Can we talk about how it feels like we’ve time-traveled to the early 2000s? Everywhere you look — low rise jeans, baby tees, chunky sneakers, it is all straight out of a Lizzie McGuire episode. Y2K fashion is officially back, and I have so many thoughts. Are we bringing back the highlights of the 2000s, or are we just straight up copying everything our older siblings and relatives used to wear?
Fashion is always recycling trends. Just like how our parents rocked 80s styles in the early 2000s, we’re now obsessed with butterfly clips, and velour tracksuits. But why this year? Blame the social media platform Tiktok. Aesthetic driven trends blow up so fast and Y2K fashion just looks good in social media. Glossy lips, metallics, and bright colors are all super eye-catching. Plus, celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa have been rocking 2000s inspired looks, so of course, the internet followed.
Are we just copying the 2000s? Yes and no. Some outfits look like they were stolen from Paris Hilton’s 2003 closet, but Gen Z is definitely putting a modern twist on it. Back then, people weren't styling Y2K with oversized blazers, platform crocs, or thrifted finds like we do now. Plus, we've learned from some questionable trends of the past, so we left ultra thin eyebrows and layered tank tops behind.
Also lets be real, some 2000s trends should not come back. Low rise jeans are cute on social media, but in real life they're just uncomfortable and stressful. And I don't want to hear about the “thin is in” body standard that came with the 2000s fashion. We have had a huge embracement with spreading body positivity.
This could possibly be just a phase. Fashion trends come and go fast, and as much as we love Y2K right now, in a few years, we’ll probably be interested in something new. But for now, rock the butterfly clips, wear the baggy jeans, and live your best 2000s inspired life.
At the end of the day, we might be copying the 2000s, but we're also making it our own. And to be honest, that's what makes fashion fun.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.