Cankles Finally Get The Attention They Deserve

CNN posted an article today.
Click here to read it.

One they obviously thought was fairly ground-breaking, a new phenomenon or unexplored problem that was suddenly coming to light. That is, they addressed cankles. Sorry to burst their bubble but this is a term I've been familiar with since 8th grade which was quite a few years ago. A field hockey game was in full swing when I commented to my friend, "Wow, I just noticed how fat my ankles are." To which she kindly replied, "Yeah, I noticed that too but I didn't want to say anything." Ah, middle school friendship.

For those of you not in the know it comes from the illusion that your calf literally runs into your ankle, hence 'cankle.' OK, so maybe it's not an illusion, it just is. Over the years I've tried to accept it by applying a good dose of humor. If you can't change it better to laugh than cry right? There was the time in Payless when I tried on a pair of strappy heels and turned around to see two of my best friends almost in tears they were laughing so hard. Trust me, 'Miss Piggy legs' are not a compliment. I realized then that those cute shoes with the ties around the ankles would never be in MY closet!

There is the college friend who has the complete opposite, the skinniest ankles I've ever seen. No really, they could be wrists. It's amazing she can stand on them. On slow nights the two of us would stand beside each other in front of our friends, a sight that was good for at least five minutes of giggles and jokes. It even inspired a guy friend to share that he couldn't date me cause he'd feel cheated. He proceeded to act out giving me a foot massage and then his shock and horror that it went straight from foot to calf. "Where's the ankle?!" He asked in mock dismay, "When I date somebody I need all the body parts!" *Note he actually DID date my skinny-ankled friend, go figure.

A fellow student was kind enough to share that an old man told him girls with ankles like mine are sure to get fat when they have kids. Seriously. And CNN is just now recognizing this is a problem for some us?

I cringe when Capri's are in season. Gladiator sandals are no friend of mine. And every fall without fail I envy those boots that zip above the ankle. You can usually find me in the back of a shoe store pulling and squeezing hoping THIS pair of knee high boots will go past that ankle bone. It never does. Someday I'll accept this but so far I keep trying. I actually bought a pair of mid-calf boots once and wore them all year with long jeans to cover the fact that they weren't zipped. Don't judge me.

I rebel here and there. There is still the occasional pair of shorts or a skirt that is just the right length paired with just the right heels. It doesn't make ankles suddenly appear but you can camouflage their absence so they don't have people doing double takes. "Wait, that girl doesn't have ankles! I've never seen a calf go straight to the heel." Or "Holy cow those are some sturdy legs!" They may not say it out loud but I know they think it, the same way I take sick delight when I spot a pair of cankles bigger than mine. 'Whew,' I sigh, 'At least I didn't get stuck with those!'

So there, our suffering is finally in the public eye. Maybe designers will be a little more sensitive in the future... although I doubt it. But really, if any stumble upon this post... I'd kill for just one pair of wide cankle boots!