There are many people embroiled in a controversy that is affecting the student population everywhere: high socks vs. low socks. Now, this may seem like a simple, straightforward opinion, however, it is anything but. 

Let’s get one thing straight first, high socks are infinitely better in every single way. However, what makes this such a complicated controversy is because of how many different types of high socks there are and how many different uses they have. 

The first type of high-socks are compression socks, socks meant for athletes to help increase blood flow by constricting the veins in their ankles and calves generally (however, this varies depending on the length of the sock). 

According to a 2020 study on the effects of wearing compression socks on athletic performance, the below-knee compression socks improved athletic performance and indicated that they could also reduce muscle fatigue and soreness after exercise. 

Since these socks increase the blood flow to the legs by tightening the area around veins, low socks are unable to accomplish this. For athletics at least, low socks are the wrong choice, presumably leading to decreased athletic performance and increasing needed recovery time after a workout. One might say that high socks prioritize function over form, but they do both equally well. 

Self-expression is one of the cornerstones of not only fashion but just growing up and finding who you are as a person. Many of our fellow students are being given fewer and fewer options regarding how to dress, one of the main avenues through which students are able to express themselves. One of the few remaining ways for one to express themselves is through their socks. 

With low socks or no-show socks, these little gems of fabric, little canvases which shield our shoes from our bare feet are hidden inside our shoes. However, with high socks, there is an opportunity for one to express themselves in very creative ways. People show up with fun socks, socks with sports teams, political groups, funny sayings, or just pure white. They serve as almost a window into the personality of another person. With low socks, you see the person’s ankles and you know that they have no personality at all. 

Finally, high socks are all about comfort. Especially in the Florida heat, direct sun contact with one’s skin can literally cause a burning sensation, but high socks can provide protection from this. 

On the point of comfort, ankle socks also tend to roll up inside of the shoe, unlike their crew sock counterparts. High socks will stay more straight and unwrinkled to leave the wearer unencumbered throughout the day and able to focus on more pressing issues than discomfort inside their shoe. 

There is no area in which low-socks are superior to high-socks. Not only are crew socks the embodiment of function, but they are one of the best ways for one to express themselves in the increasingly constrained world of a student.