We used to wear those hideous knee-high gym socks

[SamAdams76]

Remember those striped gym socks that used to be all the rage from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s? I can't believe that I used to wear those socks but I did and so did a lot of other people.

Girls didn't have to wear them. They always got to go sockless...if they wanted. But some of them wore those socks too. Don't know why.

But boys, not so lucky. We had to wear these...

[chris37]

Listen, man, the higher you pull those socks up, the more super powers you get, AND the faster you can run!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If you listen closely, you can hear “More, More, More...how do you like it...” play in the background.

[Getready]

Somewhat protective against scrapes and abrasions, wicked away lots of sweat, good for cold weather games, came in favorite team colors...(allegiance was to team....not manufacturer). So what’s HIDEOUS about them?
If you think about it...you are paying same prices for 1/6 of the sock today (no shows..etc). Total ripoff of gullible athletes.

[Mozzafiato]

If you want to pick on boy’s/men’s athletic wear in the ‘70’s, pick on the super short “hot pants” worn in basketball in that era.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Socks were high...but so were skirts. One out of two ain't bad.

[montag813]

America was SO much better then. More literate, more historically educated, more patriotic. Ted Kennedy deserved to be strung up like Mussolini for what he did to destroy that nation with his 1965 abomination.

[Deaf Smith]

"faster you run"

Maybe you were thinking PF Flyers?

[Blue Jays]

"...allowed to wear cut-off jeans...even for swimming and waterskiing..."

---

Folks even used to wear leather jackets while waterskiing back in the 1970s!

[rlmorel]

Hahaha...I used to wear them all the time too...:)

[stylin19a]

I don’t understand the “used to” part....

[rlmorel]

Heh, I can’t even look at the baggy past the knee “shorts” they wear now. Stuck in my own time...:)

[OldMissileer]

Did not like the short shorts, tulip shorts or something like that. Saw a guy jogging in those recently. Looked like he was a 1970s time traveler.

I was an avid long distance runner and in the 70s and 80s and except for the winter, I would run in a cutoff t-shirt and those short nylon running shorts. Women would slow their cars down and proposition me. It was a nice ego boost.

[Bikkuri]

[Berlin_Freeper]

Last summer while on a beach vacation I spent 30 euros on a single pair of camouflage socks by a company I think called wiggles.

I still can’t believe I did that but they were great!

Threw them out just a few weeks ago when I saw a hole.

Not looking to buy another pair.
Thirty euros while away on vacation!
For a single pair of socks!

[lefty-lie-spy]

You jumped the shark, bucko.

[chris37]

No way, man. All the power comes from the socks. You literally don’t even need shoes.

[Fiji Hill]

The baggy shorts worn today look more like granny skirts. Ugly and awkward looking,

I especially like Sportif shorts, which are rather expensive and hard to find, or Red Head shorts, which are inexpensive and available at Bass Pro Shops. These are real shorts which display your knees. I avoid buying shorts that go below the knee, making the wearer look like a gang-banger.

[PrairieLady2]

Those socks may have been ugly, but the quality was better than what's out there now for theaverage joe. I used to wear the argyle type, and i sure do miss those. They were thickb softb stretchable and they didn't fall down. You could wear them for years and they didnt develop snot balls after 3 washings. Not only were those socks uglyb but so was the household decor !!d😅

[Billthedrill]

That was a more innocent, and better, age, and yeah, I remember that very well. I got a pack of 10 pair of those one Christmas from Baby Bro, who was financing his own presents for the first time, and he was all embarrassed, and I wore out the last pair fully 10 years later. In between was one heck of a lot of bicycling. Sometimes the simplest presents are the best.

Those are some very nice looking young men in those photos. Story there?

[Jeff Chandler]

When backpacking I used to wear those high cotton socks with thick wool crew socks over them. My feet stayed dry and I got very few blisters.