Socks During Sex: Warm Feet, Filthy Thoughts and No Apologies

Everything's coming off. The shirt, the underwear, possibly your good judgement. You're completely naked and ready for anything. Then somebody looks down and sees you're still wearing a pair of grey work socks, and a small silence falls over the room.

To some people, that's a crime against seduction. To others, it means their feet are warm, and they can get on with it. As it happens, there's some research suggesting warm feet help people come, so the socks may be doing more for you than that lingerie.

Warm feet are allowed to join in

If you like your socks on, keep them on. You can want someone enormously without wanting bare feet on a cold July night in Ballarat. Being comfortable makes it far easier to forget about the room and enjoy the person in it. Shivering's not a turn-on, whatever you've seen in the movies.

And there's something about a very naked person in nothing but socks that's unexpectedly casual, and a bit cheeky. Long ones can look outright hot. It looks like someone who couldn't wait.

A fresh pair makes a better impression

Clean socks chosen for bed and the pair you've worn inside your work boots all day are two very different propositions. You don't need to buy special bedroom socks. A fresh pair's just a small kindness to the nose that's about to be very close to your feet, depending on how the night goes.

And if you're going to wear something on your legs, you've got options. Stockings do the job too, as our suspenders vs stay-ups guide explains, and they look a lot sexier. A full outfit like the First Class Fantasy might well take everyone's mind off your feet.

Want them off? Say it normally

You can prefer bare feet. You can find fluorescent gym socks distracting. "Would you take your socks off?" is a perfectly sexy thing to ask, especially if you're the one who takes them off for them, slowly, kissing your way up. It doesn't need to become a judgement on how much you want each other.

If the teasing's funny for both of you, have a laugh. If one of you is sick of the sock jokes, find some new material.

Let the rest of the night do the work

A softer lamp, a great bit of lingerie or just a partner giving you all their attention will usually outweigh any footwear. Our bedroom lighting ideas and sex playlist guide have some extra atmosphere. Or leave everything as it is and enjoy each other. The socks aren't doing the flirting, but they do keep your toes warm while you're curling them.