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What Are Programming Socks? The Meme Explained
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Have you ever stumbled across a meme about someone putting on a pair of thigh-high socks as they get ready to start a hack-a-thon? Or perhaps you've seen a pair of pink-striped long socks listed as programming socks on Amazon. Here's all you need to know about what trans rights and your local computer programmer have in common.
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How Did 'Programming Socks' Become A Meme?
Sometime after the year 2016, a series of screenshots from Amazon began to circulate on 4chan's [s4s] board. The images showed an Amazon product page featuring a pair of long, striped, pink-and-white socks, with the product description calling the item "Pink striped programming socks."
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The image was innocuous on its own until people realized that it referenced the actual real-world phenomenon of programmers wearing knee-high socks, many of whom happened to be trans or non-binary.
The matter wasn't helped by Amazon search results eventually delivering thigh-high striped socks as the result for the query "programming socks." The meme became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
How Are 'Programming Socks' Used In Memes?
Pastel-colored striped socks, being non-binary or trans, and being a computer programmer are themes that often converge in programming sock memes. Popular early variants of the meme also used edited manga panels to comment on how many trans and non-binary people are programmers and hackers.
For the full history of programming socks, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.