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# Hip Huggers Are Back, and Now I Need a Hug
- URL: https://www.tawnymagazine.com/hip-huggers-are-back-and-now-i-need-a-hug/
- Published: 2026-09-26T17:49:09.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-26T17:49:09.000Z
- Description: Low-rise jeans are back, and millennials everywhere are having flashbacks. But are hip huggers just another Y2K trend, or a sign that skinny culture is making a comeback?
- Author: Mikayla Blair
- Tags: Fashion, Trends, Y2K Fashion, Style, Body Positivity, All Fashion

Listen. I’m all about the [Y2K trends that have been coming back in recent years](https://www.tawnymagazine.com/a-bald-middle-aged-man-told-me-bandage-dresses-were-back-he-was-right/). At least I thought I was, until I went shopping for a new pair of jeans recently and walked smack dab into a display of, wait for it, LOW-RISE JEANS.

No. Nope. No way. Don’t make me go back there!

I get it. They’re cute. At least they’re cute on the perfectly trim Britney Spears bodies of the world (or Ariana Grande, I guess, if you’re not actually from the 2000s). But for those of us with *ahem* hips and other “assets,” if you will, “cute” is not exactly the word that comes to mind.

But this isn’t simply a matter of a style looking better on one body type than another. If we want to put low-rise jeans back on the rack without sending high- and mid-rise back to the “mom jean” category, I’m here for it. You wear your jeans, I’ll wear mine.

My fears run a little deeper.

I worry this trend is yet another sign we’re bringing back more than hip huggers.

Skinny culture is back.

Again, no shade to the skinny girls. You look gorgeous, okay? But so do all you plus-sized divas and curvy bitches. Please don’t let the brutal murder of the body positivity era make you forget that just because big pharma and the fashion industry decided it was time to make us all feel bad about ourselves again so they could make a buck or two.

And what better way to do it than by ushering in the return of a jean style that just doesn’t work for most of us? After all, nothing can boost your confidence like a pair of jeans that fits *just* right. And on the flip side, nothing makes you feel worse about yourself than a pair that’s uncomfortable and makes you look like a burst can of biscuits (just me?!).

If you feel a giant pit in your stomach at the thought of skinny culture coming back, you’re probably one of the many millennials who survived it the first time around. And if not, well, let me give you some context.

---

## The Power of Denim: How Hip Huggers Shaped a Generation

There’s nothing like a great pair of jeans. And after 30 years as a denim fanatic, I’ve seen my share of trends.

Flared, straight-leg, skinny. You name it, I’ve worn it. And I’ve had fun with it… mostly.

Let’s just say the original low-rise era wasn’t my best. At least not in terms of style.

Although I have endlessly warm, fuzzy memories of the 2000s, plenty of them are also tainted by the insecurities of a young girl trying to make the era’s styles work around growing pubescent hips.

It did nothing for my self-esteem.

But the jeans were just a symptom of a deeper issue.

For those of you who weren’t there, let me paint a picture.

What we’ve now dubbed “2000s skinny culture” was pretty hardcore. It wasn’t simply that skinny was the “it” look. It was THE look.

Celebrities, fashion trends, and tabloids gone wild worked together to tell women everywhere that if you didn’t fit the stick-thin mold, you were hot garbage.

Even women who were objectively quite slim were body-shamed and treated in all kinds of horrible and demeaning ways on TV. Don’t believe me? Just go back and watch an interview, any interview, with a female celebrity from the 2000s.

You can only imagine the repercussions of sending this message to young women having a hard time learning to love their bodies anyway.

Restrictive diets, disordered eating, and related physical and mental health issues [ran rampant during the 2000s](https://sarahleerecovery.com/y2k-fashion-and-body-issues/?ref=tawnymagazine.com).

It was a dark time.

But how did low-rise jeans fit into this craziness?

They were just one piece of the highly exclusionary fashion trends of the time. Hip huggers, baby tees, and miniskirts were just what young people wore.

If you wanted to be stylish, you had to try to make these pieces work. And if you didn’t feel comfortable, you could always try the granny department.

Good luck wearing that to school.

In case it isn’t obvious, the sight of jeans riding nice and low has me a little triggered. The last thing I want is for my children to grow up in the same toxic environment in which “heroin chic” was a coveted look.

To me, these jeans are just one more sign that skinny culture is back in a big way. With the use of weight-loss drugs at an [all-time high](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/07/07/americans-are-taking-weight-loss-drugs-record-numbers/?ref=tawnymagazine.com), celebrities dropping pounds, and [#SkinnyTok](https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/06/24/nx-s1-5438391/tiktok-body-image-diet?ref=tawnymagazine.com) taking things so far that the platform actually had to ban the hashtag, we should all be paying attention.

Exclusionary fashion trends are just one piece in a bigger picture. One that affects all of us whether we like it or not.

But, in an effort to be fair, I have to consider whether my trauma from the original low-rise era is creating a bias toward this trend today. After all, we’re coming off the body positivity movement, and this time around the look *is* a little different.

---

## So, What’s the Deal with 2026 Low-Rise?

The thing about low-rise jeans today is that they’re kind of hard to classify as “hip huggers” in the traditional sense.

Some might even say they’re [closer to mid-rise](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1563043765493554) than the true low-rise that we experienced in the 2000s. 

While old-school hip huggers sat low and tight below the hip bone, today’s low-rise pants are worn a little higher, more on or just above the hip bone, with a looser fit.

They’re like the love child of Y2K hip huggers and mid-rise slouch pants.

Still exposing the midriff, but not your underwear.

*Whew.*

And, like millennials themselves, the low-rise look is a bit more grown-up than it used to be.

These days, we’re [pairing hip-hugging denim with more refined pieces](https://www.glamour.com/story/how-to-style-low-rise-jeans-in-2026?ref=tawnymagazine.com), like oversized jackets and sweaters, or with simple tops that let the jeans have all the attention.

This definitely allows more wiggle room when it comes to styling for your figure. 

Some professionals in the fashion industry, like stylist Catherine Bibeau, even go so far as to argue that this generation of low-rise is celebratory of different bodies, not exclusive to thin frames. And, like with most fashion, it’s about the way you wear it, she tells [Real Simple magazine](https://www.realsimple.com/low-rise-jeans-8619998?ref=tawnymagazine.com). 

Bibeau explains that the trick to making low-rise flattering is to find the right cut for your body style. Bootcut can balance a curvier frame, for example, while a wide leg looks great on people with thicker thighs. 

Stylist Amaia Anderson echoes this sentiment in an [interview with Glamour](https://www.glamour.com/story/how-to-style-low-rise-jeans-in-2026?ref=tawnymagazine.com). She also talks about the importance of choosing the right top to make this look work for you. You can, of course, always wear a cropped shirt to expose more midriff if that’s your style. Or, if you prefer to show a little less skin, you can try a shirt that sits just above the waistband or tuck in a camisole.

“Don’t write off a trend before trying it,” she tells Glamour. “Fashion should feel fun, and low-rise jeans aren’t one-size-fits-all; there’s a version that can work for almost everyone. Once you understand what flatters your proportions and style them with confidence, they can become a surprisingly wearable staple.”

Although I’m glad to see some more inclusive conversations around this look these days, I still can’t ignore the other signs that when it comes to women’s bodies, slim is back in.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t address it.

![two women leaning on wall](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1565709611598-0c0e792d8924?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE1fHxkaWZmZXJlbnQlMjBzaXplZCUyMHdvbWVufGVufDB8fHx8MTc5MDM2Mjc2MXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)

Photo by [Alex Avalos](https://unsplash.com/@ialexavalos?ref=tawnymagazine.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)

---

## Trends Are for Clothing, Not Bodies

*“Bye-bye booty: Heroin chic is back”*

This headline from the [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2022/11/02/heroin-chic-is-back-and-curvy-bodies-big-butts-are-out/?ref=tawnymagazine.com) caused quite a frenzy when it was published in 2022.

Understandably so.

Thick booties and hourglass silhouettes had been THE look for over a decade.

Bouncing from the skinny culture of my youth to the “slim thick” body style that prevailed throughout my 20s was a bit of whiplash for me.

I went from feeling oversized, criticized, and uncomfortable in my own skin to suddenly having the look that everyone was after.

I can’t lie. I enjoyed the ease of having a naturally “in-style” body. I didn’t have to work for it. Fashionable clothing actually felt flattering and comfortable, and I felt a confidence in my own body that I hadn’t really experienced before.

But as a feminist, I could never really get behind it.

Because any trend that makes a little girl look at her own body and hate herself makes me fucking irate.

We’ve allowed Hollywood and the fashion industry to decide [what constitutes beautiful](https://sites.psu.edu/isabellaenglishblog/2024/10/07/the-evolution-of-american-beauty-standards/?ref=tawnymagazine.com) for far too long. 

Hourglass was in during the 1950s. “Extreme thinness” was the look for the ’60s and ’70s. It was all about the athletic build in the ’80s. The ’90s and 2000s were “heroin chic.” We bounced back to curvy in the 2010s, and now we’re seeing the return of skinny.

So, what then? We all just have to take turns feeling beautiful?

My theory? This is the patriarchy keeping women so focused on how we look that we don’t have time to deal with the bigger issues at hand.

Plus, we’re hungry.

It’s high time we put an end to this bullshit.

Let me say this loud and clear: trends are for clothing, not bodies.

Having fitness goals you’re working toward is one thing. But trying to morph your natural physique into something it’s just not meant to be is another thing entirely.

It’s a drain on your resources, your time, your energy, and your mental health.

And it’s not just hurting you.

The young girls and women around us are watching.

They’re watching us acknowledge that the way we are isn’t good enough. That the attention of others is more important than how we feel about ourselves. That trends that come in cycles are worth a second of our time.

Clothing styles come and go, and come back around again.

But bodies should be healthy, not fashionable.

If the return of the low-rise style is simply that, a trending style, I have no beef with it.

But if history is any indication, I suspect that’s not the case.

There’s something beautiful about embracing your natural shape, thin and thick alike, and dressing in a way that looks and feels good on YOU.

Body positivity only dies if we let it.

So next time you’re in the dressing room, remember those jeans are supposed to fit you, not the other way around.

**I’m not going back. And you don’t have to either.**