A plea from a victim of early 2000s fashion
Ever since I’ve gotten into fashion and styling, being the gay man I am, there has been one era of fashion that has consistently stuck out to me as absolutely horrendous. Unfortunately, it’s also an era that has been making a resurgence in fashion. Most well known for Abercrombie, low-rise jeans, flip-flops with everything, Juicy Couture tracksuits, and way too many layers in the wrong way… its the early 2000’s. Looking like you were a child that dressed themself for the first time really was in style.
The uprise in returning trends from the 2000s brings back flashbacks to the death grip it had on my style as a kid. Growing up, I had little to no input on the clothes I wore, since my family was low-income. My style was entirely dependent on what we could afford, often leading from thrifted clothes from the early 2000s rather than the newer clothes of the 2010s. Looking back at old photos of myself has me in fear of who allowed me out of the house like that. The long shirt over jeans, the polo with patterned shorts, the FLIP-FLOPS?? Truly terrifying.
Now don’t get me wrong, some of the trends of the time really weren’t all that bad. Returning trends have also been greatly improved from when they were first in fashion in the 2000’s. What I mean by early 2000’s fashion though, is not Y2K. I mean the outfits worn in popular media that generated the general style itself. Some of the strongest examples found in media were actually often found in Disney Channel shows and movies, such as Wizards of Waverly Place, Camp Rock, and Hannah Montana. If you want a specific example, I’d point you to this picture of Anne Hathaway at the time, in which she wore a pink dress over jeans. The thought that even celebrities dressed this way is crazy to me.
For those who don’t get horrible flashbacks to this fashion nightmare, 2008 was the year the song “La La Land” by Demi Lovato came out. If that name doesn’t ring a bell maybe the lyrics will. “Who said I can’t wear my Converse with my dress? Oh baby, that’s just me!” I mean you go girl! Maybe you can even wear those absolutely beautiful Converse pants Willow Smith wore. Something about the tasteless way clothes were combined could put me on an early deathbed. I mean, it was the time when Scene first came into fashion, so who didn’t love the spiky side swept bangs?
For the most part, it’s the styling of clothes that I hate. I mean, I love Converse, flannels, and all the shows that share this horrible era of fashion. Even most of the iconic items from the era would be okay if styled correctly. Except those platform flip-flops. If I never saw them again, it would be too much. In all reality, it’s entirely likely I’m overreacting. If you’re a fan of this era, no shame, but there is judgment. You really could never convince me to like it, let alone wear something like that ever again. As much as I just hated the style of this time though, fashion really is just about self-expression. It’s all about being comfortable with who you are. Just PLEASE don’t wear those platform flip-flops, I’m begging you!