For many, Blue’s Clues was a very influential children's television series. For me, I can probably accredit the series to planting seeds in young Faith’s mind about her future love of rugby shirts and the copoganda genre.
Now, while this version of Faith wears her yellow/blue rugby shirt while watching one of her many copaganda/crime fighting shows, underneath the pants are a very special surprise: her socks.
My socks. Oh, my socks.
The target audience that Blue’s Clues incorporates into the story world would have hated getting socks, just like three year old Faith. But thankfully, I am no longer the target audience, now I can be gifted the socks!
Just like the Grinch, I had a journey to becoming a sock hoarder, aficionado, and collector. But my sock world truly erupted when I discovered Blue Q socks.
At the beginning of every laundry cycle, my sock choice is most likely one of my hardest decisions of the day. As Blue Q socks are not only soft and comfortable, but their colors vibrantly shine in between that tiny sliver between your shoes and pant leg. For me, that tiny little space where my ankle shows, or when my pant leg rises, highlights my goal for the day or morning mood. Sometimes, it just goes with the outfit.
Now, if you have been reading all of my blog posts (like Mrs. H), you know I can be a little sarcastic, snarky, and occasionally funny. This is, of course, juxtaposed to my in-person demeanor, when I just attempt to be sarcastic, snarky, and occasionally funny, and unfortunately, fail on all fronts. But my socks never fail me.
Blue Q socks have a unique personalities, some with verbal cues, and others say enough with just a design.
Please join me in entering a time loop as we reflect on my time at the Nightinale-Bamford School.
I was cheering on a former friend during her basketball game. And I sat there in the stands with her mother and other basketball moms; I crossed one leg over the over, just like Mrs. Mansfield taught me. And like always, my sweatpants rose slightly, displaying my coziest grey socks.
Mrs. Former Friend's Mom perplexedly exclaimed, “Faith! Do you have martinis on your socks?!”
Yes. Yes, I did.
And no, I couldn’t answer whether they were gin or vodka, I personally like both, but her shock at my audacity to wear them to school had follow-up questions. Most specifically, “who gave them to you?” and “why are you wearing them to school?”
My grandmother, Abby, gave them to me. And I wore them because the green of the olive matched my polo. She laughed with me, and this was when I began to learn the power of the sock.
Now, I mostly wear these socks to sophisticated occasions or when I have important meetings. Mostly because nothing is more classy than a martini, shaken, not stirred.
In those scary years between when my mother stopped dressing me and semi-recently, when I finally grasped style, I was horrible at coordinating outfits. But, as I slowly began to discover funky socks, the understanding of how to put an outfit together finally emerged. And when Blue Q socks came into my life, there was no stopping me. This was not only for my benefit but for yours as well because the public had to look at the absolutely atrocious combinations.
Exhibit A:
(Note to all: do not wear neon green and neon orange at the same time. Or, a better rule, NO NEON.)
I also learned that socks are accessories, like nail polish, earrings, or purses. They are an extension of yourself that knows no gender stereotype.
But this also brings me to my biggest disappointment with Blue Q, the gender stereotypes. My feet are larger than the average female, so if I want correctly sized Q socks, I have to get the men’s. And while these styles have given me my martini socks and “busy making a f*cking difference” (which are the ultimate empowerment socks), most let me down.
The other options are a bit…how do I say this…man-like. And, while the saying goes, if the shoe fits, this really just insults all the big-footed non-men in the world who want to wear Blue Q socks but not wear pick up truck themed socks.
These socks, and countless other Blue Q socks designed for men, yell and scream MACHO. And I don’t want MACHO. I will not buy MACHO. Just like me, I want my socks to be anti-patriarchy.
Now, I am not saying that Q shouldn’t target men with their sock design. But I am suggesting that all sock designs should be made in both sizes. Because there might be a truck-loving human out in the world who has dainty little feet, and if they are overcompensating by owning a pickup truck, they might want to get the socks to match.
On the flip side, so most of the women’s socks are empowering, funny, and superb. And while I have and will continue to cramp my big feet in those tiny socks, this increases the risk of running holes in the socks. And while this might sound hyperbolic, a part of me dies when my sock dies.
These socks don’t end in the garbage, but sock heaven. Aka, a place right next to my living socks, so they will always be remembered.
But back to the gender-stereotyped socks. There are some themes that people of any gender would love, no matter the foot size.
I believe that a man should be able to wear socks that say “watch out. I’ll f*ckin’ hug you.” As long as that gentleman isn’t a perv or looks like one. I believe someone outside the gender binary loves to garden and wants to wear socks to express it. Let all sock designs be made in all sizes!
Gender stereotype sock designs are a very outdated concept. These patterns exclude the people whose feet don’t fit the average foot size of their gender. Blue Q, I beg you to make all designs in all sizes! I want the only thing to limit my purchasing of Blue Q socks to be my wallet and my closet space.
Penultimately, earlier I mentioned the power of the sock. And in addition to their basic ability to keep your feet warm and your shoes clean, socks can be a symbol of expression. Socks have different functions depending on the type, style, and brand. And Blue Q socks allow your outfits to further represent your sense of self in the outside world. Blue Q lets you be you.
Now, after all my ranting, you must be wondering. Why are you linking Blue’s Clues and Blue Q. There is no connection–yet–but with the phonetically sounding names, I just had to. Plus, all three human hosts of the show slip on the sock, and who knows, that could have been the sock that started it all.
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