Part 1
OH!!!
So that is why I suck at programming.
All these years struggling,
Because I skipped the first step.
this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
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I own a lot of stockings as part of my regular daily attire (they're so awesome! They're like tights, except you don't have to do the weird tights-dance every time you go for a pee, and if one of them gets a hole, you can just throw away the one stocking instead of the entire pair of tights!). However, if I'm doing programming, I'm probably at home, and in lounge wear.
I always found the "programming socks" quite funny, so one day, I decided I wanted to be even more in on the joke, so I deliberately wore some of my fancy thigh highs when sitting down to write some code. I ended up having a tremendously productive session, and it made the socks feel like magic. It was likely just that I was just having a serendipitous day where my brain decided it wanted to get shit done, but still, the prospect that they had actually helped was pretty humorous to entertain.
Because of this, I wore them again the next time I wanted to have an extended, focussed session of coding. And then the time after that. And again and again until eventually, I had created a self-fulfilling prophecy of programming socks increasing my productivity β I came to associate them with the headspace of productive focus, and so now whenever I wear them while sitting at my desk, my brain goes "oh damn, we programming now β best lock in".
I am extremely happy to have stumbled into this outcome, because it is both useful and hilarious
I believe it's less about the stockings themselves but more about the ritual of it, you decided to do something in particular so you do this starting ritual that gets you in the right mindset
Zettai ryΕiki, the absolute territory, is the area between skirt and over the knee socks
Omg...I had no idea... The song makes so much more sense now!
linux users ricing their gender
As a normal person i am almost too afraid to ask, but why are stockings associated with programming?
I don't think they are (strictly associated with programming itself I mean) personally, but recently there's definitely been this trend of Linux/unix people posting images of their computers and their legs with stockings, usually striped. I dunno. It's a meme.
It started with Amazon making a shot in the dark recommendation to add high socks to a c programming book.
It stuck because there's a (perceived) high prevalence of trans women in high-skill IT professions and hobbies.
I think you're forgetting femboys.
And catboys
Now is it Furry or fluffyboys?
Furries in IT, transbians in coding, right?
I mean... It's been a thing in transfem circles since ~2015, where femboy didn't gain much mainstream relevance until ~2021. So yeah, it likely did stick because of transfems in IT as a profession/hobby
Ah, interesting. Never knew that. Thanks!
I think amazon list was only edit. See knowyourmeme page.
Just a meme https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/programming-socks
Gotcha, with that context it makes sense
In turn Iβm almost afraid to ask, are you implying that people that wear high socks arenβt normal?
Iβm kinda hoping itβs just a thoughtless expression on your part which Iβd totally understand.
TBF, as someone who frequently wears high socks and stockings as part of my regular attire, I don't think they're particularly normal. In order to even be able to see that a person is wearing thigh highs as opposed to tights, it's necessary to wear a fairly short skirt or shorts, which may not be appropriate in many contexts β and if they're worn with an outfit where you can't see that you're wearing thigh highs, then wearing tights appears to be the more practical options.
Plus I have known a lot of people who wanted to be the kind of person who wore thigh-highs, but became impatient with them frequently rolling down. Wearing a suspender belt is a good solution for this, but it's surprisingly hard to find ones with clips that are robust enough to be useful and not excessively fiddly β most people I have known who have experience with suspender belts know them only as an inconvenient but sexy piece of lingerie, rather than a pragmatic undergarment (which can also be sexy, but they actually exist to serve a function rather than their entire purpose being the sexiness)
So yeah, I would say that people who wear high socks aren't normal. But I certainly don't see that as a bad thing β in fact, seeing someone wearing thigh high socks immediately makes them more attractive to me (as a friend or otherwise)
Yes, absolutely. Entirely off the rails, alien, utterly incomprehensible.
Well the feeling is mutual then. I canβt imagine holding such archaic viewpoints circa 2026. Have a good one.
They were being facetious. lol
Did you think i was being serious there lol
Pretty sure he meant "normal" as opposed to "programmer" XD
fuck yeah garters. not a sexual thing, a "finally these things fit right" thing
I thought that wasn't until step 2?
after I installed arch I had a strange urge to wear long socks
Man, I have no idea what this means.
I AM getting old
It's a reference to the phenomenon of "programming socks", which is the meme phenomenon of knee high socks being associated with programmers. I think the association stems from the disproportionately high number of trans women and gender non-conforming men (such as femboys) in programming.
Y Viva Suspenders - judge dread
Absolutely true