A generational fashion war has erupted on TikTok, with Gen Z users declaring skinny jeans passé and championing baggy styles reminiscent of the 1990s. Since January, over 274,000 videos tagged 'no skinny jeans' have appeared on the platform, alongside 8.3 million 'millennial v Gen Z' videos. The trend marks a clear shift away from the slim-fit jeans that dominated fashion since the mid-2000s.
Skinny jeans became mainstream in 2005 after featuring in Dior Homme's autumn/winter collection, designed by Hedi Slimane. The 27-inch leg opening was considered tiny, and the jeans cost around £200. According to Emma McClendon, author of 'Denim: Fashion's Frontier', 'Slimane's skinny jeans were significant for their cut, but also for the bodies he showed them on – incredibly skinny bodies, both of male and female models.' This changed denim advertising from a sensual look to a more androgynous, impossibly thin figure.
Gen Z users argue that skinny jeans are unflattering and promote unrealistic body standards. TikTok user @momohkd, with 410,000 followers, instructs viewers to 'throw their skinny jeans away, set them alight or cut them into something new.' The push for baggier fits aligns with Gen Z's social activism and calls for greater diversity and body inclusivity in fashion. Sales data from Edited shows men's relaxed-fit jeans up 15% and women's wide-legged jeans up 97%.
Despite the backlash, industry leaders believe skinny jeans will persist. Levi's CEO Chip Bergh told investors he doesn't 'think skinny jeans are ever going away on the women's side of the business.' McClendon notes that skinny jeans 'always have a way of bouncing back. They are an extremely versatile and adaptable garment that carry such a multitude of cultural meanings that they will never be irrelevant.'
