Real men wear pink socks. Specifically, American Cancer Society “Real Men Wear Pink” socks.
These are socks that were given out in the past at the “Real Men Wear Pink of Memphis Reveal Party,” says Elizabeth Ennis, senior development manager with the society’s Memphis office.
This year’s event was held September 16th at Old Dominick Distillery. “It was a party to announce the 2021 class of Real Men Wear Pink of Memphis,” she says. “They are 31 leaders throughout the Memphis area. They’re chosen based on their connection to breast cancer. And we have a couple of guys that don’t have a connection to breast cancer at all. They just want to be part of something bigger and help spread awareness.”
“Real Men Wear Pink” socks, with the iconic ribbon design, are usually given to the “ambassadors,” but not this year. “We typically give every guy a little swag bag at the start of the campaign to put some pink in their wardrobe,” explains Ennis. “We had these socks. The guys loved them. The only reason we don’t have them this year is our vendor didn’t get them out in time. Kind of a Covid-impacted thing.”
Carlos Salgado, 29, a member of the 2019 class, is a fan of the socks. He usually wears them in October, which is Breast Cancer Month. “Probably one of the cooler things we got with Real Men Wear Pink were those badass pink socks,” he says. “[The socks are] a great conversation piece. I roll up my pants legs so people will see them.”
Salgado, whose socks sport a gray base with the iconic pink ribbons design, originally wore them to two events. “People instantly got drawn to it. It’s like wearing a nice tie or something. Like a pocket square or a nice watch. An accessory people get drawn to. It’s a great talking point. People ask questions about it.”
When they ask, “What are these socks for,” Delgado responds, “I’m doing it for this cause. This is my story.”
Salgado wanted to be a Real Men Wear Pink ambassador. “I lost my aunt to breast cancer, so it just kind of made sense to do it. She died in the beginning of 2017.”
A corporate residential manager for Silver Tree Residential, Salgado says he doesn’t usually wear fancy dress socks. He likes “fancy runner socks” by Feetures and Balega. “I don’t typically care about fashion when it comes to dress socks as much.”
But he will wear Real Men Wear Pink socks. “I probably wear the pink socks four to eight times a month. I’ve only got one pair. I wish I had more. I will make it a staple to wear them every day if I have them.”
Well, fear not. Pink socks are on the horizon, thanks to Patrick Crider, one of this year’s Real Men Wear Pink of Memphis ambassadors.
Crider, owner of The Insurance Shoppe of Tennessee, is also the owner of Odd Fellow Sock Co. He is currently working on Real Men Wear Pink socks. “We’ve been trying to get them made and everything is just slow,” Crider says. “The idea was to have them for the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. So, I already was going to have them made. It was something I could do as a fundraiser. Give a portion of the proceeds to Real Men Wear Pink and the American Cancer Society. That’s still the plan. But I won’t have them in time for October.”
What are some of Crider’s sock ideas? “I would still do the ribbon because that’s the symbol everybody recognizes. So, the two I was looking at having made, one would be a navy sock with pink ribbons. And have it just little pink ribbons spaced out. And the other almost a pink on pink. Two different pinks on each other, just as a brighter sock. I think it would get noticed a lot easier.”
