Is Mise: I've got to wear them or there will be dire consequences.

Ah Ha! You're a Dragon Lady at Woolworths, ay!

For those that don't know. "Dragon Lady" is the unofficial, but accepted, title of the Front End Supervisor in a Supermarket.

Not at all Jayb, I'm an old digger with DVT problems otherwise I wouldn't wear the bloody support stockings.

Fortunately I don't have to wear the thigh length ones any more, they are really hot and the last that I had were supposed to be self supporting (no belt needed) but they'd creep down and one would have to find a toilet so as to get sufficient privacy to pull them up.
I ended up getting a ladies suspender belt, after a lot of looking (Vinnies came to the rescue) as they aren't available in ladies shops anymore and that cured the problem and I've put the belt carefully away in case I ever need to wear the longuns again.

I applaud all women who don't wear stockings, they have my full support (belt and all!!),

Dragon lady is the name given to all female supervisors, the first job I ever had was in a smallgoods factory,a woman named Cathy was the "Dragon Lady" in charge of the Cryovac machines.
My job was to dip the sealed packages in boiling water to shrink the plastic and then stack them in a crate and by god if I didn't keep up the "Dragon Lady" who was this tiny little girl with a big 80's poodle perm would be right onto me.