Millennials and denim trends: Why your jeans suddenly feel outdated

Many millennials are finding the skinny jeans they wore through the 2010s suddenly feel outdated as wider, high‑waisted “mom” styles and looser cuts come back. What once seemed timeless has become volatile: waistlines rise and fall, legs widen and narrow, and a pair you reach for daily can start to feel like a dated choice.

Denim is both practical and emotionally loaded. Because jeans sit close to the body and are worn often, changing silhouettes can feel personal, touching on identity, age and how the wearer is perceived. Behavioral psychologist Carolyn Mair says the fashion industry deliberately builds in this social obsolescence, and that looking old is something most people try to avoid.

Trends have accelerated thanks to social media and pandemic habits. Wide-leg and baggier styles rose on runways and with influencers around 2017, then spread more slowly to the mass market, while skinny sales dipped in 2021.

millennials, skinny jeans, mom jeans, high waisted, wide leg, baggy styles, denim, social media, pandemic habits, influencers