Why Do Fingerless Gloves Even Exist?

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Serious question: Why do fingerless gloves exist? And more importantly, why the hell are they so popular?

A few weeks ago, we found out they were the most-searched winter accessory on Amazon; and according to data from Google, between 10,000 and 100,000 people in the US search for “fingerless gloves” each month.

But honestly, why? Who are all these people desperate to find fingerless gloves? As winter gear designed to keep your extremities warm, gloves without fingers are just not adequate. They don’t cover the one part of your hand not already covered by your jacket. Aesthetically, they leave much to be desired, too — namely, the rest of their fingers.

I’ll admit to having a pair back when I was a heavy smoker (sorry, Mom), because it was actually near impossible to pull out a cigarette and light it while wearing a regular pair. (But does anyone even smoke anymore?) One of my coworkers conjectured that maybe it’s people who want to be able to use their smartphones while keeping at least part of their hands covered. But smartphone gloves have come a long way; they actually work the way they are supposed to now, and you can even buy some high-tech paint to turn all your gloves into touch screen-friendly gloves.

I’m not about to really tell you what you can or can’t be into, but if you’re one of these people searching the internet for fingerless gloves to buy, I do have a few suggestions I think you should consider! One, don’t. Two, quit smoking, if that’s why. And three, if you want them that bad, just cut the fingers off your gloves!