Officially, Gen Z is kicking them out of the side part and thin jeans.
Gen Z initially came for the tight jeans. They then arrived for the lateral portion. And now the millennials have canceled ankle socks, a death knell against people in their 30s and 40s who are just trying to live their lives.
Ankle socks are out, according to trend studies, social media, and even members of Generation Z. Socks with crew are trendy.
A gen Z writer posted this week on Kidspot, an Australian lifestyle news website, saying, “Alright, millennials, brace yourselves: Gen Z has a message regarding your fashion choices, and I’m here to deliver it, so get ready to take notes.”
“I’m here to talk to you about those ratty little pathetic excuses for socks you have on,” she said. “Yes, I am aware that they exist. I see them, even if they’re making a great effort to blend in, so I’m sorry, but they’re officially cancelled.”
This one might feel a lot like gaslighting to millennials who have spent the last few years trying to figure out how to wear pants, feeling personally attacked by the return of Y2K fashion, and still unable to use the word “gaslighting” correctly in a sentence. However, the trend is genuine.
Back in January, the fashion magazine In Style announced that sock display is “in again,” with crew socks in particular making a resurgence. The New York Times said this month that we are in a “sock proud era.”
And the highlight of earlier this month’s Gucci fashion presentation, 2025? A $320 pair of loafers and ribbed crew socks. Pinterest reports that there was a significant spike in Canadian searches for “crew socks with sneakers outfit” in May.
In case you thought that your grandfather wore rolled-up socks, Pinterest also foresaw that 2024 would be the year that “eclectic grandpa” fashion would become popular.
In a video uploaded on Thursday to TikTok, fashion stylist Christie Moeller declared, “It’s time to cover your ankles—crew socks are in and they’re here to stay.” On MamaMia, an older millennial stated, “Ideally, you want to be aiming for Princess Diana leaving the gym circa 1993.” Ankle socks are being referred to by Generation Z as a “millennial giveaway,” and a TikTok video that has gone viral asserts that you can determine someone’s age by the kind of socks they wear when working out.
Millennials have had it
Millennials have recently experienced their fair share of fashion-related harsh awakenings. (On that note, the front tuck is evidently out, and if you’re asking how or if we tuck our shirts, you’re also old, because the youth wear crop tops.) However, for some, ankle socks are simply too far, especially coming from a generation that brought back the mullet and Crocs.