Unpopular Opinion (Maybe?) I’m Keeping My Skinny Jeans, and You Should Too: Tried and True Rules I Keep Coming Back To

If your friend group is like mine, you know the text is coming before a day (or night) out…we tend to stick to daytime, we’re tired. Whatever your flavor.

Maybe it’s prompted by you. Maybe your friend makes the first move. You kind of stand by while getting ready, letting your hair air dry, anxiously laying out options until somebody takes the plunge.

Even in my 30’s, the question still comes up:

“What are you going to wear?”

And if you’re like me, you begin to assess and second guess your options from this crowdsourcing.

One would think you eventually stop caring. One would hope you are confident and savvy and all “I’ll wear whatever the heck I want, trends and friends be damned”. Maybe you’re someone reading this that has stopped caring. I give you props.

I can pretend…but I’m simply not one of those people. “You’re wearing a dress? Well, it is kind of warm…”

But Google tells me I’m not alone in thinking twice. My last spiral centered around skinny jeans. When I began to type in “Are skinny…”, I saw a myriad of inquiring minds had already beat me to the punch:

“Are skinny jeans coming back?”

“Are skinny jeans out?”

“Are skinny jeans in style 2024?”

“Are skinny jeans still in?”

“Are skinny jeans BACK for fall 2024?”

I had heard the whispers, sure. I had seen the Gen Z stares. But is it true: are my favorite jeans branding me with a scarlet letter? Do I have to rid my go-to look in favor of a baggier fit?

It feels and sounds ridiculous. Maybe your fashion faux pas isn’t skinny jeans. But I bet you have something. Something that makes you feel good, that you’re not sure is “in” or “out” according to society anymore (who decides this stuff anyway?)

When this happens to me, I tend to overthink it then I either:

1) wear what I had originally planned, or

2) I wear what I think I “should” wear.

Each time I choose the latter, the feeling is the same: this is fine, but I don’t feel as confident as if I went with my original choice. And what I know to be true about me rears its head once again… I simply like what I like.

If this happens to you too, some tried and true rules I seem to keep coming back to:

1) Trust your own judgment: you know best what makes you look and feel beautiful.

I have friends that look great in Birkenstocks, friends that rock strapless bikinis, friends that love crop tops. None of those friends are me. Other opinions are fine but yours matters most. I’m better off being confident in my choice, knowing what cuts work best for me versus trying to be somebody I’m not.

2) Trial the trends, invest in the classics.

It’s fun to try trends and create new looks. I love bright pops of color, bold patterns, and yes, I even like the occasional baggy pant. But I also know I won’t want that look all the time. For me, I’m better off treating myself to a colorful bag for summer from Marshall’s while I save up for a classic black bag for my every day.

3) Be yourself: Wear what makes you feel the most “you”.

As Forrest Gump said (I’m obsessed), some things go together like peas and carrots. What goes best with you? What’s your uniform? Rinse and repeat for satisfactory results and way less decision making.

Next time the second guessing gremlins come out, I’m going to predict that I’ll jump right back down that rabbit hole. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll try and remember to be me, and climb back out…in my skinny jeans, obviously.

What about you? Do you ever deal with this same anxiety? What are your go to fashion “rules” that prove themself true again and again? Until next time…