The Highs and Lows of Low-Rise Jeans

The Highs and Lows of Low-Rise Jeans

Written by Olivia Flanz

Photographed by Lauren Mallett

The fashion trend cycle is rewinding everything back to Y2K fashion. This means many early-2000s staples have risen from the dead: bell-bottoms, leg warmers, and of course, low-rise jeans. A piece of clothing that I hated for the longest time.

I can still remember being ten and absolutely despising low-rise jeans. At the time I didn’t even know pants could be high-rise, so I would wear leggings every day to avoid wearing jeans or any other low-rise bottoms in general. It wouldn’t be until middle school that I realized jeans can in fact go above your hip bone. No shame to Britney Spears, but I couldn’t wrap my head around why someone would willingly want to wear low-rise jeans. I just felt so exposed whenever I wore them. You're never able to sit down, as the pants expose even the tiniest amount of belly when sitting down. I always thought there was no way to wear these jeans, and actually feel confident in how you look, while being comfortable. That is until this year, when I saw a pair of jeans I thought were cute. I tried them on and, to my surprise, I didn't hate how they looked on me. The biggest surprise… they were low-rise. 

For the first time in over a decade, a pair of low-rise jeans were willingly added to my closet. But now whenever I wear jeans I can’t help but wonder what happened? How did my brain do a total 180 when it came to low-rise? What finally clicked in my brain that now makes me think this style looks good? 

The first thought that came to my mind was that I was unconsciously following the Y2K style that’s now in. Maybe after seeing too many Pinterest boards, OOTD TikToks, and outfit inspiration videos, the internet’s obsession with early-2000s style finally seeped into my mind. Clearly I’d been brainwashed, and in a couple of months from now, when everyone including myself is finally over it, I would go back to thinking low-rise jeans are just as unappealing and uncomfortable as I did when I was ten. 

But something about my theory seemed… off. 

Like yes… we are all a bit brainwashed by the trend machine. Whenever there is a popular trend people are bound to follow it. According to social identity theory, it’s all human nature. We ultimately follow trends to fit in, which humans have been doing to survive for years—with people who fit in as the “in-group,” and those who can’t as the “out-group.” What was once a survival instinct for us is now reduced to subconsciously following the leader, and following cycles that last about every 20 years. Well, trend cycles used to last 20 years. Now the trend cycle feels too saturated. Because yeah, Y2K is trending, but so is coquette, and so is every other aesthetic clothing piece that can be found on Pinterest. Like, just because low-rise jeans are in, it doesn’t mean high-rise jeans are suddenly out like they would have been years ago. We used to have concise and solid trend cycles, able to distinguish what is “in” versus “out,” but now the lines are blurred. The trend cycle is so broken that it honestly feels like anything could be considered “trending.” 

This is why I think my new love for low-rise jeans isn't for some phase. I just happened to try low-rise jeans at the right time in my life. The narrative for low-rise jeans was much different in the early 2000s. Low-rise seemed to only fuel diet culture since it was advertised to only one body type. Meanwhile “Mom Jeans,” or high-rise jeans, were advertised for older women and women in general who don’t fit this perfect mold, and “can’t” wear low-rise jeans. It also implies that once you are a mom you need to cover your stomach… but that’s a whole other barrel of monkeys. 

But today, low-rise is more often being pushed for all body types, embracing curves and tummies in general. There’s less pressure to feel like you need to suck in your stomach, just to ensure your stomach constantly looks flat. Your body isn’t going to look the same as you keep getting older. Heck, your body doesn’t look the same throughout the day, so why have we been trying so hard to prove that it does? With this lessened pressure, it makes sense why I, like many others, have given low-rise jeans another chance. Unlike when I was younger, I don’t feel pigeonholed to wear one style of jeans, but instead, I have the freedom to try the different varieties that jeans have to offer.

So sure, maybe I am in fact brainwashed by some fad, but I have also grown to learn that I can wear any jeans, low or high, comfortably.