Can men wear women's socks? Can women wear men's socks?
Yes, men can wear women's socks and women can wear men's socks! We know lots of folks who wear socks that don't necessarily match their gender. Don't stress about labels! With socks, all that really matters is comfort. Our store's huge sock selection includes novelty socks in a wide range of sizes to fit every guy, gal and non-binary pal. To find your best fit regardless of gender, consider these sock-sizing tips.
If you are a lady with bigger feet wondering, “Can a woman wear men's socks?” the answer is yes! You can also wear women's socks, which will be most comfortable for you if you wear a women's shoe size between 6 and 10. Or you can choose a larger size or a “men's” sock for feet that are a women's shoe size 9 or larger. And don't worry that your options will be limited to just masculine-looking styles. You will find many of the exact same designs for men as for women, like with these awesome rainbow socks from ModSocks in men's crew, women's crew and knee high.
If your feet are smaller than a women's size 8.5 but you enjoy a looser fitting sock, you can still try wearing men's socks. Just be aware that sometimes the heels of the socks will land higher on your ankles and stick out above the backs of your shoes — it's a look and feel that not everyone will appreciate.
Shop these sock styles:
Muted Rainbow Striped Men's Socks
If you are a male person whose feet are on the smaller side, you may discover that our women's socks fit you well. You can choose most socks labeled to fit women if your feet are men's shoe size 9 or smaller, but men's socks will also be comfortable for you unless your foot is smaller than men's shoe size 8.5. If you don't mind your socks snug, you could probably stretch into a sock labeled "women's" even if you have larger feet, but the heel of the sock might end up somewhere around your foot's arch. The socks might wear out faster as a result of being worn stretched.
Tip: If you are shopping for knee socks to fit longer, larger legs, look for a pair marked “wide calf” or “extra stretchy.”
Shop for wide calf socks here.
One more sock-fitting fact: if you have feet smaller than a women's shoe size 6.5, the largest size of children's socks (usually marked for ages 7 to 10) will fit you! These socks stretch up to a shoe size 5 in both men's and children's sizing.
To recap, here are the shoe sizes each type of sock fits:
- Women's Socks — Fits men's or kids' shoe sizes 4 through 8.5, women's shoe size 6 to 10
- Men's Socks — Fits women's shoe size 9 to 14.5 or men's shoe size 8 to 13
- Kids' Socks for ages 7 to 10 — Fits women's shoe sizes smaller than 6.5, men's shoe sizes 5 or smaller, or youth/kids' shoe sizes 1 to 5
So you see, it really doesn't matter whether a pair of socks says “men's” or “women's” on the packaging. Everybody can wear whichever socks they want! To all of the gals, guys and non-binary people out there, we hope this helps you understand the difference in fit and feel of socks labeled "men's" or "women's."
At Cute But Crazy Socks, we dream of a day when shoes and socks are not separated by gender. Until then, don't be afraid to break out of the confines of labels when it comes to socks — but always look for a pair that fits your feet AND your personality!
To get started browsing for socks, check out our men's collection, women's collection, or both together at Cute But Crazy!
Cute But Crazy Socks
December 02, 2021
@Valerie, this is a great question. We find most people shop for socks based upon their shoe size, which in the U.S. is gendered sizing. A U.S. women’s shoe size 9 is not the same size as a U.S. men’s shoe size 9, for example. We use the gendered terms when we need to indicate which U.S. shoe sizes we are referencing. We agree the system is flawed and outdated, but we find shoe size IS the way people talk about their sock size. We would love it if the shoe industry would adopt universal sizing!