Silly Socks

Sitting in the park the other day, I observed a woman walking past me wearing black and yellow socks that definitely looked like bumblebees. She wore ankle length pants so the socks were quite noticeable.

I saw as she went past that she was otherwise clad entirely in typical NY black. Hmm I thought what do those socks say about her? Is this a style statement or some indication of an inner desire to break loose form drabness perhaps not only in her clothing but also in her life?

The other question I asked myself is why would she wear the darn things. They were to my mind close to ridiculous. Was she a very serious person maybe a judge or social scientist with an inner silly person?

I have seen any number of women beyond the carefree years of youth wearing socks which looked pretty much like munchkin attire. Or maybe like those Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka.

Invariably these women dress otherwise quite conservatively.

What does it mean? Are we to view socks as a means of self-expression.

I asked a friend for her thoughts and she said, "Well its what they are selling nowadays. And I guess you have to buy what’s out there. It's a merchandizing scheme to get people to spend more money.”

I agree with that totally but it doesn't explain why this particular advertising campaign has been so successful. You see silly socks everywhere. There are even some that look like old library cards. I’m a librarian but do I want people to identify me by my socks? The id being Old Librarian.

If you see clothing as a means of self-expression, just what is being expressed?

Maybe silly socks reflect a wild unconventional streak that usually remains hidden and can only reveal itself through socks?

I have come to the conclusion that socks are an American version of the French woman’s scarf, which she uses to make her clothes more interesting and appealing.

We go to the Wizard of Oz for inspiration. The French look chic we look silly.

Do these socks say we aren’t in Kansas anymore?

Of course they don’t. Nobody in Kansas would wear black all the time.  I bet they wear actual colors like blue and green. With silly socks?

I'd like to think that those bumblebee socks said something about the lady’s inner personality.  She returned and passed me going in the opposite direction.  She had silver-gray hair done in a kind of bouffant up do that was quite arresting. Almost as much as her socks.

I bet she could sting.  

*As I sit here in front of a rain splashed window wearing purple and green striped socks I wonder at the nerve I had in writing this piece. Its kind of like how I feel about Amazon: I can tell you every thing that is wrong with the company yet I still order stuff from it. I have excuses - oh lord do I have excuses but I haven’t stopped buying certain things.  I tell myself that I only buy things I can't find elsewhere.

If I had the courage of my convictions I would do without those things.
Right.

And I wouldn't wear these silly socks either. But they are so warm and cozy, just what I need on this chilly morning. And I feel a tad more cheerful wearing them

So what is the silly sock thing all about?

It’s really pretty simple: it's a cheap way of wearing something fun and kind of cute. They make you feel a little fewer drabs. (I really wrote a little less drab but the grammar tool changed it. It’s worth noting that someone, if only an app, gets the difference between less and few even if it is goofed up in the end.)

After all I do wear black ninety percent of the time too. What's wrong with lightening it up a little?