Low-rise jeans are making a comeback, and millennials who remember the 2000s trend are less than happy. TheFashion moves in endless cycles, old is new, then new is old again and so on. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes, sometimes we repeat them. But no matter how you feel about low waist jeans, they're back and you're not alone. The other styling trick we last saw in the '00s is also back - the visible thong or wearing low-rise jeans with visible straps.
The 2022 trend is part of a broader interest among Gen Z and TikTok users in Y2K styling. Videos with the hashtag #lowrisejeans have been viewed 79.6 million times or more on the platform (February 2022 data).
What's even worse for Millennials is that Generation Z isn't the only one behind the low rise resurgenceJeans trends for womenis responsible. 2000s fashion is back on everyone's lips thanks to celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna and New York Fashion Week.
What did low rise jeans look like in 2000?
Low-waisted jeans were too tight and uncomfortable
Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton undJennifer Lopezwere the queens of low rise jeans in the early 2000s. For those who weren't teenagers back then, one of the reasons Millennials and Generation Xers aren't happy about the return of low-waisted jeans is the fact that they were completely uncomfortable.
Ordinary things like getting in and out of a car, picking up a phone you just dropped, or sitting in your seat during a performance quickly became unusually awkward situations. Even spending hours at the gym working out your abs won't save you from the humiliation of accidentally flashing your butt in public.
Ladies with curves couldn't wear them
What fashion experts hadn't considered in 2000 was how people with wider hips who were still learning to love them would fit into the fashion for low-waisted jeans. Back then, even the smallest curves made it difficult to feel comfortable in jeans that were dangerously tight on the lower body.
What the updated low waist jeans look like
However, we must admit that this time brands have rethought the model of low-waisted jeans by making them more wearable. Take a look at some of the updated options.
Low rise baggy jeans are more comfortable for women
As a world-renowned model and activist, Bella Hadid has had a huge influence on what is becoming a trend in the fashion world. Hadid has repeatedly been spotted wearing baggy, low-rise jeans. Hailey Bieber has also joined the ever-growing fan club of the new low-rise jeans trend.
Model Julia Fox, best known for her brief romance with Kanye "Ye" West and her role in Uncut Gems, was spotted wearing hipsters that she cut off herself. In a recent Instagram clip, she showed her followers how to cut off her high-waisted jeans to make them more fitted. “They’re much nicer like this,” she says at the end, putting them on.
During her “Future Nostalgia” world tour, Dua Lipa took a photo of herself wearing low-waisted jeans and a red top.
Women with feminine curves can also wear them
Kim Kardashian shared a photo on Instagram in which she is wearing extremely baggy low-rise jeans that are ripped at the knees. Low-waisted jeans aren't the traditional choice for a pregnant woman, unless she's Rihanna.
Back in February, she explained that she uses fashion to cheer herself up on the days when her pregnancy torments her, and we can only envy her confidence.
Thong is no longer visible
Kendall Jenner has attended many fashion shows. She has represented leading brands such as Chanel, Victoria's Secret, Prada and Michael Kors. In 2018, she was the highest-paid supermodel, earning over $22 million that year.
Kendall was spotted trying out the visible thong. Instead of wearing the jeans low so that the underwear is visible, the straps are sewn into the waistband.
