Calves and Ankles and Cankles, Oh My!
July 30th, 2009APOLOGIES: For those of you who missed our blogs this week, we apologize. Our domain server, hosting, search engine, ISP thingies went all haywire on us. But we are up an back in business, baby.
Former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton brought our attention to a so-called figure flaw– that of the fat calves that merge into the ankles with no discernible indication of where the calf ends and the ankle begins. This condition has been dubbed cankles. There is no real cure for fat ankles. You are born with them. Some plastic surgeons are liposuctioning the ankles to slim them down. (If anyone has had this surgery, please let Style Matters know.) If you suffer from cankles, here are a few fashion tips to help disguise this condition.
1. Fall in love with long slacks. Capri pants are the devil’s business for those who have cankles. The mid-calf cut screams “Look at my fat ankles, they are here, right here!!!!” Surrender capris and go for long slacks that practically dust the floor.
2. Won’t skirt the skirts? Then wear them at ankle length. If you want to wear shorter skirts, wear them in the winter so that you can elongate your cankles by wearing skirt, hose and shoes in all the same dark shade. Lucky for you black tights are back in style.
3. Leggings. They are the look for fall. If you must, wear the long kind that hit the ankle bone and stick to dark colors.
4. Shoes. T-straps and ankle straps do not a cankle flatter. They cut the foot in half making it look short and wider. Gladiator sandals are also a pariah for the cankled crowd. Stick with open toed, thong styles.
For more cankle tips, www.saynotocankles.com
August 10th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I find your blog very offensive and very disheartening. To the women who don’t have perfect “ankles,” seriously, you’re that superficial you are focusing in on ankles, it is reidiculous advice. I agree with capris, butnot with gladiator sandals. Also, you make it seem as though a women with cankles must be so ashamed of herself that she must cover up in a birka from head to toe!! What’s next- fat wrists?! From a real girl, with a real job, who loves fashion, and has a sexy man who loves her and her cankles, I say, get a clue!
August 12th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Thanks for reading our blog and taking the time to respond. I apologize for not stating my point of view more clearly. I have nothing again cankles. I am sure there are women such as yourself who don’t give their ankles or calves a second thought. But many women are bothered by this condition. That’s why, as a service to them, we provided these helful tips for disguising and de-emphasizng a part of their bodies to which they are sensitive. I hope this helps to explain and further amplify our views. Keep on blogging!
August 21st, 2009 at 11:24 am
Auugust 21,2009
I agree that many women are bothered by the way their legs and ankels look. I certainly am. Ihave the poblem know as “Cankles”. They have altered my life desperately. It is very sad that in this society you have to look a certain way, but it is a fact of this life. I will never be able to wear a dress, a skirt, shorts or a swim suit, because of the way people stare at us! SAD
August 24th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I felt sad after reading your reply. You can enjoy shopping and wearing clothes that flatter the figure that you have. If you are sensitive about your “cankles,” try some of the tips we suggested. No one looks good in a swimsuit unless they are a professional model! There is no reason you can’t enjoy the water as much as the next person. If you are self-conscious, invest in a cute cover-up and remove right before jumping in. I say, go shopping for a new fall wardrobe and incorporate some of the slimming hints we have suggested. Let me know how you do.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I have cankles and I was born with them. I passed that trait on to my daughter too! I don’t mind flattering my cankles as best I can if I feel like wearing a dress or a pair of capris, but really I don’t think people care too much about what my ankles look like at all. I don’t wear shorts because I don’t like shorts in general, but I think more people have cankles than we know and I want my daughter to be proud of the body God gave her
Cankle pride! We need our own parade and a button. 
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:18 am
On Xmas Eve I twisted my ankle very badly but that did not hurt as bad as my son saying “how can you tell her ankle is swollen, she has fat ankles anyway” She has cankles.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Our tips for what to wear if you have cankles were for women who want to minimize their ankle shapes. Many women, like Kristin, couldn’t give a second thought to their ankles. No problem.
Lucinda, I have two sons and sometimes they say things that really hurt. I think you should point out to your son how you felt about his remark. Boys need to understand women’s sensitivities about our bodies. It takes a mother to do this. How is your ankle feeling?