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socks

πŸ“… Updated:2026-01-05
πŸ•’ Created:2011-07-02
πŸ†” ID:1915

Description

Socks are articles of hosiery (clothing) that cover the wearer's feet/paws (footwear) and also, typically, at least some portion of the leg (footwear + legwear).

Functions

The feet are one of the body's heaviest producers of sweat and pheromonesβ€”chemical signals used for non-verbal communication among/between species that influence a range of behaviors from sexual attraction to alarm responses. Socks absorb and transport that moisture away from the feet where it can evaporate faster, which also enables the pheromones in it to be detected at greater distances, aiding (consciously or not) in mate selection.
Socks and sex
Similar to feet but less commonly, socks can become sexualized for some as elements of a paraphilia (a/k/a sock fetish) or analogous partialism. When seen in artwork outside the context of this sort of explicit preference, socks tend to be used as clues to a subject's environment and or general comfort level. This no doubt draws on their tendency to be worn primarily for comfort rather than attractiveness, thus imparting an implicit utilitarianism.
As costume elements
Socks are also important features in various costumes. School dress codes that require female students to wear a uniform which includes knee-high socks (typically white) have made them almost a prerequisite for any schoolgirl outfit.

Not to be confused with

[quote]Socks are, by definition, footwear. If it doesn't cover all (or at least most) of the foot, it shouldn't be tagged as a sock, or any other kind of footwear.[/quote]

Sock-related tag catalog

Ontological tag groups
By length
[table]
[thead]
[tr]
[th]Style[/th]
[th]Description[/th]
[th]Sample[/th]
[th]Tag search[/th]
[/tr]
[/thead]
[tbody]
[tr]
[th]no-show socks[/th]
[td]Designed not to be visible when worn beneath other footwear[/td]
[td]thumb #4105387[/td]
[td]{{no-show_socks}}[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[th]ankle socks[/th]
[td]Covering only the foot and joint with the lower leg (and sometimes slightly beyond)[/td]
[td]thumb #2437415[/td]
[td]{{ankle_socks}}[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[th]crew socks[/th]
[td]Extending far enough to cover some portion of the calf muscle, without approaching the knee[/td]
[td]thumb #5517015[/td]
[td]{{crew_socks}}[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[th]knee socks[/th]
[td]Covering the foot and entire lower leg, and sometimes the knee as well[/td]
[td]thumb #5283588[/td]
[td]{{knee_socks}}[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[th]thigh socks[/th]
[td]Covering everything from the foot to a point clearly beyond the knee, but without reaching the hip/groin[/td]
[td]thumb #5211289[/td]
[td]{{thigh_socks}}[/td]
[/tr]
[/tbody]
[/table]
By activity
By aesthetic
By color
    • [color=black]β–ˆ[/color] black socks [sup]({{black_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=blue]β–ˆ[/color] blue socks [sup]({{blue_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=brown]β–ˆ[/color] brown socks [sup]({{brown_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=forestgreen]β–ˆ[/color] green socks [sup]({{green_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=slategrey]β–ˆ[/color] grey socks [sup]({{grey_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=darkorange]β–ˆ[/color] orange socks [sup]({{orange_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=deeppink]β–ˆ[/color] pink socks [sup]({{pink_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=darkviolet]β–ˆ[/color] purple socks [sup]({{purple_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=red]β–ˆ[/color] red socks [sup]({{red_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=burlywood]β–ˆ[/color] tan socks [sup]({{tan_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=teal]β–ˆ[/color] teal socks [sup]({{teal_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=white]β–ˆ[/color] white socks [sup]({{white_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • [color=yellow]β–ˆ[/color] yellow socks [sup]({{yellow_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
By color count
    • monotone socks [sup]({{monotone_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – having only one distinct color
    • multi-colored socks [sup]({{multicolored_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – having at least two distinct colors
      • two-tone socks [sup]({{two_tone_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – having exactly two distinct colors
      • multi-tone socks [sup]({{multi_tone_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – having more than two distinct colors
By condition
By design feature
    • frilly socks [sup]({{frilly_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • garter belt socks [sup]({{garter_belt_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • glistening socks [sup]({{glistening_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • loose socks [sup]({{loose_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • oversized socks [sup]({{oversized_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • slipper socks [sup]({{slipper_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • spiked socks [sup]({{spiked_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • stirrup socks [sup]({{stirrup_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • tabi socks [sup]({{tabi_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – allows the big toe to be articulated independent of the others, for wearing with sandals
    • tight socks [sup]({{tight_socks|tag search}})[/sup]
    • toe socks [sup]({{toe_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – having individual, enclosed spaces for each toe
    • toeless socks [sup]({{toeless_socks|tag search}})[/sup] – with an elastic opening beyond the heel to expose the toes
By placement
By textile
Miscellaneous
Intersectional
These tags represent a Boolean AND operator or "union" between tags from two different groupings above.

See also

Other footwear