[as_bntd]

why would wires make earbuds socially acceptable?

[massysett]

This was a retort people used against AirPods. They look like funny Q-tips sticking out of the user's ears. But really they don't look much different from earbuds, which people wear all the time, so shouldn't AirPods be fine? The response was that the wires on the earbuds make them socially acceptable.

[as_bntd]

I really struggle to see how the earbuds being wired changes their social acceptability in comparison to wireless ones. I don't understand the retort.