Millennials are terrified of the return of low-rise jeans and Y2K fashion. But what if they looked different this time around?
Some time ago (as in, before pants made out of denim ceased to be part of our day-to-day wardrobes) I made a bet with a friend who said that she'd never wear low-rise jeans again. There were whispers going around that the most maligned item of mid-aughts clothing was starting to pop up on Bella Hadid, fashion show runways, and cool young people in places like downtown Manhattan — basically the trifecta of "things that are going to become a Thing."
Enter: high-rise jeans, which come with their very own girdle in the form of thick, stretchy denim pressed against our stomachs, and land at or above the natural waist. The 2010s were a magical time for those of us who relish the feeling of being sucked and squeezed into our clothing, and although not always objectively comfortable , per se, they offered their own sort of comfort to people who might have previously been pants-resistant. "Low-rise pants are walking billboards for extreme thinness and androgynous frames," wrote Rachel Syme in an ode to high-waisted pants in the New Yorker in 2019, "but high-rise styles can conform to bodies of all shapes and sizes. They not only highlight hips and butts — they demand them."
The mainstreaming of the high waist has been a balm for many women who never wish to go back to a time when one was constantly at risk for exposing their ass crack. There are innumerable posts on Instagram and TikTok devoted to showcasing the superiority of high-waisted bottoms, which often hold in the stomach and accentuate the smallest part of the body, with side-by-side images — one with an hourglass-like figure inside a pair of high-rise leggings, another that invoked the most insidious term from the year 2003, the "muffin top."
Cultural discourse around female bodies has always been inseparable from clothing, and when we talk about low-rise jeans, it's obvious that we're talking about more than pants. It's now a popular TikTok trend to note how in the 2000s, "women's bodies were the fashion, not the clothes" (to the extent that this is all that different today is worth questioning, but at the very least it is now considered crass to publicly ridicule a woman's body when she dares to leave her home). Recall any red carpet image from the 1990s to the late aughts, when jeans were at their lowest and crop tops were really more like bralettes, items for which a flat stomach has often been an unspoken requirement. Those who failed to fit the ideal body type — which Simpson, along with almost every tabloid staple, did at one point or another — were punished.
We have social media and the relative democratization of cultural influence to thank for spreading the idea that perhaps it was a bad thing for women and girls to despise their bodies 99 percent of the time. Via the internet, groups of curvy and fat women could connect, share their stories, trade styling tips, and start the seedlings of what's since become the huge swath of social media devoted to "body positivity ." It's also social media that helped us view celebrities more like our own friends rather than out-of-touch elitists, meaning that the snarky tabloid talk scrutinizing famous womens' bodies was no longer acceptable to fans who'd started to see them as human.
So it isn't entirely mysterious as to why women, especially those who are now in their 20s and 30s, have long been terrified that low-rise jeans and the culture surrounding them could once again become our reality. "If you were anything above a size 2, you were fat. Millennial women learned that through their most formative years, when they were children and teenagers … they see this trend come back and it's a trigger," explains one TikToker in a video with more than 350,000 "Likes."
Here is the problem: It's already too late. Three years ago, in the lethargic week between Christmas and New Year's, the fashion journalist Sarah Spellings made a prediction. She'd spoken to professional trend forecasters, to designers at mainstream brands like Levi's and smaller luxury labels like Linder, and determined that in the year 2020, low-rise jeans would start to come back in a big way. "The Countdown to Low-Rise Jeans Has Begun," declared the Cut's ominous headline.
Low-rise jeans have become a particular sticking point for the mostly imaginary battle between millennials and zoomers on TikTok, where millennials plead for teenagers to stop buying low-rise jeans as if they could somehow stop these jeans from becoming cool again. This feud is not to be confused with the one in which millennials make cringey videos about teenagers coming to take away their right to wear skinny jeans ( they are not ).
People are horrified at the thought of low-rise jeans coming back into style | The Independent
As if denim-related fashion needed another hit after the slow demise of skinny jeans, it now appears that low-rise jeans are making a comeback.
In the past few years, there have been rumours that the style, which was popular in the early 2000s and then relegated to discount bins, backs of closets and thrift shops, would be making its return.
However, apart from a few appearances here and there on fashion runways, including multiple appearances in Alexander McQueen shows over the last three years, as noted by PopSugar , it was easy to ignore the re-emerging trend - that is, until now.
Like most recycled trends making a comeback, including middle parts and boot-cut jeans, TikTok has played a large part in the rebirth of the low-rise jean, with its primary users, Gen Z, posting numerous videos praising the denim cut.
A search for the hashtag #lowrisejeans comes up with results that have been viewed more than 34m views on the app, while the hashtag #lowrisejeansarecute has 52,300 views.
In addition to styling videos, many of the clips see TikTok users trying on the jeans in comparison to their high-rise jeans, only to decide that they prefer the low-slung jeans more.
However, most millennials and members of the older generations have already begun expressing their fear that the trend will actually make its way back into the mainstream.
"We as a collective are not doing enough to stop the return of low-rise jeans," one person tweeted, while another said: "I'm not letting low-rise jeans come back I'm just not."
In addition to finding issues with the fit of the pants, which were often paired with a crop top when the style was at its height, people have also pointed out that low-rise jeans were popular at a time when women's bodies, especially those of celebrities such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, were frequently subjected to scrutiny by the public.
Bella Hadid Is Retro in Asymmetrical Top, Low-Rise Jeans & Trucker Hat – Footwear News
Earlier this month, the supermodel stepped out in Miami, wearing an ensemble straight from the early 2000s as it included a yellow and blue asymmetrical top and a pair of low-rise white baggy jeans.
Baggy jeans are having a major moment right now. The look, which first made its debut in the ’90s on the streetwear scene, found its way onto the spring ’21 runways of labels like Chanel, Victoria Beckham and Balenciaga. In addition to Hadid, stars like Kylie Jenner, Katie Holmes, Diane Keaton and Addison Rae have also tried out the trend.
While the Hilton and Richie would often pair their looks with thong sandals, Hadid gave the look a modern edge with a pair of New Balance sneakers. The rare kicks feature a white and red colorway with a round toe and flat rubber sole. The style is currently available on the resale market with Stockx.com selling the shoes for $176 and up. The shoe hit the market with a $110 price tag.
When it comes to retro dressing, Hadid is a big fan. She has a knack for looks from not just the ’00s but the ’90s and the ’70s, sporting flared jumpsuits, bell bottom jeans and retro hats. On her feet, she often goes for boots, loafers or sneakers . Her go-to footwear rotation includes brands like Prada, Dior, Nike and Dr. Martens to name a few.
Low-rise jeans are back and Paris Hilton stops by ABC4 | ABC4 Utah
USANA Health Sciences is a global nutritional company headquartered in Utah. They established the USANA Kids Eat non-profit organization to pack and distribute over 800 backpacks of food every weekend to help kids make it to Monday with food. Currently they serve 35 schools on their Weekend Program, and they deliver more than 930 bags total to them each weekend. But the foundation needs a new truck to help them continue this work, as the add 5 new schools and expect to add a lot more for fall.
If you've ever walked down Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington in spring you've probably seen someone crunchy down on some kind of delicious treat. We've all heard of donuts, croissants, and cake, but have you ever heard of a piroshky?
The market thrives on specialty goods from around the state and beyond. There are multiple fish vendors that offer smalls bites of shrimp, crab, or lobster drenched in cocktail sauce. You can get freshly made donuts with quick-fire service in tons of desert inspired flavors. And don't forget about the freshest of fresh produce.
Bella Hadid Wears a Striped Polo and Von Dutch Jeans on Vacation
Von Dutch was wildly popular during the 2000s. Celebrities including Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton notoriously wore the brand's trucker hats, baby tees, and denim during their paparazzi heydays. Ashton Kutcher made the label famous for bros of the era. The nostalgic pieces are often what comes to mind when we consider the early 2000s—and a whole new generation is apparently on board.
KOCH: Fashion should focus on personal expression, not toxic trends – Marquette Wire
Artists like Destiny’s Child often sported low-rise jeans in the early 2000s. Photo via Flickr
I, as many others, could not wear jeans as a child and even into most of my teen years. The styles that were "in" were always skinny and low rise, until high school when high-rise jeans became popular. All of these styles felt restrictive and uncomfortable and I constantly wondered why anyone would make jeans that way.
My day of reckoning finally came once I discovered the Art Hoe movement which combined vintage 80s and 90s fashion with an artsy, Van Gogh-inspired style. The mom jeans popularized by it were my salvation from low-rise skinny jeans, and I will forever hold a place in my heart for them. However, somehow, I've done a full 180, as the Dua Lipa song goes: I'm actively seeking low-rise pants.
The style of jeans has recently come into the public eye once again, as many Gen-Z fashionistas are adding them to their Paris Hilton-inspired wardrobes. With this rise in the low-rise, however, there's been a sizable amount of criticism — and for good reason.
The inventor of low-rise jeans, Alexander McQueen, famously said in an interview after the release of his 1996 Nihilism collection, " I wanted to elongate the body, not just show the bum. To me, that part of the body —not so much the buttocks, but the bottom of the spine — that's the most erotic part of anyone's body, man or woman." Not sure if we're all with you on that one, Alexander.
Along with McQueen's affinity for the plumber's crack, he wanted to elongate the female form with his "Bumster" jeans. His bold fashion choice did just that, but at a cost to women's comfort and confidence. Although he created the jeans for both men and women, the effects they had on women’s self-esteem was far worse than men’s. Additionally, the erotic intentions of the jeans along with the fact that they became synonymous with teen girls is indicative of how girls and young women were hyper-sexualized in the era. Although I can’t deny that I secretly love the whale tail trend of showing off a thong while wearing low-rise jeans or a low-cut dress, it was also a clear example of how low-rise waistlines contributed to pressures put on women to dress in a sexualized manner.
Low-rise is trendy now, but so are mom jeans, flare jeans, wide-leg jeans and straight-leg; Basically, every single "leg" is in at the moment. Maybe skinny jeans are a bit out of favor, but it's not impossible to look trendy in them.
Personally, I don't see myself wearing them any time soon because they don't look great with my body type. That's what fashion should be about: individuals finding what they feel good in, rather than make women change their bodies to fit trends. My legs are on the shorter and stockier side and wider denim in both high-rise and low-rise styles are generous with legroom and make me appear taller.
Trends seem to be moving towards colors and accessories and less-so the actual shape of garments themselves. It doesn’t matter whether a person’s jeans are low-rise, flared, skinny or loose, but whether or not they're styled correctly. Of course, being styled “correctly” tends to be dependant on arbitrary trends, but there are plenty of classic looks that work for any decade.
Bella Hadid wears Von Dutch jeans like it's 2002
Her latest retro look, though, is a divisive one and, for many of us, it will always feel too soon. Remember Von Dutch? Yep, well, Bella's rocking jeans emblazoned with the iconic logo like it's 2002 and it's a blast from the past alright.
As for accessories, Bella finished the 'fit with jewellery from the same era, including a pair of oversized hoop earrings, layered necklaces and stacked bangles.
The model captioned the post "besos" (which is Spanish for 'kisses', FYI), and, like, is it just me, or is she kinda rocking it?
Yep, Bella Hadid can make practically anything look chic. While I'm still pretty sure that my Von Dutch days are firmly behind me, who knows how we'll feel about the brand in the next year? Never say never, right?
Lauren Graham Asks Twitter to Settle the Skinny Jean Debate
SOS! Millennials thought they said sayonara to low rise jeans and butterfly clips way back when, but then Gen Z challenged every fashion trend ever — declaring skinny jeans a thing of the past. The world has been back and forth on the style stalemate — and now Lauren Graham is giving her two scents on the issue.
"Calling all Fashion People! I need your help. Are skinny jeans over, and does every blouse now require a giant Bridgerton-level balloon sleeve? This is what I'm seeing on the streets out there, and I am very frightened," the 54-year-old actress wrote on Twitter on April 6, 2021.
The proposition was quickly met with a slew of responses, with tweeters taking both sides. Those in favor of skinny jeans — also the age group that fondly remembers Graham during the Gilmore Girls days — shared their love for skin-tight pants.
"The thing about all of this is that it seems to me that giant balloon sleeves go better with skinny jeans than other jeans. What are you supposed to wear on the bottom with balloon sleeves if not skinnies," one person writes.
Others poked fun at Gen-Z style in general, pointing out that some of the more recent fashion trends, like knit sweater shrugs that just cover the neck and shoulders, aren't all too great.
"I hear the skin jeans are out thing but then it's supposedly coming from the Gen Z camp. As I have no clue what that means, I've decided I'm too old (at 36) to let it bother me. You always look great, so wear what you feel comfortable in. Much love LG," a tweeter writes.
Alas, those born after 1998 laid their cards on the table, insisting that it's time to permanently put skinny jeans to rest. In fact, one user even posted a photo tutorial of how to rock both the wide leg denim trend and puff sleeves reminiscent of proms from years' past.
"No more skinny jeans BUT straight leg jeans with rips and big sleeves are definitely in :)) this is what I've been wearing a lot of," writes the high-school aged girl.
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