‘Gen Z Hates Your Socks’: A Look At America’s Sock Preferences
First, it was skinny jeans, then it was side parts, and now it’s socks. Who knew we would be asking ourselves if we should show our ankles or not? You may have seen it on TikTok: Gen Z calling out Millennials over ankle and no-show socks. Apparently, some Gen Z’ers believe that no-show and ankle socks are outdated and crew socks are in. One TikToker said in a video that you can tell someone from Gen Z apart from a millennial based on the socks they are wearing.
Play Michigan, an online gambling site did a deep dive into the sock wars and looked into America’s sock preferences across the nation. They explored state preferences, the generational divide, and Gen Z’s recent disdain for ankle socks.
The online gambling website surveyed a pool of 2,000 Americans with a median age of 34, with 57% of respondents identifying as women, 40% as male, and 3% as non-binary.
America’s Sock Preferences
They found that no-show socks have quite a following across the country, particularly in a host of warmer states (not shocking): Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, and Oklahoma among others.
Ankle socks have their own loyal fan base in states like Delaware, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Wyoming, where the weather is often unpredictable.
Crew socks are the most popular choice across America, covering a diverse array of weather regions from the California heat to the North Dakota cold. On the long list of other states that prefer these classic, half-coverage socks are Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
So, what’s at the bottom of the list?
New Hampshire stands out as the lone state where knee-high socks are the most popular.
Generational Sock Down
The survey found that Baby Boomers tend to favor dress or boot socks. Gen X prefers ankle socks. Millennials have a strong preference for no-show socks. And of course, Gen Z favors crew socks.
A Deeper Dive into Socks
When it comes to what’s considered out of fashion, 44% of millennials think no-show socks are a no-go, and 68% of crew-sock-loving Gen Z’ers agree. Regarding ankle socks, 23% and 59% believe they are, still, just not “in” any longer.
They also found that open-toed footwear is a “big thanks-but-no-thanks” by 29% of millennials but by a hefty 53% of Gen Z.
Take a look at the complete study of America’s sock preferences here.
