Why Quarter-Zips are Suddenly so Popular

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Apparently, the “quarter-zip” pullover has become a popular choice for young men on both sides of the Atlantic. This preppy compromise between a hoody and a sportscoat has swept across social, racial, and cultural spectrums, from urban epicenters to college campuses. It has even generated an unusual amount of media coverage and analysis.

From The Guardian,

The subtext is that quarter-zips, often associated with white, middle-class finance bros … signify professionalism, while Nike Techs, often associated with black, working-class men living in cities, represent criminality. To wear a quarter-zip, these videos say, is to complete your transformation from a “hoodlum” into something more respectable.

 And according to an article in USA Today,

“[P]eople engaged with the quarter-zip’s popularity say it goes beyond just trends and clothes—it’s a lifestyle that reflects a commitment to sophistication.”

It may be that this is more than just a fashion trend. Beginning last year, there were reports of an upsurge in the number of young men going to church. And not just any church. By and large, the young men that are looking for spiritual answers are not choosing “seeker-friendly” or mainline progressive churches. It is as if they want something to challenge them.

Also recently, conversations appeared on social media sites like X between young men, some in their teens, who were diving into the Great Books of the Western Canon. These young men are not just reading Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamozov and Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, they are sharing their impressions and engaging in conversation with others.

It seems as if a significant number of young men, sick of the meaninglessness of low expectations and infinite distraction, are looking for something else. Many simply seem to want to act like men. Having been told for so long that they are what’s wrong with the world, that all masculinity is “toxic” and the “future is female,” they’re looking for answers in not all the wrong places.

This is a wonderful “vibe shift” from the young men of a half a generation ago who were inflicted with “Peter Pan syndrome.” Committed to never growing up, young men became captive to low expectations. Even thirty-somethings were able to stay home, play video games, not work, and still benefit from the lies the purveyors of the sexual revolution were telling young women. But, as the Preacher of Ecclesiastes wrote, a life with no goal greater than pleasure is about as fulfilling as a wisp of steam.

Some young men, however, who are also rejecting the shallowness of a decade ago, are turning to modern forms of Nietzschean nihilism. Instead of church and ancient wisdom, they are looking for answers in all the wrong places. This explains the growth of white supremacist groyper influencers, the persistence of radical Islam, and new forms of woman-hating misogyny.

Which is another reason, in addition to how comfortable and flexible they are, to celebrate quarter-zips. It’s a sign that young men are not yet lost, as many have announced. Rather, there are some committed to taking themselves, faith, and good books more seriously. Quarter-zips might even point to the makings of a new counterculture. It would be strange if the icon of the cultural rebel went from white t-shirts with cigarettes in rolled-up sleeves to sagging, baggy pants to quarter zips. But for young men recovering from “Peter Pan Syndrome”–who are done with being the “lost boys of the West”–a new kind of rebellion is overdue.

For more on how we can help and lead young men, see the very first lecture in the Lighthouse Voices series, a collaboration between Focus on the Family and the Colson Center. In it, Dr. Anthony Bradley outlined the crisis of purpose and meaning that so many young men face, as well as the importance of fathers, religious and social institutions, and mentors. This is an opportunity for the church to help seekers find what they are truly looking for, that for which God made them.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images / Steve Jennings / Contributor

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.