Why TikTok Hates Low-Rise Jeans

You may or may not have heard that low-rise jeans are back in style. If you lived through the late 1990s or early 2000s, you might have burned your versions of the denim, so this news might seem upsetting. Of course, if you loved this style, this news could have you searching your closet for any remaining pairs of the once-popular jeans.

InStyle blames the resurgence in popularity of the lower rise jeans on TikToker Addison Rae. The 19-year-old, who boasts around 82.1 million followers on the popular social media platform, is rooting for their return. "I love a low-rise moment, and everyone is going to realize that low-rise jeans are superior in the near future," Rae said. "Very soon, it's totally going to be a trend to just fully bring back the early 2000s. Luckily, my mom has kept plenty of clothes from that time, and I can just steal that from her." 

If you feel concerned about the changing denim style, holding onto your skinny jeans with all your might, you're not alone. According to Vox, for the most part, TikTokers don't want to return to the low-rise days, despite what Rae hopes will happen.

Some of the denim saga started when TikTok users started to make fun of millennials for wearing side parts and skinny jeans (via Vox). While many skinny jeans lovers from the millennial generation took it seriously, Vox noted that much of the TikTok hate directed at millennials was in jest and light-hearted. According to Independent, many TikTokers praising the re-emerging pants trend are Gen Z. However, users of the video platform from other generations expressed horror at the return of low-rise jeans.

Of the fad and its detractors, TikTok user Collin McCarthy, who goes by @theprincessandthepoppers, explained why some Millennial women might be triggered by the return of the style. "The low-rise pant that was popular ... your body was the fashion," he said. "You weren't showing off what you were wearing. You were showing off your stomach. If you were wearing anything above a size two, you were fat." He went on to say, "Millennial women learned that when they were going through their most formative years, when they were children and teenagers, and it takes a lot of rewiring to unlearn that." Others joined in and pointed out how the formerly stylish pants left out most body types, which is counter to what happened over the past decade (via Independent). Even if the jeans do become popular again, the new style might be a bit less harsh and more inclusive (via Refinery 29).