A woman in a marching band uniform, including bobby socks walking down a street
A drum majorette wearing bobby socks in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 8, 1939
Two women seated in typical teen girl fashion from the 1950s, wearing bobby socks
Women wearing 1950s clothing at a June 2010 event in England, UK

Bobby socks are a style of women's socks. They are white and worn ankle-length or collected at the ankle, instead of being rolled up fully extended on the leg. The term is derived from the socks being worn "bobbed", meaning around the ankle.[1]

The popularity of bobby socks among young American women in the 1940s led to this demographic being popularly referred to as "bobby soxers".[2]

They were initially popular in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, later making a comeback in the 1980s.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Etymology of phrase 'bobby sox'". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ^ Jane & Michael Stern's Encyclopedia of Pop Culture: An A to Z Guide of Who's who and What's What, from Aerobics and Bubble Gum to Valley of the Dolls and Moon Unit Zappa, Jane and Michael Stern. HarperPerennial, 1992, p. 61
  3. ^ Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-bottoms: 1940s–1950s, Sara Pendergast, Tom Pendergast. UXL/Thomson Gale, 2002


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