Why the Women on ‘Survivor’ Almost Always Wear Long Socks, Revealed
Why do the majority of women wear long socks on Survivor?
The question was recently posed on TikTok by one user who wrote, "Okay, I've noticed this a lot, why do a lot of women on Survivor wear long socks?"
Lauren-Ashley Beck, who was a contestant on Survivor: Island of the Idols in 2019, responded to the fan's question in a viral video.
She showed a series of photos of former Survivor female contestants donning extra-long socks with "Nobody" by Mitski playing in the background.
"Why do we do this?!" she captioned the post.
One fan in the comments section gave a plausible explanation that Beck decided to go with. "Protection from bug bites, scrapes during challenges, warm at night ... very smart," they claimed.
In another comment, Beck shared a behind-the-scenes secret: "A lot of gals on my season got laser hair removal ... I however didn’t get the memo," she wrote.
In a separate TikTok, Beck revealed that the casting department actually selects the contestants' wardrobes and they aren't able to choose what they do or don't wear on screen. She recalled that Fiji was quite cold at night and that she wore many layers.
However, 2016 Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X contestant Hannah Shapiro offered another reason women contestants sometimes wear super long socks.
"I know, the answer is leg hair," she said in a video with a thumbs up. Shapiro captioned the post, "39 days. Lots of leg hair. One pair of long socks."
According to Men's Health magazine, contestants on Survivor are not given access to razors or hair cutting tools, making it nearly impossible to shave or remove unwanted hair.
"The contestants do not have access to razors, nor do they shave during their time on the island," Andy Dehnart, msnbc.com's Television Editor, reportedly told Today. "Any lack of growth you notice probably has to do with waxing or laser procedures, or the quality of the footage on your TV screen."