When it comes to growing older, the world can be a very cruel place. You dye your hair to conceal the grays, douse yourself in retinol and maybe even get a few tweakments to stay looking as youthful as possible… only to find that apparently it’s your socks that are giving away your age.
This is the reality in 2024, when a war has been raging on social media over the “right” socks to wear: Gen Z favor socks on display, pulling their sporty crew socks up high over leggings or with shorts, while millennials and Gen X are still rocking no-show socks that stop at the ankles or lower. In numerous videos on TikTok, Gen Z-ers say that you can immediately tell someone is over 30 if their ankles are visible at the gym. The audacity!
What Gen Z might not realize is that, once upon a time, these no-show socks that look so cringe to their bright sparkly eyes were once the pinnacle of footwear technology. Before that, we actually used to manually fold ordinary socks down over our heels, to keep our ankles cool and on display but our feet non-stinky. Socks designed for this purpose were a breath of fresh air. And yet now we’re supposed to just… let them go?
We decided to see how some of the most stylish stars have been playing it. After all, they tend to have a lot of athleisure in their wardrobes, whether they’re dressing down to feel cozy and comfy on long flights, to look low-key while running errands or to actually work out. And while we thought it might be hard to find stars still rocking no-show socks in 2024, some of our findings surprised Us…
@sarah.kinnaird When you spend your entire teen/adult life trying to HIDE your socks
At 40, this Hollywood star is a millennial — and, true to what the young people say, she’s also wild for working out in no-show socks.
It’s Olivia Wilde! Look, she exercises a lot, her ankles get hot and she’s entitled to air them if she wants to.
At 52, this actress and mom is peak Gen X, so you might expect her to be baring her ankles without a care in the world.
It’s Jennifer Garner — and while most older photos are strictly no-show, this summer she’s been crew-socked and proud. Did her teenagers stage an intervention?
At 35, this actress, who starred in a show that’s a guilty pleasure for both millennials and Gen Z, is a true millennial, so you might expect her to wear pretty little socks too but no, she’s embraced the crew trend.
It’s Lucy Hale! And it’s possible that this Pretty Little Liars star just wanted to match her super-cute dogs with their fluffy white paws.
She’s just turned 32, and she’s a supermodel, so she could totally pass for Gen Z… until you take a look at her feet.
It’s Karlie Kloss, unashamedly going for the no-show option here.
In the early to mid noughties, this socialite and entrepreneur, now 38, topped every best-dressed list, and she still looks pretty cool to Us. Gen Z, however, might disagree.
It’s Olivia Palermo, staying true to her millennial roots and letting her citrus sneakers shine without the distraction of visible socks.
At 27, this model is just about still Gen Z — and very much so in the footwear department.
It’s Bella Hadid! But lately, following her move to Texas, she’s more often seen in cowboy boots than sneakers and we have no idea what socks you’re supposed to wear with those.
At 29, this fellow mega-model is a younger millennial according to most Gen Z versus millennial cutoff dates, but it seems that she’s been following in her younger sister’s footsteps, literally.
It’s Gigi Hadid! Are the Hadids sharing shoes now? Cute!
Couples can disagree over socks and still be happy together. At 45 and 48 respectively, you would expect to find these two in the no-show camp, but one of them is crew and proud.
It’s Kourtney Kardashian and husband Travis Barker! And now we know what they debate over dinner.
This reality megastar shows that sometimes, at 40, you just want to be warm, even if it means giving your feet a Gen Z makeover.
It’s Khloé Kardashian! And those socks do look cozy. Maybe Gen Z have a point.
At 34, this globally successful music megastar is a core millennial, but her socks are confusing. If her legs weren’t so long, they would arguably tick the Gen Z box, but that slither of visible skin breaks the rules.
It’s Taylor Swift! And we get it: with fans of all ages, it’s hard to commit either way.
Like his famous girlfriend, this sports star is 34 — and seemingly very comfortable in his deeply millennial skin.
It’s Travis Kelce! But we’re seeing a hint of a crew sock tan-line too… is he as confused about the new sock rules as his love?
At 26, this actress is a Gen Z icon, and rightly so — she oozes cool, right down to her highly conspicuous socks.
It’s Sydney Sweeney! And some of her favorite socks go boldly where no millennial would dare: halfway up her calves.
This 55 year old singer and actress has the body of someone half her age, but her socks, or lack of, give it away: she’s Gen X through and through.
It’s Jennifer Lopez! But when you look this great in gym gear, who cares about your feet?
At 30, this singer is actually a millennial, but there is literally nothing more Gen Z than teaming high socks with Crocs.
It’s Justin Bieber! With 27 year old wife Hailey Bieber and a fanbase who adored him when he was 15 and they were 10, you’ve got to flaunt those Gen Z trends.
At 58, this actress is sending us some confusing messages — technically those socks are no-show, but they’re also bright red! What does it mean?
It’s Halle Berry! Let’s just assume there’s a “match your socks to your surname” trend we’re not aware of — or just that she’s way too cool and confident in her skin to pander to silly sock trends. Perhaps we should all follow her lead and just… wear what we’re comfortable in?
