In Summer’s Great Sock Debate, There Are No Winners.

President Biden’s bare ankles sent waves across Twitter on Sunday, after a New York Times photographer tweeted that the head of state had stepped onto Air Force One in sneakers without socks.

A debate quickly broke out among the platform’s self-appointed footwear authorities about Sockless Joe. He was just wearing no-shows, some said. Others noted that his Skechers are marketed to be worn sock-free. The squabble recalled Barack Obama’s infamous tan-suit incident, when the then-president wore an anomalous khaki suit to hold a press conference about Islamic State. (The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on Biden’s socks.)

Days before this presidential sockgate, New York magazine’s recommendation site, the Strategist, ran an article in which its advice columnist Chris Black ruled firmly against no-shows—an extremely low-cut variety that tenuously hugs one’s toes and heel. “I want to be very clear. No-show socks are a crime,” Black wrote.

While it didn’t rise to the level of a continent-spanning political-style controversy, Black’s guidance enraged no-show defenders. “They were saying how stupid I am, how I don’t know anything,” said the columnist, who was still receiving feedback days after the story ran. “It hit some deeper chord.”

If last week proved anything, it’s that people have really strong opinions about socks.

“You don’t think about them a lot, but they can have such a big impact,” said Justin Mailloux, 36, a Philadelphia real-estate agent, who took umbrage with Black’s absolutist stance on no-shows. 

Even if you ignore all fashion trends—if you happily eschew camp-collar shirts, dodge ripped jeans, overlook the onslaught of tie-dye clothes—you will eventually have to confront a wall of plastic-sealed socks and decide which are right for you. 

“You have to make a choice,” said Mailloux, “and if someone’s making a bad take about your choice, you’re obviously going to not like that.”

People have been attempting to dictate the proper way to sock for decades. The 1980 satirical reference guide “The Official Preppy Handbook” advised readers to “go sockless. Socks are frequently not worn on sporting occasions, or on social occasions for that matter.” 

A GQ article from August 2002 discusses the surge of sockless outfits in the pages of the magazine—a fashion fad that hasn’t faded. Exposed ankles are seen today on everyone from Ralph Lauren models to Ryan Gosling at the “Barbie” world premiere. It is a boyish flourish that insinuates summertime abandon, which may explain why it was jarring to see on the 80-year-old president. “He’s just an older guy trying to wear something that comes across as much younger,” said Mailloux. 

Many sockless wonders say it’s less a style choice than a practical decision. “Sometimes it’s just way too hot in the summer to wear a sock,” said Sam Spector, a celebrity stylist, who often has discussions with clients about if skipping socks is right for them.

Foot sweat be damned, Spector used to wedge his uncovered foot into leather loafers, but in recent years he’s switched sides, purchasing Uniqlo’s thrifty no-show socks by the armful at the start of summer. They “stay not showing and don’t fall off,” he said. 

Sock supporters see hygiene as a point in their favor. “If you wear shoes without socks, before long your shoes are going to stink really bad,” said Alan Wenker, 59, a consultant for a large accounting firm who lives in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minn. In his younger years, he would eschew socks with boat shoes, but eventually found he “didn’t particularly like it.” Today, he wears ankle-highs from Vermont’s Darn Tough.  

The loudest knock on no-show socks is that they aren’t actually invisible. As Black wrote in his article, “No matter how low cut, they peek out and reveal the wearer to be a nerd.” In an interview Black said that he planned to “proudly” step sockfree into his J.M. Weston loafers later that day. “You will never see me wearing socks with loafers ever, because it’s not cool.”

The real-estate agent Mailloux agreed that, frustratingly, socks billed as no-shows, can be kinda-shows. “They’re really just low crewcuts that come up to your ankle,” he said. “In my opinion those are not no-shows because you’ll see those with lower sneakers.” 

Still, he sees no need to commit to team no-show, or team none-at-all. He owns a range of sock lengths and mixes it up, wearing higher ones with jeans and unseen socks with sneakers and shorts. 

Biden seems to share that situational approach. When the president arrived at a meeting at London’s 10 Downing Street on Monday, his ankles were covered by a pair of dark socks.

Write to Jacob Gallagher at [email protected]