Then, the account went silent.

This usually refers to a pattern (gingham, tartan, checkerboard). In the 80s, "checked" meant punk. It meant subversion. It meant taking a prim, schoolboy pattern and making it dangerous.

were high-ranking courtesans in Edo-period Japan, known for their elaborate Taka-shimada hairstyles ornate hikizuri kimonos . Unlike geisha, they famously did not wear socks ( adjust the tone of this post to be more academic or perhaps more humorous?