Latest Fad: Skinny Socks

When a Chinese coworker first tipped me off to this trend, my curiosity was piqued. Socks that promise to make your legs thinner?! What’s more, people are buying into this crap?

Traditionally, compression socks – which is more or less what these Asian skinny socks (静脉曲张袜) are – function as medical therapeutic legwear, stimulating blood circulation and providing extra support for the feet. But in China, women have taken to wearing them for the purposes of slimming down their legs.

According to Chinese friends, the fad originated in Korea (of course). We spotted a pair at Watson’s selling for over 200 kuai. A quick search on Taobao turns up hundreds of results, with prices ranging from RMB 28 to RMB 400. On Weibo, savvy retailers and loyalists rave about their efficacy.

So we decided to give it a try for you dear readers. See photo below.

Not the most flattering angle, we know. Also, apparently they're supposed to go over your feet? Whatever. The ones we purchased (here) are intended for public use. We really can’t imagine strutting around outside in thigh-high lavender constricting-as-hell socks, but we suppose achieving pin-thin legs requires some sacrifices. Such as your dignity.

The directions on the box list all kinds of warnings, including avoiding wearing them while pregnant or going through menopause. (Gulp.) But it also contains bold claims like, “Say goodbye to your elephant legs!”

Well. It took us over ten minutes to even get them on, and they were so uncomfortable we wanted to rip them off right away. But we were determined to sleep with them on overnight, so we persisted for the sake of experimentation.

Now for the before and after photos:

Our conclusion? Not a lot of discernible difference, although perhaps they need more than eight hours to work their "magic." If you ask us, they require way too much effort (and pain) … plus all the English health articles we read seem to indicate that compression socks better serve athletes and the elderly.

And yet the online purchases in China keep coming. This particular version has sold over 3,000 pairs in the last 30 days and already garnered over 26,000 reviews. At the moment the item commands a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. We've translated some of the reader comments for you below:

"After I tried them on, they really did make my legs 2cm thinner. They were a little tight around the ankles, but still okay. Overall not bad, a good product."

"Amazing! I love it!"

"When I woke up in the morning my legs did feel slimmer, but gradually returned to normal. Their effects should last for a longer amount of time! Still not bad though!"

"When I wore these I felt nothing, and they kept sliding off."

"Not sure if they have any effect."

If you're curious, try 'em for yourself here. We'll probably lay off ours for awhile.

Photos: Joey Guo, Tiffany Wang