They are believed to be anecdotal, but speak volumes about the standards of the time. Sociologist Jean-Claude Kaufmann reveals them in a subversive essay.
Miss Figaro. – The hose, this monument of strangeness, you say, holds a destructive power. What is it about?
Jean-Claude Kaufman. – The main purpose of socks is to remain invisible. He is not expected to be a standout because when he does catch it is a concern. However, the human ideal is to resort to very fluid automatisms without questioning our gaze or increasing our mental load. This is what Hegel calls the sock hole theorem. in the domestic universe, this element of clothing reaches the cogito only if it causes discomfort. Then the socks cause a discomfort that one does not expect in front of such a mocking object. In the public sphere, we usually only notice them when they’re a little short, wrinkled, the wrong color, or when they show a layer of skin between the elastic and the pants…
Then what do they cause?
Visible, the hose can raise, rank within the logic of social differentiation. But it also carries the risk of a negative stigma, which is all the more powerful because it rests on a lowly, contemptible object that can evoke revulsion and contempt. Socks with worn holes may disqualify the wearer. There’s nothing worse than ruining your socks. In 1993, in his defense of former Prime Minister Pierre Beregovo, accused of embezzlement, Pierre Jocquet essentially argued that a man wearing such socks could not be dishonest. He then sends her back to her working class origins. And here is Beregovoy caricatured by Plantou, in one world, decked out in worn, dripping red socks. Later in 2000, Jean-Marie Messier, then head of Vivendi Universal, was featured on the cover; Paris game and wears a slightly perforated sock. He shows his resting power there, which earns him quite a positive buzz. Still later, when he comes downstairs, full of business, his holey socks bounce violently back at him like a boomerang. And the examples follow, from former finance minister Michelle Sapin’s pink socks to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s patterns. You can make surprises with your socks, provided you have enough confidence to avoid the slightest false note.
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However, socks are becoming increasingly popular, white or colored, with patterns or messages, mismatched, even under shorts. Why this comeback?
This is due to the power to disrupt and surprise them. At a time when anything is possible, when many things that were once subversive (such as sexuality) have been trivialized, a lot has to be done to create surprise. The hose allows this very easily, because it has a dispersive effect. Just make it a little visible to create a surprise. But it’s about showing signs of courage, not looking like a slob. Consider not everyone, but those who are attentive to trends. “Careful, I’m wearing mismatched socks, but it’s voluntary.”
To create a surprise, it is enough to make the sock a little visible
Jean-Claude Kaufmann
Can men and women afford the same eccentricity?
Men’s socks are most influenced by the imperative of discretion, invisibility and reason. Hence its color – blue, gray or black. Women use stockings are different. First, the interior and comfort. When I wrote The Single Woman and Prince Charming, in 1999, at a solo concert, I saw the power of relaxing at home in a big corkscrew woolen sock. On the other hand, as a fashion accessory, the sock is an object of true creativity. We show it off, we explore colors and patterns, as with a shirt or a skirt… Which actually anchors the socks in two very different symbolic universes. Much to the chagrin of men trying to break free from the constraints placed upon them.
And for those who don’t want to wear another one, write down how to properly wash and store socks…
Very often, when a man crosses the threshold of his house, he rejoices in the happiness of letting go. He unplugs, frees himself from the pressure of society. The pleasure of taking your clothes off is part of it. you take off your shoes and socks, thinking that you will put them on later. But this pleasure of detachment is such that the “late” is long overdue. His wife, who sees all this, tries to restrain it, then, unable to bear it any longer, exclaims: So it is still necessary to decide the fate of these socks found here and there. Is such a couple dirty? Then it’s a matter of putting them in the wash before embarking on the step of restoring the pairs, which is sometimes complicated by the drama of orphan socks. All this increases the mental load.
With more weight than other worries.
Mental stress is not only a matter of weight, but also of quality, depending on the stress it causes. Of course, anxiety is more important when it comes to children, school, or illness than when it comes to socks. But there’s something particularly annoying about these. We are very quick to go into the stocking stuffer as they reveal a deeper dissatisfaction with task sharing. The couple is based on the constant gift of identity, it goes beyond compromise, is too weak a word to describe this loving ability to hold back multiple and daily small annoyances. Suppressing the entire universe of intense criticism in oneself is a necessary condition for the proper functioning of the couple, the creation of a common culture. But sometimes there are small explosions, like the famous “You can put your socks away”. Negative crystallization takes place on this underwear.
Taking care of your husband’s socks is not the same as doing your entire family’s laundry
Jean-Claude Kaufmann
You end your book like this. “The Stocking Question Is the Future of Women’s Liberation.” Really?
There is an element of humor, provocation, but yes, I think so. The hose appears in the title of a whole series of feminist writings. He is a symbol. taking care of her husband’s socks is not the same as doing the laundry for her entire family, including the children. It is a clear symbol of female emancipation.
What do you suggest to free us from the instructions surrounding the socks?
I support the manifesto for free socks. Our entire society tends to individual emancipation. The hose, because it operates in pairs, remains unyielding in the marital bond. No divorce, no separation is possible. The hose remains stuck in the last century. Now liberating a sock liberates us. My proposal is absolutely radical and extremely simple. I suggest that by chance, without looking at them, we choose two socks that more or less go together. Then we avoid the problem of reconfiguring pairs and get rid of a very old convention that no longer exists. To be honest, I don’t understand why we remain captive to it.
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Have you ever liberated yourself?
Not yet, because I spent my vacations barefoot or in sandals. But on October 6, of course, I will implement my manifesto. And this, definitely!
A little sock philosophy, by Jean-Claude Kaufmann, Éditions Buchet Chastel, 224 p., €17.90. It was released on October 6.
Source: Le Figaro
