Ponies In Socks- Mystery finally solved - maybe?

[Cirrus. 1,088]

Okay, so ponies wearing socks has been a thing for a while now (since mid 2011).

 

 

WHY SOCKS- and How did this all start?!?! Ponies already have hooves!!. (I know that goofiness has to be at least part of the whole socks thing)

 

 

Supposedly in early 2011 EQD posted a picture of some random MLP socks for sale at Target, which inspired someone to make this picture:

 

Which launched the fandom's pony sock factory explosion...

 

But WAIT THERE'S MORE...

 

 

Supposedly G3's pony Minty (Voiced By Tabitha St. Germain) really liked socks in some Christmas movie...

 

Tabitha currently voices Rarity...

...WHO... HAS SOCKS!!   ??????? (Shown in Sisterhooves Social, which coincidentally aired at the beginning of the fad, but was animated before it.)

 

 

SO... why am I bringing this up now? Well, It's something that I've wondered about off and on for a while.

 

A couple days ago I was watching a blind reaction by someone new to the fandom who currently doesn't look into much fandom stuff to avoid spoilers and this happened... 

https://youtu.be/ueH320Dny3k?t=4m57s

And I was like THAT'S ENOUGH ALREADY!!! ANSWER TIME!

 

Personally I don't care for the ponies with socks thing. I just find it visually jarring and weird looking most of the time, with some exceptions. I don't hate it, I've always found it really odd.

 

 

Part of it is a carry over from real life. Long socks, tights, stockings, etc, on girls for whatever reason are just like nails on a chalkboard to me. I just hate how it looks- major turn off. The funny thing is I have no idea why either!

Oh, and I just HATE those socks with the individual toes.

 

Enough about my ranting:

 

So do you know anything more about how the fad started? What's your opinion on the sock thing? Has your opinion changed over the past couple years?

Edited November 3, 2015 by Cirrus.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,690]

I saw image of Luna in socks (either image you posted or these).

I thought she looked especially cute in them.

Then I saw other ponies in socks.

I thought they also looked cute in them.

Therefore I love ponies in socks.

 

I don't think there is any complicated answer; is simply that people think ponies in socks look cute. Not everyone of course but many do. Similar though not as widespread are ponies in sweaters.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Luna the Great

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

On 11/2/2015 at 10:16 AM, Cirrus. said:

*Is going to Tartarus for staring at Rarity too long.*

Edited March 23, 2020 by Antagonist

[cider float 2,535]

What do you mean they have shoes built in? They don't have shoes on

[Gearbox10mm 794]

Why are ponies in socks a thing? Well, to be brutally honest I think it is because socks are the pony's equivalent of lingerie.

 

Girls in stockings are cute, ergo ponies in socks are cute.

[Kenshiro 13,492]

If they could wear clothes, they would probably wear socks too. They have human like lives in this show. I have no problem with this '''

[RarityFan01 2,444]

Tabitha St. Germain really loves socks.

 

I'm joking! Though she might... I have no idea. 

 

I have no opinion either way. I won't cringe or anything when I see them, but I won't go out looking for them, either.

[PROJECT: Simon 3,953]

I have no idea how this whole thing started.. xD

[J. Brony 313]

I blame Minty.  Clearly her sock fetish has seeped into the fandom.

[Brony_B 128]

Why are ponies in socks a thing? Well, to be brutally honest I think it is because socks are the pony's equivalent of lingerie.

 

Girls in stockings are cute, ergo ponies in socks are cute.

So your theory is basically that the socks are so popular because it sexualizes the ponies (pony waifu sexy fun time), but only slightly so you still retain some plausible deniability? (It's just cute, that's all!)  Is the community really that clever to be able to thread the needle like that?  Hmm... it seems possible but I'm not sure.

[Cirrus. 1,088]

What do you mean they have shoes built in? They don't have shoes on

I know they don't have literal "Horse Shoes,"  but I would assume their "hooves" are hard or they would wear some type of shoe/boot. Basically imagine how stupid/pointless it would be to put socks on a real horse/pony.

 

 

*Is going to Tartarus for staring at ^Rarity too long.*

I knew that picture might get a comment, but I wasn't interested in searching further and ending up in the "everfree"  section of things...

 

Why are ponies in socks a thing? Well, to be brutally honest I think it is because socks are the pony's equivalent of lingerie.

 

Girls in stockings are cute, ergo ponies in socks are cute.

I would say that seems to be the case majority wise in the fandom. I just personally don't care for socks/stockings on girls IRL either.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Cirrus.

[Shanks 10,811]

Because many people see ponies in socks as cute, sexy or in some cases both and I am one of the people that sees it as both.

[best poni 1,518]

I think ponies with socks are adorable! Socks just seem right on ponies. True, sometimes they can look a little suggestive at times. I always have to use google Safe Search whenever I try and find ponies with socks. But overall I like it. 

[SugarfootWillie 383]

This thread makes me want to put socks on inanimate objects

 

*and animate objects.

 

**Ya know what? I'm just going to put socks on everything.

Edited November 3, 2015 by SugarfootWillie

[Venomous 18,813]

This is like... the one MLP phenomonon I don't mind.

A lot of the other ones just piss me off.

[LHfunk 422]

I like it, it's cool, socks are fun. But I can't stop thinking of Dumbledore's answer the Harry's question about the Mirror of Erised. Not sure why, it's just stuck in my head.

[cider float 2,535]

I know they don't have literal "Horse Shoes,"  but I would assume their "hooves" are hard or they would wear some type of shoe/boot. Basically imagine how stupid/pointless it would be to put socks on a real horse/pony.

 

 

I knew that picture might get a comment, but I wasn't interested in searching further and ending up in the "everfree"  section of things...

 

I would say that seems to be the case majority wise in the fandom. I just personally don't care for socks/stockings on girls IRL either.

Ponies do wear shoes though. 

 

 

 

[Cirrus. 1,088]

Ponies do wear shoes though. 

 

 

Don't forget about emergency edible boots!

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

On 11/3/2015 at 12:23 AM, cider float said:

Ponies do wear shoes though.

The bad guys aren't exempt, either - e.g.:

Edited March 23, 2020 by Antagonist

[Tao 6,706]

I never got the idea of socks and ponies and the whole panties thing.    Yah at times it can be cute but I've seen it used on the bad side lines also....

[SilverStarApple 849]

Ponies look adorable in socks, like most human clothing does. (Most, not all). Unlike dogs, dogs just look silly in boots. It's an adorable thing, and I find the idea of socks functioning as stockings to be sily.

[J. Brony 313]

I never got the idea of socks and ponies and the whole panties thing.    

 

Socks on ponies can be cute and innocent.  But panties......no, just no.  

 

I get the idea of putting lingerie on ponies but I wish I didn't.

[Widdershins 9,955]

I don't think there is any complicated answer; is simply that people think ponies in socks look cute.

Does that a challenge?!!?

Boopy, I got a talent in complicating answers!

 

   First off, let me say i've spent an awful lot of time thinking about this, and no, that doesn't mean in a bad way. If you knew me, I do that for everything.

 

    First off, it is mostly an aesthetic thing of course. Legs are a major part of the anatomy of most land mammals. Each full leg on a human is like, a third their weight, if I remember correctly and I usually don't. So it stands to reason that an article of clothing that can cover half the length of said legs which in turn are half the length of the body and can do so whilst adding some decorative pattern or a more vibrant color to break up a usually straight color motif that the creature usually has.(especially in ponies who tend to be monochromatic apart from their manes) This also draws the eye to the more out-of-place element & sticks into the proverbial mind more to give you more to attach feelings or a sense of beauty to. In the case of the more armored ponies that have their weird, little metal half-boot thingies it serves much the same point as those infamous plate-mail bikinis that are so common in RPG fantasy games. Draws the eye (*cough*) to what little is armored, so we see more armor then is there, and we get the idea of "this here's a fighter" without cluttering up the design with too much actual armor.

  When the original creator of this thread mentioned that they didn't like socks, that stands to reason. If it sticks out too much, like how most alicorns can tend to be, it can serve as too glaring of a highlight and engender a level of distain.

 

   Second point! Horses have long been synonymous with health & virility.  Had MLP picked any other type of animal, like say, badgers or armadillos that we don't associate qualities to, we might not have so much of the....uh...."deviantart side" of things to this fandom. That being said, horses are well known for their legs. If you were to associate any article of clothing to an animal, it would naturally gravitate towards the idea of what you could use the most of on it. More legs, more socks! Same way how a good amount of the times I've looked up Hydras, they're usually shown adorning multiple styles of elaborate headgear. But I digress.

When you think of something that's naturally good at running like horses are, you would be drawn more towards things that accentuate their strongest quality. Given that the show's ponies are depicted less realistically to be softer & more cartoonish this endears us more to them. And when your a small kid or some lonely shut-in with no other frame of reference to the outside world & this is one of the few outlets for your emotions, its not hard to understand how emotions can lead to levels of physical attractiveness. Much in the same way we fawn over anime characters.

      Putting socks on a pony draws attention to their fluffiness & their legs. Drawing attention to their legs, draws attention to their thighs which clicks in our minds as "Hey! That's also a thing my species has!" and further draws us closer to assuming these beings we perceive as sentient, thinking creatures are something as real to us as an actual real life friend.

 

   Though yes. Admittedly goofiness does come into play too. Much the same way of putting a holiday sweater on your Chihuahua.

 

   In short, socks in this fandom sort of serves as a lightening rod for our emotions. Don't we see the princess as the important ones for all the gold tiaras & bracelets that they wear?

 

    ....Jeez, think I just made a three thousand letter dissertation on the appeal of socks on fictional equines. Where is my life?...

[Flutterbattyyy 330]

So your theory is basically that the socks are so popular because it sexualizes the ponies (pony waifu sexy fun time), but only slightly so you still retain some plausible deniability? (It's just cute, that's all!)  Is the community really that clever to be able to thread the needle like that?  Hmm... it seems possible but I'm not sure.

 

Seems like that to me too. Ponies in socks are saucy; it can be sexy, too, if drawn in such a way. It accentuates their legs and leads the eye upward, when they normally don't wear anything to begin with. (Kind of the opposite then, with people).

 

But at the same time, they can be just plain cute. 

 

So, I would say that the answer is both.

Edited October 26, 2016 by ElementalFluttershee

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,690]

Does that a challenge?!!?

Boopy, I got a talent in complicating answers!

 

   First off, let me say i've spent an awful lot of time thinking about this, and no, that doesn't mean in a bad way. If you knew me, I do that for everything.

 

    First off, it is mostly an aesthetic thing of course. Legs are a major part of the anatomy of most land mammals. Each full leg on a human is like, a third their weight, if I remember correctly and I usually don't. So it stands to reason that an article of clothing that can cover half the length of said legs which in turn are half the length of the body and can do so whilst adding some decorative pattern or a more vibrant color to break up a usually straight color motif that the creature usually has.(especially in ponies who tend to be monochromatic apart from their manes) This also draws the eye to the more out-of-place element & sticks into the proverbial mind more to give you more to attach feelings or a sense of beauty to. In the case of the more armored ponies that have their weird, little metal half-boot thingies it serves much the same point as those infamous plate-mail bikinis that are so common in RPG fantasy games. Draws the eye (*cough*) to what little is armored, so we see more armor then is there, and we get the idea of "this here's a fighter" without cluttering up the design with too much actual armor.

  When the original creator of this thread mentioned that they didn't like socks, that stands to reason. If it sticks out too much, like how most alicorns can tend to be, it can serve as too glaring of a highlight and engender a level of distain.

 

   Second point! Horses have long been synonymous with health & virility.  Had MLP picked any other type of animal, like say, badgers or armadillos that we don't associate qualities to, we might not have so much of the....uh...."deviantart side" of things to this fandom. That being said, horses are well known for their legs. If you were to associate any article of clothing to an animal, it would naturally gravitate towards the idea of what you could use the most of on it. More legs, more socks! Same way how a good amount of the times I've looked up Hydras, they're usually shown adorning multiple styles of elaborate headgear. But I digress.

When you think of something that's naturally good at running like horses are, you would be drawn more towards things that accentuate their strongest quality. Given that the show's ponies are depicted less realistically to be softer & more cartoonish this endears us more to them. And when your a small kid or some lonely shut-in with no other frame of reference to the outside world & this is one of the few outlets for your emotions, its not hard to understand how emotions can lead to levels of physical attractiveness. Much in the same way we fawn over anime characters.

      Putting socks on a pony draws attention to their fluffiness & their legs. Drawing attention to their legs, draws attention to their thighs which clicks in our minds as "Hey! That's also a thing my species has!" and further draws us closer to assuming these beings we perceive as sentient, thinking creatures are something as real to us as an actual real life friend.

 

   Though yes. Admittedly goofiness does come into play too. Much the same way of putting a holiday sweater on your Chihuahua.

 

   In short, socks in this fandom sort of serves as a lightening rod for our emotions. Don't we see the princess as the important ones for all the gold tiaras & bracelets that they wear?

 

    ....Jeez, think I just made a three thousand letter dissertation on the appeal of socks on fictional equines. Where is my life?...

If it is any consolation, you proved me wrong. Though I am left wondering if this is solely an in-depth analysis on your part or if you did put in some research related to colorful horses wearing an article of clothing that covers their legs and hooves.