Style - Show me your sock and I'll tell you how old you are
Jennifer Lawrence is one of the best actresses worldwide – after all, the American is an Oscar winner. But in this article, it's not about her acting skills, but about her footwear, specifically her socks. Recently, while strolling through New York, she wore elegant moccasins and a miniskirt in a schoolgirl style, so-called "Millennial Socks." These are approximately ankle-length socks – and from the perspective of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), the epitome of old-people aesthetics. The British fashion magazine "Teen Vogue" headlined in a tone of horror: "Jennifer Lawrence Boldly Steps Out in Millennial Socks."
These days, Generation Z is poking fun at many things that Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) like – like skinny jeans and side parts, for example. Now it's all about socks at the ankles, sorry, the feet. Millennials wear short, Gen Z wears long – sometimes even up to the knee. Ankle socks versus crew socks, the two factions declare. TikTok has become the main battleground for this fashion fight in recent months. Insults of all kinds are exchanged there. Pictures and socks are compared. Each side insists on having better taste. And Generation Z proclaims: Show me your sock, and I'll tell you how old you are!
American comedian Matt Bellassai recently gave a defiant statement in one of his videos: "You can only pull my ankle socks off my dead, cold feet."
It's hard to trace the origin of the sock war. But many attribute it to podcaster Phoebe Parsons. She put forth the theory that one can tell which generation a person belongs to based on their socks. She herself wore no-show socks, which are so short that they're not visible in shoes. "I'm a Millennial," she commented as she showed her feet in the picture.
The length of socks is also an expression of rebellion. The trend towards long socks hasn't bypassed the entertainment industry either. The 22-year-old singer Billie Eilish, for instance, wore long socks on the red carpet with her dress. For a photo shoot in Teen Vogue, the American basketball player Angel Reese wore the same long socks with her high heels. They've also been spotted recently on Kristen Stewart, Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, and Lucy Hale.
Just like every fashion trend, this one isn't entirely new. It was Lady Di who is still considered a pioneer of long socks by many. She wore them casually in the 90s with pedal pushers and oversized sweatshirts. Nowadays, there are countless tutorials on the internet showing how to correctly match socks with the right outfit. Creativity knows no bounds – white, colorful, monochromatic, patterned, everything seems allowed. Just as long as they're not ankle socks.
At the end of it all, there's only one thing left behind the trend, which has been experienced by many generations before. Namely, rebellion through fashion against the Establishment. Sneaker socks were originally just a defiant reaction of Millennials against their parents' white and very long socks. According to the US podcaster and comedian Matt Bellasai in one of his videos: "I want Gen Z to understand that it was extremely chic and elegant in the early 2000s to show your lower shins. Anyone who wore crew socks was a nerd and was laughed at and ridiculed." According to industry experts in the US, sales of long socks in the US have noticeably increased in the last few months.
Jennifer Lawrence's fashion choice of wearing "Millennial Socks" with her miniskirt sparked criticism from Generation Z, as they consider ankle-length socks to be an outdated trend. TikTok has become a platform for this generational sock war, with users exchanging insults and comparing socks. Billie Eilish, a 22-year-old singer, has also joined the trend by wearing long socks on the red carpet.
