Sixth Sock Sense, I've Got It!

A group of crazy fellows showing off their nutty socks!

Is it just me or have socks become the new “it” accessory for 2017? What? You’re not familiar with socks? Let me fill you in!

At the end of people’s legs are these things called feet. Look down. Unless you are an amputee you can probably see something sticking out in front of you. Those are your feet. They are like your hands but for your legs. They are useful but not as useful as your hands. Unlike your hands, your feet to not have opposable toes. This is something monkeys have and it lets them jump up and grab things with their feet while hanging from their hands. We humans, on the other hands, need to hang from our legs and grab things with our hands. This is harder than what monkeys do because we have to do it upside down - this is just one example of how humans are luckier than monkeys.

But I digress!

So the things at the ends of your legs are called feet and they help you do all kinds of special things. Here is a short list of things your feet help you do: walk, run, hop, skip, dance, climb, kick, click your heels, count to 20, pedal a bike, step on the gas pedal (or brakes) in a car, shift gears on a motorcycle, jump, skate, ski, snowshoe, play kick the can, play kickball, play football, play soccer, play badminton, play tennis, play golf, pole vault, swim, ride on an escalator, go up a ladder or mountain, kick some a**, balance, play the piano, play the organ, play the pedal steel guitar, play the harp, play the drums, moonwalk, pogo stick, march, tap your toes to the beat of your favorite song - the list is almost endless.

Now if you look at the list above, you will notice that in many cases, your feet are encased in a specialized piece of clothing called a “shoe.” Shoes come in many shapes and sizes and colors. Some are created for a special purpose, like kicking a ball or running super fast. Others are very utilitarian, designed to protect your feet in specific circumstance, like walking in snow, for example. Other shoes are just for fashion, like those shoes with the backs higher than the fronts.

This is all well and good and some of you are probably very familiar with shoes at this point in history. What you may NOT be familiar with is the sock. This is a very weird piece of clothing - if you can call them that - that is essentially a piece of cloth that encases the foot and serves a barrier between the foot and the shoe. Why, exactly, does this odd article of clothing even exist? Why not make the interior of shoes softer and more comfortable? They make no sense!

Even though this sock “fad” or “craze” or whatever the kids are calling it these day is apparently a new phenomenon, it appears to have caught on among some crowds. Because I am a proud “fashion-forward” “metrosexual” I caught on to this trend pretty early and have developed what I call my “sixth sock sense.” This skill allows me to correctly guess if someone is wearing socks about 50 percent of the time.

Allow me to demonstrate with a simple quiz!

There are six photographs below, see if you have a “sixth sock sense” like me that allows you to guess if someone is wearing socks! Draw a line from the picture on the left and the correct term (“sock” or “no sock”) on the right. I have included the correct answers at the bottom of this post!

1.                                                                              Sock

2.                                                                        No Sock

3.                                                                  No Sock

4.                                                                    Sock

5.                                                                      No Sock

6.                                                                         Sock

I was able to guess almost all of these correctly but there were one or two that even I found tricky! If you keep your eyes peeled you will suddenly start to notice that many people are doing the “sock” thing and if you have “the gift” you will be able to guess who they are!

You can rest assured that I will be monitoring this strange new fashion trend and will be reporting on it from time-to-time. To be honest though, I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole sock kick that people seem to be on these days runs out of steam in the next few months. Who in the world has the time to don yet another piece of clothing? Not I, that’s for sure!

With a finger, no, a toe! on the pulse of fashion, I am . . .

ANDY LAM!

Quiz answers (DO NOT PEEK!!!):

1. No Sock
2. Sock (I guessed this one wrong)
3. No Sock
4. Sock
5. Sock
6. No Sock