To All the Exposed Ankles I’ve Seen Before

ELLIE KURLANDER // FLAT HAT MAGAZINE

Williamsburg is perhaps more notorious for its sweltering summers than, in my opinion, its godforsaken winters. Snowfall is indeed rare, but the wind chills don’t mess around. “Bundling up” is a must, unless you enjoy the feeling of the wind biting into your cheeks or your hands showing more cracks than Provost Agouris’s defence of her comments in a particular office hours session.

And yet, scenes of exposed ankles wedged between tapered mom jeans and low-top white sneakers are ubiquitous when the temperatures dip below freezing. Today, I will deconstruct some of the most popular arguments in favour of bare ankles and offer alternatives that cost little to no money — so the next time you see your grandma, she won’t feel compelled to knit you a pair of argyle socks.

For starters, people like bare ankles because it’s casual. As work from home and remote schooling still dominate many people’s routines, bare ankles, or no-show socks seem like a natural choice to match our unstructured tops and elastic-waist bottoms. I’m all for the laid-back vibes, and on a college campus especially, nobody cares about how you dress. But in the winter months, all practicality flies out the window when you show off the skin around the talocrural joint. Since our ankles happen to be right above the body part we use to walk, how do you focus on anything but the freezing cold attacking your general area of lower-body movement as you trod along the red brick paths? Sure, our campus is quite small, but getting from Yates Hall to Merchant Square can feel excruciatingly inconvenient any time it’s below 40. Why do we embrace hats, scarves, and gloves — which all protect essential body parts — but act as if our ankles and legs have to fend for themselves?

If you couldn’t care less about what you wore, my suggestion for a bare ankles alternative is to take a pair of full-length pants and cuff the hems — not to make them hit your ankles, but to make them hit the sweet spot that grazes the top of your shoes without leaving your ankles to face the elements. If you’re a little more fashion-conscious, do not worry because this tip applies to you as well; cuffed jeans and sweatpants have been all the rage for quite a few years. You get to retain visual interest at the ankle area but in a relatively warmer manner.

The next argument for bare ankles that editors and stylists stress all the time is that it helps lengthen your legs. In their view, socks can disrupt what was originally a streamlined view from the waist down; consequently, the outfit looks less put-together. At my grand stature of 5’1,” I can’t help but roll my eyes at the fashion world’s obsession with looking taller. But style YouTuber Tim Dessaint (who’s 5’6”) is correct when he pointed out in a video that “hacks” intended to make you look taller only work when you’re posing for a photo alone. The illusory magic of bare ankles ceases to exist as soon as you close Instagram and step into the real world to mingle among people of various heights.

While you shouldn’t be concerned with how people perceive your height, I understand that the pursuit of appearing taller is here to stay on social media. So, if you’re not ready to ease out of that mentality yet, an easy alternative is to wear socks that match the colour of your shoes. If you’re wearing multi-coloured shoes, pick the dominant shade to match. Not only will your ankles thank you, but you also have room to inject personality by choosing a pair of socks with an interesting design or made from a textured fabric.

And on the topic of cool socks, let me emphasise that socks are a powerful fashion staple. Ever since I said “fuck it” to content creators telling me I should stick to wearing three colours in an outfit, I’ve had loads of fun using socks to make an otherwise plain outfit feel like myself. As a good deal of the clothes I own are a shade of blue, I like to contrast sun-bleached blue with yellow socks, navy with burgundy socks, or even green socks with any shade of blue because I also say “fuck it” to the no-green-and-blue-together fashion rule. But don’t stop there. How about a pair of mesh socks to add sparkle to an all-black outfit? Or striped socks with checkered Vans? Oooh — match your socks to a bag, cap, or scarf. And pizza socks are always appropriate. I’m also a sucker for white socks with black loafers — call it bookworm-chic. Novelty socks aren’t only worn as a joke; the vibrant colours and whimsical patterns can brighten up your day, and the relatively obscured position of socks can make it feel like a small secret kept to yourself.

I am once again imploring you to stop baring your ankles in the dead of winter. The skin around your ankles happens to be quite thin; wearing socks can stimulate circulation in your legs and propel you further on your merry way. Moreover, you are not stuck with bare ankles as a singular fashion formula — listen to your heart (and check the weather too).