Sign up to receive the Vogue Business newsletter for the latest luxury news and insights, plus exclusive member-only discounts.
A new source of confusion is dividing millennials and Gen Z. On social media, the latest showdown for people who once cared about BuzzFeed quizzes is now over socks, specifically, the way they wear them — rolled up or barely visible — with the claim that you can determine someone’s age just by the fact that they choose to show their ankles.
In a November 2023 TikTok video, fitness podcaster Phoebe Parsons seconded this theory: “You can literally tell the difference between millennials and Gen Z by looking at their feet,” she said, proudly pointing her sockless ankles at the camera and declaring, “I’m a millennial.” It’s hard to argue that socks have become the latest generational segmentation, especially with countless brands reporting increases and decreases in sales of different styles.
Hailey Bieber photographed in Los Angeles in December 2023. Photo: Bauer Griffin/GC Images
Sock brand Hanes confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that sales of above-the-ankle socks are up 5.9% since 2021. Meanwhile, sales of the brand’s low-cut socks are down 3.8%, a trend seen at other brands as well: At Canadian women’s clothing brand Aritzia, crew socks are selling twice as much as ankle socks, and at comfort-focused sock brand Bombas, sales of invisible socks fell 9% year over year in April.
Head out on the streets and evidence of #sockgate is everywhere, from the teen-popular loafer-and-white-sock combo on Gen Z style account @uniformdisplay to Kendall Jenner stepping out in white socks rolled up to her calves. With one study showing that 41% of Gen Zers discover their outfits through short videos on social media, it’s no wonder the sock trend continues to go strong. As socks become more visible, so do their sales.
But extrapolating beyond the ankle sheaths, there’s a lot to learn about how Gen Z is approaching fashion from their older, sock-free friends. Gen Z reporter Snake Denton, who interviewed for The Face and has modeled for Vivienne Westwood, says, “Millennials were rolling up their skinny jeans to show their ankles, and that’s what pop socks are all about. But for teens and people in their twenties, it’s anathema.”
