An Excuse to Say "Pom Pom" And Play Tennis

Last March, my grandmother handed me a pair of pom pom socks. They were tiny white socks with mint trim and a yellow smiley face pom pom loosely attached to the back. I stuffed them in my bag and went home, eagerly ready to try them on with a few outfits. When I returned home and got situated to begin the dress-up process, the smiley face pom pom popped off. Maybe it was a metaphor. It was March 2020, after all. 

Fast forward a few months, as I sit next to my sister as she cranks out pom poms. Between the crafty pom pom artisan next to me, the broken sock, and the various tennis-fueled images that had come to my attention, my mind returned to the idea of pom pom socks. 

(I'm going to see how many times I can say "pom pom" in this story.) 

In all the images I had saved for tennis outfit research (the outfit is the reason to play, isn't it?), I'd noticed a tiny pom pom sticking out from the player's shoes, specifically Chris Evert and Tracy Austin. It was a subtle, playful addition to a necessary item, socks. It brought a carefree touch to a game that while easily recreational, on a professional level requires skill and attention so intense we so often forget when we casually talk about "learning to play tennis”.

All good research starts with an eBay search, as do all excellent impulse purchases. Quickly my screen turned into a treasure trove of not only tennis outfit ideas but graphics so delightful I'd happily buy socks to frame them as art. To my surprise, the socks not only had a playful appeal, but the packaging spoke to the casual and stylistic draw to tennis in the 70s. Like today, or so we like to believe, tennis has a visual appeal that rivals it as a sport. It's become a hobby, another way to brag, and for those who excel at the sport—we'll never know. Being "good" at tennis is like the pom pom socks; it puts a pep in your step, you don't have to talk about it, but if someone asks or notices, that's when the fun begins.

Tracy Austin

Chris Evert