeing ANY hose. Mainly tights with skirts (black,usually) or trousers.
@Bunsenburner Well, ha, I’m not overly fond of pants waistbands either! Maybe I was buying the wrong brand, but probably not the wrong size. I’m 5’ 2.5" and 115ish lbs, and bought A. I gave away all my dresses on the Bag A Week thread, and I don’t think I’ll go back 
@abasket I’m in Indiana and your sample count would be similar here.
You can buy up a size for not so binding of a waist - I don’t really find it makes a difference in the leg. And a size up is certainly still plenty snug - meaning they aren’t going to fall off! I never buy any tights or anything that claims to be “control top”.
If you are fine wearing hose - wear them! But I think that hose wearing is in the minority!
I know that sometimes places of health care there is technically a dress code that legs can’t be bare nor can feet be bare - but I also have to say as someone in health care - but who does NOT have that dress requirement - that it’s often not enforced. Why can arms be naked but not legs!!!
I probably wouldn’t wear hose to these events, but… Navy Pier = cold, damp wind. I was in Chicago recently and I had forgotten how much colder it can feel than the temperature number would indicate.
We had 3 family weddings in the past year. My 88 year old mother was bare-legged at all of them. She lives in a continuing care community and she discussed her wardrobe choices with her friends. All of them said “no” to hosiery.
Can someone explain the hose vs tights vs leggings vs yoga pants distinction? I have hose in nude and black that are very thin, stuffed in the back of my closet from years ago. If tights are just thicker and not see-through, what do you wear for shoes with a dress?
Believe it or not, I can. Hosiery and hose encompass a variety of leg and/or foot coverings that include pantyhose, socks, tights, peds, leggings, stockings, and more.
Some here have incorrectly, but commonly, used hosiery to refer to sheers, and I just bit my tongue. I did, however, go and correct the misspellings of “hoisery.” 
Pantyhose, I assume everyone knows. Stockings are pantyhose without the built-in panty, usually warn with a garter belt, but some have an elasticized band at the top to be worn without a garter belt.
Tights in the UK means pantyhose. In the US, it means a footed leg covering that extends to the waist but has a higher fiber density (denier for the fashionistas) than pantyhose and are generally opaque. Leggings are footless tights. Tights are generally, but not exclusively, more casual than sheers. The more formal the dress/shoes, the less likely that you would wear tights.
Hosiery are undergarments, meaning something else is meant to be worn over at least part of them. Yoga pants are similar to tights in appearance, but can be worn as pants, while tights should not.
With dresses…you wear the same shoes you would wear with hose… but you don’t wear…hose.
When I wear tights, it’s usually with a more casual outfit…and I wear boots.
If it’s cold…I wear boots. Boots really are a lot warmer than hose…or tights.
But why do some people on this thread look down on people for wearing sheer panty hose? Some are open minded but there seems to be many who are fighting the gag reflex at the thought. I don’t wear them for fear of being judged this way, for being seen as out of touch or old. I wish I didn’t care…
“Yoga pants are similar to tights in appearance, but can be worn as pants, while tights should not.”
Only when doing yoga. When in public, yoga pant-clad bums should be similarly covered.
"Only when doing yoga. When in public, yoga pant-clad bums should be similarly covered. "
Ridiculous. Anyone who does not want to see my yoga pant-clad buns is welcome to avert their eyes.
Your yoga pants must be made of very thick fabric and technically are not very suitable for yoga.
Preironic- wear whatever you want! We all have our preferences and, the fact is, some things are in style and some are not! I”m sure we all have our little quirks. I despised hose back when a female in the workplace had to wear them every day and my feelings haven’t changed. I think tights and leggings are the best things that have happened to business casual!
I wear pantyhose escept is summer. . It’s old fashioned but I just don’t like the look of colored tights.
Then again, I’m usually in slacks lately because the arthritis is my back makes pantyhose hard to put on.
I would also say - and have said above - “wear what you want!” - BUT if you are asking as I think the OP was asking - if hose are in our out - I have to say based on what the majority of dress/skirt wearing women I see are wearing - they are OUT in general.
I do disagree with @skieurope that tights are footed - they are sometimes - but there are also footless tights - always have been - even in dance wear.
To me:
Tights - more opaque but NOT sheer. NOT colored sheer hose. Can be footed or footless.
Leggings - more of a variety. Might be like really heavy tights - think the fleece tights. Or might be like slim fitted exercise type wear that you would wear for running or with a long tunic top, sweater, fleece type top.
I wear tights daily at work with either small heeled loafer type shoes (no socks, just foot liners) or low booties (with socks you can’t see. So yeah, you will see a little leg when I’m wearing my footless tights with my loafers. I love the look. Athleisure but with a little flare.
Also, DO care about what you wear! No matter your size or shape I believe what you wear reflects (often not always) how you feel about yourself.