The revival of Y2K fashion may be the most popular resurgence in modern fashion history. Every shade of pink possible, the desperate scavengers clearing out thrift stores, and 20 years of technological advancement being edited down to emulate grainy film and video. There are assuredly tell-tale signs of the Y2K craze. But aside from the greedy resellers, those hoping to participate in the trend face another dilemma.
Y2K fashion wasn’t very size-inclusive.
Misnomer
The Y2K era is designated to be from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. This fashion era cannot be separated from pop culture. Everyone’s favorite young celebrities were decked out in now the patented Y2K and McBling looks. Whether it was at the MTV Awards, paparazzi shots of coffee runs, or now-iconic rom-coms, Y2K was everywhere.
However, the current trend is a misnomer. Most proponents of the “Y2K” resurgence aren’t actually styling Y2K pieces.
Many of the looks being labeled Y2K are actually McBling.
The misconception has been so widespread that even those aware of the difference cannot effectively combat the mix-up.
McBling is the more viral fashion trend. All things hyper-feminine but “cool” (think Bad Girls Club and Mean girls) are McBling. Velour tracksuits, Juicy Couture purses, and all pink everything. Paris Hilton is the celebrity most often credited as being McBling.
But McBling is size exclusive.
There is a systemic reason why the celebrities heavily associated with the style are notably thin. Brands purposefully made their clothes exclusively for slim bodies. It is next to impossible to find the coveted vintage velour tracksuits in anything bigger than an extra-large.
One must also note that an extra-large during this era fits like a half-size between modern-day medium and large. Even modern sizing is critiqued due to there not being an adhered to industry standard. Sizing in the fashion industry is such a conundrum that it will receive its own deep dive on a different day.
What is Y2K Really?
I would argue that Y2K has two aesthetics underneath its umbrella. On one hand, there is the futuristic aesthetic. Popularized by Black musicians such as Janet Jackson, Missy Elliot, and TLC, Y2K pushed fashion and design into the future. It represented which direction people of the ’90s thought technology would advance in.
Futuristic Y2K was mostly confined to Black music videos, movies, and some high-end runways and magazines. But the look was not attainable for the everyday person; except for maybe a metallic lipstick.
On the other side of Y2K are the “grounded,” everyday looks. This is expansive as it includes styles such as:
- The “Bratz Doll” look
- Video girl / Popstar Tease
- Non-Trendy Trendsetter (heavily inspired by 90s grunge culture)
- The Neo-Soul Femme (exemplified above)
The more grounded, everyday looks that ran the runway of rom-coms and high school drama shows were accessible. Affordable, available in department stores, and more size-inclusive, the grounded looks are now overtaking the McBling craze.
This can be for a plethora of reasons: the broader color palette, wearability, familiarity, but namely these pieces are easier to find and more likely to have your size.
F* Fast Fashion
Fast Fashion is a term used in the clothing industry to describe the business model of replicating designs and trends, mass-producing the pieces at low cost, and bringing them to retail stores quickly while demand is highest.
The push for sustainability has been a long time coming. With growing climate change concerns and humanity’s impact on the environment ever apparent — reduce, reuse, recycle has truly become a way of life.
These are the two most common and effective ways that fashion lovers combat climate change and reduce their carbon footprint,
- Invest in clothing pieces that are constructed using best practices as well as made with better materials. These pieces are subsequently more expensive.
- Thrifting. Thrifting is cost-saving and prevents good clothing from wasting away in landfills. Concerns have arisen since the Y2K resurgence in late 2020. The ridiculous resellers would gut thrift stores in communities that rely on them. A word to the wise, try not to take more than what you need and will wear.
These steps are difficult for those who are on a tight budget, live in areas where the aforementioned thrift store raiders frequent, or whose clothing size is next to impossible to find in a particular style.
Fast fashion leads to overstocking, a significant drop in product quality, and waste. Pair this with severely underpaying workers, and fast fashion is a human rights issue.
One thing you have to remember is fast fashion is all about making the biggest buck. The market for plus-sized women’s clothing raked in over $150 billion dollars in 2020 alone. Fast Fashion makes sure to include plus-size women. They allow plus-sized women to wear clothes that are in style, something department stores have not succeeded in.
There have been many online retailers that have entered the plus-sized clothing, market. None have become as notorious as SHEIN.
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