Aly Raisman Is Designing Socks Featuring Her Stressed Out Parents

We all know that look—the look that our parents get every now and again. Maybe something is not going quite right. Maybe it is a high-stakes situation. Maybe it simply looks like it is going to rain. Whatever it is, it causes our parents' eyes to bulge or maybe a grimace comes across their face or maybe they start ringing their hands. The manifestation is different from parent to parent, but it means one simple thing: They are stressed. And nine times out of ten, they are stressed for no reason. Usually, the best thing to do is to give them a hug. Other times, featuring them on a pair of socks will do the trick, which is exactly what Aly Raisman did. 

Where The Stress Started

Aly Raisman is 23 and she is on fire. Not only did she manage to be a part of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams in both 2012 and 2016, but she was selected to captain both teams. And on top of that she won a gold and silver medal for floor exercise, a silver in all-around, a bronze medal for balance beam, and she led her team to win a gold medal in both 2012 and 2016. 

But these massive victories were no coincidence. Raisman has made personal sacrifices for the sport since she began pursuing it when she was only two years old. In fact, she was willing to prioritize gymnastics to such an extent that rather than enjoying her senior year of high school with all of her friends, she chose to take online courses that would allow her to receive her high school diploma and train for the Olympics at the same time. 

And Raisman's parents are only too aware of what a hard worker their daughter is. They always attend her competitions and, due to the faces they pull while they are watching her from the stands, have garnered some attention from Raisman and her fans. 

The running joke of the stressed out Mr. and Mrs. Raisman is nothing new. They become well-known for their faces, tightly gripping each other's hands, and even vigorously rocking back and forth during Aly's routines. And this was just at the 2012 Olympic games. From the start of Aly's performances in 2016, it was not just the gymnast and her fans who took note. NBC Olympics' Twitter account posted a video of the couple, Boston.com posted an article, and TIME published a piece about the adorable pair. 

But while many of us might be embarrassed to see our parents acting this way so publicly, Aly Raisman came up with a very clever and amusing solution. 

Stress Solution

Once Aly had won her Olympic medals and returned home, in between hanging out with just about every celebrity in Hollywood, she decided to poke some fun at her stressed out parents. She designed her very own pair of socks. The socks are cartoon versions of her parents from their most anxiety-filled moment of Aly's all-around routine at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

Aly then took to Twitter, posting a side-by-side picture of the socks and the actual picture of her parents with the caption:

For all the loving, crazy, embarrassing parents that can relate.

Other Stars Who Rock Crazy Socks

Aly Raisman is not the only well-known individual who has embraced crazy socks. This fun and quirky way of showing off interests and jazzing up an outfit has spread across sports, politics, and entertainment. 

In the world of politics, it is the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who has become an ambassador for crazy socks. He has been seen wearing Star Wars-themed socks, socks emblazoned with maple leaves, and simpler versions of hosiery with bright polka dots and stripes. And Trudeau is starting a trend. In an effort of show diplomacy, other world leaders, such as Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, are beginning to wear crazy socks while with Trudeau or at least use them as a talking point, such as Germany's Angela Merkel. 

Moving into more athletes with a penchant for crazy socks, Dwyane Wade is another global star who regularly shows off what he puts around his ankles. If you browse through Wade's Instagram profile, you will see nearly as many pictures of the basketball star's feet as you do of his face. This is because he adores crazy socks. He has socks in every color with every pattern--pink, blue, yellow, squares, stripes, and images—he's got it all. He has even posted a picture of about 30 recently-purchased pairs of crazy socks. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes the love of crazy socks to a whole new level. Not only does he always wear crazy socks, whether a crazy print, a crazy color, or an interesting theme, he also wears two very different ones. On his right foot might be a sock with pink and blue stripes and on his left foot is a cartoon character. But Gordon-Levitt makes this choice for a very personal and sentimental reason: His brother. The actor's brother passed away about seven years ago. He had had a routine of wearing mismatched socks. Gordon-Levitt decided to carry on the tradition to honor his loved one. 

A final celebrity who has shown his adoration of crazy socks is the global pop star, Justin Bieber. Pictures of this musical icon are taken day and night. He is followed constantly by his crew, his fans, and the paparazzi. In many of the photos taken of him, the infamous young man can be spotted sporting crazy socks. He's been seen with pink marijuana leaf socks, purple tie-dye socks, and multi-colored striped socks. He wears them with shorts or pants. He wears them while playing golf, going out to a club, or performing in front of a crowd. 

Crazy socks have become a way of life for many in the public eye. It is an easy way of showing the world who they are and what they like. Whether designing their own socks, like Aly Raisman, or simply modeling the socks for Instagram, celebrities are showing their fans their whims and fancies with crazy socks.