BY MEGHAN BAEHL, STAFF WRITER
Is Y2K fashion really fashionable? It’s the return of the low-rise jean. Y2K fashion refers to a stylistic trend that blankets the fashion of the late-90s and early-to-mid 2000s. The aesthetic is mad distinctive, and whether you realize it or not, you are most likely partaking in it.
Both futuristic (citing Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century) and timelessly iconic (literally any fit worn by Britney Spears or Paris Hilton) Y2K fashion has resurfaced. Whilst it may be iconic, it is far from beyond reproach.
When it first began to resurface, it took form in Rachel Green from “Friends” era, heavy on the high-rise mom jeans and clothes that look like you might have stolen them from the back of the aforementioned mom’s closet. Lovingly, layerable mom jeans provided comfort as well as confidence.
However, Y2K fashion is more complex. At the epicenter of it all is the low-rise jean. As a child, I was traumatized by the material cutting into my stomach underneath my two-layered camis and shrug sweater. I may have developed a bias due to the trauma, but I find that the jeans arguably are not comfortable for anyone.
Something is not fashionable if it is flattering standing up but not sitting down. I am slightly a subscriber to the notion that beauty is pain, but that is only when determining my weekend outfit without fully considering how brick western NY weather is. Y2k fashion in the form of baby tees, layering, baguette bags, and bitchy sunglasses is what I want to see. Burn the low-rise jeans! If it is your thing and you look hot, more power to you.
I am not here to shame anyone into not wearing them, but I am also not going to be joining you.
