In Defense of Skinny Jeans

Look, I know skinny jeans have gotten a bad rap lately. A millennial myself, I am also a middle school teacher and I have a Gen-Z sister-in-law. So I like to think that I am pretty up-to-date on style trends. There are tons of styles from about 2005-2012, or as I like to call them, The Naughty Aughties, that I was willing to let go of. Flat ironing our hair into oblivion, for example. The heavily penciled eyeliner. Abercrombie & Fitch everything. Even my side part. You get my point.

But when the kiddos of Tik Tok declared skinny jeans canceled...well, that's just a bridge too far. From Friday night football games to hazy music shows in garages, wriggling into a pair of skinny jeans was a near-sacred experience for the teenagers of my generation. Yes, you sometimes had to lay down flat on your bed and suck your stomach in to get them to button. Yes, they came in an entire range of eye-popping, neon colors. And yes, a lot of people are tossing their skinnies into the nearest thrift store basket, ready to take on the world in wide-cut and flared denim. But for me, skinny jeans will always make me feel nostalgic for my high school days, the ding of my AIM messenger, and sending "rawr" via text on my non-smartphone.

Even though skinny jeans are "out" along with our side parts and laughing-crying emojis, I feel like I owe it to the era of skin-tight denim to send them off with one final defense and plea for understanding. Part argumentative essay and part eulogy, with no further ado, I give you my top three reasons to bring back skinny jeans.

Show Off Your Shoes

Groundbreaking, I know. But it's true. Skinny jeans are the ideal denim to show off your favorite pair of shoes. In my day, it was Converse or Vans, though we wouldn't sneer at a comfy pair of Old Navy flip-flops. But skinny jeans work with all kinds of footwear, and they are still perfect to wear with your favorite pair of fall booties, your Timberlands, your ballet flats. With a chic blazer and your favorite heels, skinny jeans dress up perfectly for a casual Friday at the office or date night. With their tapered fit around the ankle, skinny jeans let you make a statement with your shoes. Not so with oversized bell bottoms and long boot cuts.

Endlessly Versatile

The flashy shoes benefit of skinny jeans brings me to my next point, which is that skinny jeans are an extremely versatile article of clothing. I feel like some other cuts of denim work best with a certain aesthetic, or can be worn in a few combinations with shirts and shoes from your closet and still look great. Not so with skinny jeans. Your favorite band t-shirt? Perfect. A dressy work blouse? Great! A summer tank top and sandals? No problem! Skinny jeans can be dressy or casual and work equally well for preppy, grunge, and boho styles, and every style in between. They come in all kinds of colors and washes, and most crucially, you can hit your local thrift store and find every color of the rainbow in rejected skinnies from back in my day. Skinny jeans are the ultimate denim in versatility, and I am willing to die on that hill.

Universally Flattering

There, I said it. I said it knowing that might possibly be the most controversial statement in the skinny jeans debate. I have heard a lot about how skinny jeans only really look good on very thin people, or that skinny jeans are too tight and will highlight people's imperfections and flaws. I am here to reject that skinny jeans only look good on certain people and instead argue that they are almost universally flattering. Long before today's body positivity movement took off, I was rocking my skinnies as a girl who had always had some thighs and a belly. And I saw my friends with all kinds of body shapes enjoying life to the fullest and looking FAB in their skinny jeans. The tightness of the denim elongates the body and supports the butt. The variety of washes and colors lets people represent their aesthetic and personality to the fullest. The jeans don't even necessarily have to be marketed by gender, as the cut is pretty much the same whether it's marketed to males or females. Yes, no matter what the fashion gurus tell you, skinny jeans are the ultimate, flattering fit and their versatility means they can be enjoyed by everyone.

So there it is. My final ode to skinny jeans, one last plea for forgiveness for this misunderstood denim. I am not the trendiest person in the world, but I have to admit that I have made way in my closet for other kinds of jeans. Since hitting my twenties and becoming a mother, my skinnies have also made way for comfortable leggings and yoga pants. But this iconic denim cut of my high school years will forever live on in my heart...and in the back of my closet...just waiting again for their day in the sun.