Loose socks
Encyclopedia
are a style of baggy sock
popular with Japanese
high school girls.
They were adopted as a fashion which flattered plump calves and also expressed rebellious deviation from Japan's strict dress code for school uniforms
. They were first worn by high school
girls and later by junior high school girls who sought to emulate the look of the older female students, but are generally not worn by young adults and older women.
They are nearly always white, though black and navy blue ones also exist. Generally, they are larger than normal socks. To wear them, one stretches them out and puts them on. They are usually worn below the knee, held up with a special adhesive sock glue, and resemble leg warmer
s. Loose socks are often paired with skirts above the knee and a pair of mary janes
or loafers.
s, became an established fashion.
The two most well-known views are that the fashion originated in Sendai, Miyagi
or in Mito
, Ibaraki
. In both stories, to protect against the cold, girls bought, loosened, and wore large socks. It is said that they became popular because they made fat legs look thin. After that, the socks became established merchandise and spread to major cities such as Tokyo
and Osaka
, and then throughout the whole country. They rapidly gained popularity, chiefly with high school girls.
The height of loose socks' popularity was from 1996 to 1998. Furthermore, in that period varieties such as "super loose" and "gom nuki loose" (loose socks with the elastic removed) were born. There were even socks two meters long. These were mainly worn by the yamanba gal
subculture. Some schools forbade pupils to wear loose socks at school, so girls would often change into loose socks and wear them outside the school campus. This sort of trend was picked up on by the mass media, which brought attention to loose socks as emblematic items of high school girl culture
.
Sock
A sock is an item of clothing worn on the feet. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body, as it is able to produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. In cold environments, socks decrease...
popular with Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
high school girls.
They were adopted as a fashion which flattered plump calves and also expressed rebellious deviation from Japan's strict dress code for school uniforms
Japanese school uniform
Japan introduced school uniforms in the late 19th century. Today, school uniforms are common in many of the Japanese public and private school systems. The Japanese word for this type of uniform is .-Usage:...
. They were first worn by high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
girls and later by junior high school girls who sought to emulate the look of the older female students, but are generally not worn by young adults and older women.
They are nearly always white, though black and navy blue ones also exist. Generally, they are larger than normal socks. To wear them, one stretches them out and puts them on. They are usually worn below the knee, held up with a special adhesive sock glue, and resemble leg warmer
Leg warmer
Leg warmers are coverings for the lower legs, similar to socks but thicker and generally footless. They were originally used as dancewear by ballet and other classic dancers in order to keep the leg muscles warm and to prevent cramping or other muscle injuries....
s. Loose socks are often paired with skirts above the knee and a pair of mary janes
Mary Jane (shoe)
Mary Jane is an American term for a strap shoe or bar shoe that typically has low heels, broad and rounded closed toes, and a single-buckle strap across the instep and/or around the ankle...
or loafers.
Birth and establishment
At the beginning of the 1990s, it became fashionable for Japanese high school girls to shorten their skirts. In the mid-90s, they wore imported mountain-climbing boot socks to make their legs look thin and attractive. These socks were manufactured by such sock makers as America's E.G. Smith. It is not known if there was a time when loose socks were called "boot socks", but they quickly became referred to as "loose socks" and, together with miniskirtMiniskirt
A miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than below the buttocks; and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning...
s, became an established fashion.
The two most well-known views are that the fashion originated in Sendai, Miyagi
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
or in Mito
Mito, Ibaraki
is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...
, Ibaraki
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
. In both stories, to protect against the cold, girls bought, loosened, and wore large socks. It is said that they became popular because they made fat legs look thin. After that, the socks became established merchandise and spread to major cities such as Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and then throughout the whole country. They rapidly gained popularity, chiefly with high school girls.
The height of loose socks' popularity was from 1996 to 1998. Furthermore, in that period varieties such as "super loose" and "gom nuki loose" (loose socks with the elastic removed) were born. There were even socks two meters long. These were mainly worn by the yamanba gal
Gyaru
is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal, that of girl being . The name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called "gals", with the advertising slogan: "I can't live without men", and was applied to fashion- and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. Its usage...
subculture. Some schools forbade pupils to wear loose socks at school, so girls would often change into loose socks and wear them outside the school campus. This sort of trend was picked up on by the mass media, which brought attention to loose socks as emblematic items of high school girl culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.