After an epic struggle, guest blogger Kristen Anderson Short has reached a decision. A decision women across this country and around the world face.

Pantyhose. The worst invention ever for women. I only wear them out of necessity in really cold weather.

Recently, I noticed a run in my hose. Had a board meeting that day, so at lunch I ran out to get a new pair of name brands in my size.

Back at the office, I tugged and tugged to pull them on. No matter how hard I pulled, I could not get the blasted things all the way up. Had I grown to five feet six inches, the height of my dreams?

Unfortunately, no. The new pantyhose were too short.

My board meeting loomed. I had no choice but to go with it. Women, you know how uncomfortable that is. Men, you can guess.

Made it through the day and met some friends after work. But even two glasses of wine didn’t make the pantyhose feel any better.

I was ready to trash them when I had a change of heart. Why not save them as my emergency backup pair?

A few days later when another pair of hose ran, I reached for the emergency backup pair. Sure, they were too short, but I could fix them.

I stepped on their feet. I pulled and pulled and PULLED, stretching them as far as I could. It was a miracle. They went on and up no problem!

Then I moved, and they ran faster than Flo Jo in the 1988 Olympics.

I’m not talking about a tiny run. My hose looked like I’d been dragged down the street behind a Harley. Like I’d been out all night partying with the band and forgot to go home before work to change.

With no other pair of hose, no tights, and no clean pants, I made the walk of shame into my office. The minute I got the chance, I hightailed it to the store to buy yet another pair of pantyhose.

(This is the fourth pair in the story in case you’ve lost count.)

Gingerly, I pulled them on. They ran before I made it out of the bathroom.

Once bitten, twice shy, I converted to tights that day and never looked back.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away. Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 6 NIV

Clear the stage for the bad boy hair band that looks remarkably tame by today’s standards. Great White, Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

The lovely Kristen Anderson Short and I went to high school together.

Kristen works as a housing and foreclosure counselor for a local government agency.

A single mom of two teenagers, she enjoys reading, talking politics, and finding the humor in everyday life—sans hose.