Gen Z and Millennials are sparring over ankle socks in their latest generational split
Cringe or the perfect fit?

Gen Z and Millennials are fighting over wearing ankle socks
It would seem that there's no way for Millennials to win when it comes to Gen Z's fashion rules. First they made fun of their older counterparts for wearing skinny jeans, then it was side parts, now it's ankle and no show socks. Those are out, while the tube socks that Millennials' boomer parents used to try to make them wear are in.
Surely they have to know that they are simply recycling late 90s-early 2000s fashion? But with how confidently they taunt Millennials for their supposed fashion faux pas, maybe they don't. One brave Gen Zer decided to ask the question on every Millennials' mind–why are ankle socks out?
Eva Gutowski took to TikTok to ask her fellow young people why they decided that they were switching to tube and crew socks, even though she's already made the switch. So what's the deal, Gen Z?
"I don't know when or why it happened but there was a shift in our generation where we are all about the tube socks now. I don't think I will ever go back to a no-show sock. I will die wearing tube socks," Gutowski shares.
Fellow Gen Zers were quick to explain why they made the shift to tube socks over no-show socks and it's actually pretty practical.
@mylifeaseva Gen z socks vs millennial socks 🧦 what happened there? 🤨
♬ original sound - Eva Gutowski
"No show socks roll off my heel and feels uncomfortable in my shoe :/," someone writes.
"Stopped wearing them after years of not finding a pair that didn’t slide right off + don’t find myself wearing shoes that “require” wearing some," another says.
"I used to HATE when my socks showed, and loved when vans had their no show socks but nowwww socks showing really pulls the fit together," one person claims.
Millennials on the other hand is over Gen Z's shenanigans and complaints about things that were beyond cool kid vibes when they were younger. Matt Bellassai jumped on his own TikTok account to set the record straight as a representative of the Millennial generation.
"I just want to say, you will pry these ankle socks off my cold dead feet before I put on a sock even approaching my shins. I don't think you understand. When I was in high school if I wore a crew sock they would've bullied me within an inch of my life," Bellassai exclaims passionately.
Many fellow Millennials concur with his passionate rebuttal to Gen Z's fashion critiques. They will be keeping their no-show socks thankyouverymuch.
@mattbellassai you will pry my ankle socks from my cold dead feet
♬ original sound - matt bellassai
"We worked too damn hard to get no-show socks," one person exclaims.
"I can't wait until summertime and they're all walking around with crew sock tan lines," another laughs.
"Not to mention that if I had worn crew shocks that showed... I would have been walking around looking like MY FATHER," someone guffaws.
"Anything higher than an ankle sock is unacceptable. I can FEEL it on parts of my shin that doesn’t need to be touched," a commenter gasps.
Since everything is coming back around again for Gen Z, should Millennials warn them to stay away from the business casual club wear? Maybe just leave them to their own devices and see what recycled fashion trends pop out of the wash next.
- Hairstylist shares difference between Gen Z and Millennial salon goers with hilarious accuracy ›
- Millennials and Gen Z ditched top sheets much to the dismay of older generations, who's right ›
- Millennials and Gen Xers bond over these 20 'baffling' Gen Z trends ›
- 15 of the worst fashion trends of the 2000s - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."