I think it went like this:

• Linux is highly customizable
• customizing or "ricing" your Linux machine became a hobby
• weebs got into the hobby, infesting the space with anime waifus and other degenerate cartoons
• some time during the weeb infestation, thigh high socks became a recurring theme
• gay/trans programmers sarcastically posted themselves in thigh high socks
• gay/trans programmers who didn't get the sarcasm unironically adopted thigh high socks
• Rust was invented

So you see, it's just another example of the kind of tragedies that can befall society when sarcasm isn't clearly labeled on the internet.

The point is that you're looking at the wrong programmers. You need to look at gay programmers, and your life will change for the better.

It's apparently a newly vocal (yet previously existing) trend amongst trans and drag programmers, particularly of the linux variety.

I know of one transwoman and she doesn't do this, though we do work for a "business formal" environment.

Seems to be a bigger thing amongst the younger college CS and fresh out of college folk.

I personally find it a bit funny, but I also have the small bit of me that worries about the social-political climate and how it might impact their careers.

Amongst engineers I've still found an uncomfortable amount of conservatives. So even if they don't support MAGA directly, I'd imagine they still carry a lot of that bias on "what is appropriate" or not.

Basically there is a stereotype that a lot of trans girls are programmers, and thigh high socks are a stereotype of trans girls along with blahaj ownership as well. There are a lot of chasers on 4chan and some trans folks as well. Therefore some anon shopped a picture of an Amazon listing to say "programming socks" to poke fun at the two stereotypes. People embraced it so much that the socks started showing up on Amazon when you search "programming socks". As for a specific programming language, I have seen Rust associated with trans women.

I for one don't think estrogen has made me better at coding at all. I tried to do Rustlings before and didn't have time to follow through with it, but maybe I should give it another go.

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/programming-socks

TL;DR: It all seems to have started with a (possibly deliberately) misnamed pair of socks for sale on Amazon. They began showing up as suggestions when people searched for programming-related items.