The problem with wearing business socks (or any socks) every day is that the constant rubbing eventually wears the hair off one’s ankle area. While this is not a problem Monday through Friday, on weekends at the beach or elsewhere, these hairless look weird.
Short of having hair transplantation, does anybody know how to combat/prevent this dread affliction? I usually wear dark, calf-length Gold Toe socks, or a comparable English brand. Sandals or flipflops won’t cut it in my profession, and going sockless is a definite no-no.
Try looser socks, and (I’m not familiar with the brand you cite, so I may be off base here) also try wearing cotton socks instead. I wear socks almost every day, and alas, I still end up shaving my ankles. Also, try moisturizing your legs so that the hair isn’t rubbing between dry sock and dry skin. I’m not suggesting greasing them up, just a little more moisture.
Try wearing sock liners under your socks. Liners are very thin, kind of a stocking material - usually nylon or polypropylene or somesuch, and only cost a few bucks a pair.
I wear them under hiking socks to prevent blisters. The liners kind of grip my skin, so any friction or rubbing occurs between the liner and the outer sock, not between the sock and my foot.
I’d imagine this would also prevent hair loss.
Of course, you could always shave your legs…
There is the option of strutting around a beach with your hairless ankles and, if anyone says anything (“Hey, silly businessman, where’s your hair?”) just shoot them a blank look. Examine yourself, then pretend to realize they must be referring to your ankles. Just laugh and thump them on the back, “Oh, I guess you’ve never met a professional kickboxer before!”
Wear boat shoes; no socks. If the client doesn’t like it tell him to FO.
Tattoo your feet/legs to mid-calf in a pleasing Argyle pattern. When at the beach, you could claim the tattoos are the custom of British royalty. (Alternately, use temporary wash-off “tattoos”.)
Have a sex change operation. That way, you wouldn’t have to wear “socks”, you’d be expected to shave you’re legs, and, I’ll bet that panty hose don’t chafe quite as much.
Apply liberal quantities of Petroleum Jelly (scented if preferred) to your feet/ankles.
I thought ankles were naturally bald? If socks can remove ankle hair, wouldn’t that give some credibility to the idea that male pattern baldness is because that is where your head rubs against the pillow.
C’mon, Term, haven’t you ever noticed it - in a locker room, on the beach? A guy doesn’t have to be a fur ball for the contrast to kinda pop out.
'Course, I’m gay and a legs man, so I spend more time looking. Guys in shorts…it’s about the only redeeming thing about summer, y’know?
Anyway, I’ve been wondering about this for a long time - is it really just from sock friction? Do the poor follicles choke to death? What a helluva way to die: Hosiery Asphyxiation.
I’ve been lucky, it’s not too evident yet on me. But I have a couple of odd factors: first, I have big calves, so my socks are always falling down. (No, I will not wear garters, or whatever the hell they’re called, they make a man look 97, and no, I will not wear knee-highs, as they’re invariably tight and itchy.) Second, I get out of my work socks as soon as I possibly can, and put on some nice, soft, loose cotton athletic socks.
I dunno about this whole sock-driven depilation theory. I also wear socks every day, albeit cotton many times. Still, a number of them are quite close-fitting. Just to verify my theory, I peeled today’s pair off, and the hairline, while indeed above the ankle, is also below the sockline. And these are about as tall as most I wear. I also have fairly hairly legs, and don’t think it looks at all unnatural for the ankles to be bare. I think it would be MORE disconcerting if the hair ran full-thickness all the way onto the foot. Hobbit, anyone?
Well, if you’re like some of us, by the time you reach your forties, most of the hair on your legs will stop growing altogether, so the contrast won’t be as great.
So you’ve got that to look forward to.
But on the plus side, the copious hair which now grows out of my ears makes for a really impressive comb-over to cover the newly bald head! Don’t I feel lucky!
