About That Skinny Jeans Thing:: To my Fellow Millennials

Here’s what I think about the Gen Z-ers saying skinny jeans and side parts are for old people::

They’re right. From an elder millennial {born in 1983}, I believe them when they tell us what’s trendy right now. And I also believe them when they tell me I’m old. I mean, they’re 20-something and I’m 37! I get that 30-40 is old to them. I remember when it seemed old to me too. And when they push back against our fashion choices and set their own standards for what’s trendy, it’s actually very, very normal. They’re finding their look and their identity and I’m here for it. Like children growing into adolescence who rebel against the status quo- it’s a natural progression of growing up. If you’ll remember, we Millennials were there not so very long ago, telling our own mothers why their jeans were bad and their hair was wrong. In my memory, the waists of their jeans were too high and their permed hair was too big. I wanted my hair stick straight and my belly unrestricted and free in my low-rise jeans, thank you very much.

My real disappointment in this whole skinny jeans debacle is how my generation is responding to these youngins’. We’ve snapped back with a lot of hot takes, “sit-downs,” and “listen-ups” rather than with a “you look cute!” or maybe even “where can I get jeans like that?” It seems our defensiveness is another sign of our age along with our skinny jeans and side parts. If we’re so confident in our current look, why not let that speak for itself? Let’s wear what we want, let the Gen Zers do the same, and pass off the judgment we may be feeling with a little “bless your heart” and a reminder to ourselves that one day they’ll get old too.

What’s the Point?

Laura Brown, editor in chief of In Style was asked in 2018 about the purpose of fashion and I absolutely love her response:: “Joy. That is the purpose of fashion for me. The joy of wearing something that makes you feel powerful or beautiful or in control… It’s not about feeling less than — less cool, less rich, less skinny {as I know fashion can so often do}. It’s about what makes you feel better.”

So, as a 37-year-old Millennial who likes to change things up every now and then, and who never wants to make someone feel less than because of their taste in fashion, I’m willing to take notes from the generation behind us. I don’t want to be accused of shutting someone out or putting them down just because they’re young. We already know Gen Z is the most tech-savvy and racially diverse generation yet. We may have much to learn from them in the years to come. And have you seen their Tik Tok dances?!? {Insert mind-blown emoji.} I have only ever danced like that in my wildest dreams.

So why not listen to the next generation {that in many ways we have influenced, taught, and helped raise!} and be proud of them for their individuality, rather than belittling them? As millennials, we’re all too familiar with how it feels to have the generation above you railing against you for something that seems completely unfair. Remember the whole “Millennials are so entitled” narrative? It was a blanket statement we heard over and over {and still hear sometimes!} from the Baby-Boomer generation that was at best an annoying stereotype and at worst a dehumanizing diatribe. Now, perhaps in part because of this narrow-minded labeling, the phrase “Ok, Boomer” has even earned a spot on Dictionary.com where it is defined as a way “to call out or dismiss out-of-touch or closed-minded opinions associated with the baby boomer generation.” Are we now on our way to earning our own phrase?

Let’s All Just Wear What We Want

I guess what it comes down to is that I never want to be so stubbornly set in my ways {whether they are political, religious, or even fashion-related} that I close myself off to taking in new information. Even if this information comes from someone younger than me. When it comes to fashion, I can experiment with new trends if I want to, or I can stick with my old tried and true skinny jeans without getting upset about it. Let’s all just calm down, acknowledge we’re getting older, choose to love ourselves exactly as we are, and wear whatever the heck we want.

So yeah, the truth is, I’ve started parting my hair down the middle {ever since I cut some desperate quarantine bangs last fall}. I’ve also ordered and tried on a few different styles of jeans lately because the Covid pounds are real, y’all, and my tried and true old skinnies ain’t feelin’ so hot right now!! But here’s the thing, trends are not one size fits all. Trends will always come and go. Fashion is about joy. Let’s wear what we want and demonstrate the wisdom we’ve gained in our “old” age by allowing that same grace for the next generation too.

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