“Men will Don Gay Colors while Girls Wear Hair in Curls.” What. A. Headline.
The April 21 1921 issue of The Collegian did not disappoint in its description of an extinct, but absolutely electric, Hillsdale Holiday: Sock Day.
The article reads, “Some years ago, we don’t know just when, the men of Hillsdale College with malice aforethought and intent to kill, established the custom of Sock Day.” With that one quote, the so-called fashion police just fell in rank to these sock soldiers. Who could these men possibly have intended to kill? Who knew that socks were the most lethal kind of footwear? Neither the fashion police nor I will ever have enough courage to ask this clothing mafia these pressing questions.
A Collegian article published in April 1927 describes when Sock Day was created.
“[It was] long ago, when the college women carefully concealed their ankles by long flowing skirts, and no man thought of entering into campus life without first growing a crop of sideburns.”
What a long, long time ago that must’ve been. It must have been way back in 2018.
How does one celebrate Sock Day? According to the Collegian in the beginning of May, “every man in college is expected to appear with a full three inches of glorious sock exposure — the more glorious the better.” First of all, bravo to anyone who can find a glorious pair of socks. Second of all, I am coming to the conclusion that the men of Hillsdale College were a little confused as to where socks fall on the clothing hierarchy.
The unfortunate folks who couldn’t live up to the sock game of their fellow students were penalized in the most brutal of ways. An article in April 1921 describes the punishment.
“Any man who fails to answer this call may expect to do penance in the fountain or in Cold Springs.”
Public humiliation for not publicly humiliating yourself: Sock Day has to be the most stunning display of “an eye for an eye” since that of ancient believers.
The article continues by describing how women responded to this sacred holiday.
“It took the girls just two years to recover from the first blow of surprise. Then they organized in self-defense; and on the next May Day blossomed out on the campus with their hair a la sweet sixteen.”
It was a hijack on Sock Day using hairstyles that even Jojo Siwa couldn’t re-create. Sneaky, sneaky women of Hillsdale College, 1921.
Smarter than the men, the women even gave an option to those (aka everyone) who could not complete the mystery hairstyle: “braids or waves tied in any case with the jauntiest ribbons that could be obtained.” Girls, way to really stick it to the Sock Day fanatics.
I guess my entire point in writing this article is this: Men of Hillsdale College, it is long past time to bring back Sock Day. The people don’t just want chicken tenders at an unbelievably well- decorated event while bopping to the best musical talent around. Oh no, we want a day to “don gay colors” and “wear hair in curls.”
DM me to organize forces and get this restarted.
