Style
16 Most Controversial Trends of the Decade
Trends come and go, but sometimes a trend can leave its mark on history. Sometimes clothes can cause outrage, nostalgia or other strong emotions that leave a mark on the people that experience it. Over the past decade, there have been several trends that have caused an uproar amongst the masses, and even designers have given their two cents on the subject. The one thing the following trends have in common is that they got people talking. Read on for the 16 of the most controversial trends of the decade.
Controversial trends of the decade.
1.) Rave culture – Remember the fuss about raves? Kids growing up in the 90s enjoyed trance music, garage bands, jungle juice and all kinds of horrible things.
photo credit: Dubfreaks Present Get Down!
They dressed in colourful clothing including UFO pants and more Rainbow Bright gear than you can shake a stick at. Accessory choices included glow sticks in every colour, candy necklaces, baby pacifiers and ridiculously small backpacks.
If all of that wasn’t enough to make you shake your head in bewilderment, rampant drug use was also a problem. Using illegal substances was so common that drug use become permanently connected with the term rave. Today’s parents worry that their kids are popping molly if they sweat to much, but parents in the 90s were worried about a whole different beast. Often bright clothing and a crummy taste in music was the first sign of a problem.
2.) Metrosexuals – In the 90s, the term metrosexual came into the vocabulary. Metrosexuals are men whose grooming habits were considered a bit over the top for the time. They tended to spend excessive time on hair and clothes, always wanting to look their best. Metrosexual was a term applied to straight men who had homosexual tendencies when it came to fashion, but weren’t necessarily homosexual themselves.
How things have changed now huh? These days, pretty much all us guys are metrosexual and no one bats an eyelid!
3.) Baggy pants – What started as a prison trend to let the other boys in stripes know who was and who wasn’t available for a rendezvous in the shower, soon branched out to men and boys pretending to be men. The baggy pants trend became a hallmark of hip-hop lovers and the trend became so extreme that boys were literally wearing their pants around their knees.
photo credit: Come on dude, pull those pants up!
4.) Limited sneakers – The Jordans craze happened in the mid 80s, but in the 90s the media figured out the trend and gave it some attention. However, the attention wasn’t good and the media chose to talk about people killing other people for the shoes. When Jordans are released today, you can expect riots, beatings and much more chaos than a pair of shoes should be worth.
5.) White wall tees – Take a simple white t-shirt and completely mess it up to create your own white wall tee. White wall tees have elongated features and are the t-shirt of choice for drug dealers and thugs. The style is so popular amongst society’s finest that cops often look for them when patrolling neighborhoods. This has caused clubs to ban the shirts and for some people to call profiling for the tees a form of racial stereotyping.
6.) Flip flops – Flip flops are a great choice for wearing around the house or in the shower at college. They aren’t a great choice as your everyday footwear.
photo credit: Sunburnt Ankles
If you’re not headed to the beach, leave the flip flops at home and wear a pair of shoes that cost more than $2. There’s just something unattractive about men running around town with their feet showing.
7.) Americana – In the late 2000s to early 2010s, men decided that Americana was a look that was in. Stylish fellas everywhere could be seen sporting raw denim, Chambray shirts and Red Wing boots. It was like washing yourself in true America and if you didn’t participate, well, you probably drove a foreign car, lived with your momma and had zero American pride. Unfortunately, the so-called Patriots that wore the gear didn’t realize the workwear’s past history which pretty much can be summed up with the words suffrage and racism.
8.) Keffiyehs – The middle eastern staple piece became popular amongst Western men in the mid-2000s. The neckwear was worn in protest to Palestinian nationalism and as a fashion symbol. Eventually the neckwear became synonymous with pro-terrorism which pretty much spelled the end of the trend.
9.) Navajo designs – Native American designs are always popular, but brands using the Navajo designs for fashion can sometimes cause an uproar. Some brands have tried to bring honor to the tribe with their designs while others have just tried to capitalize on the popularity to make a buck. The Navajo Nation has sued brands for trademark infringement and other mistakes.
10.) Crocs – Crocs are those ugly foam shoes that slip on and are worn by small children and unfashionable adults.
photo credit: Colored feet
The brand debuted in 2004 and is notorious for being comfortable, albeit unstylish. The shoe is so unstylish that it’s almost cool for being so uncool.
11.) Vulgarity – In an attempt to rebel against what men are supposed to act like in polite society, street wear designers started injecting their designs with vulgarity. How cute. Anti-establishment messages and offensive language came together to create a trend that couldn’t die off fast enough.
12.) Bandanas – If you’re not robbing a bank or travelling through the wild west, there’s no place in your wardrobe for a bandana. Men who wear the fabric around their neck look ridiculous and the paisley patterns are not nice enough for wearing in a pocket square. They do however work nicely to display your gang affiliation or sexual preference.
13.) Skirts and Kilts – Hip hop stars like Kanye West thought it would be a good idea to try and make man-skirts a thing. However, fans were left wondering what the heck just happened as their favourite stars jumped around with way too much man thigh showing. Normal citizens quickly realized that most men could never pull the look off in public and thankfully the man skirt died a swift death.
14.) Steel toe boots – There are very few occasions that a steel toe boot is a necessity for a man. Working outside in a dangerous profession is one such occasion, but living in an area where it snows is not. Steel toe boots are heavy, dangerous and pretty uncomfortable. Men would be wise to put the workwear away when they aren’t working and opt for something a little softer.
15.) Wife beaters – Wife beaters is the name given to the skinny armed tanks that were once known as under-shirts.
photo credit: 40+328 WBW
The sleeveless symbols of class are often associated with men who are financially and intellectually inept.
16.) Ugly sweaters – During the holiday season, ugly sweaters can be seen in offices and homes everywhere. The bulky, often knit sweaters are becoming a fun office game with the person with the ugliest, most offensive design winning a prize and the acclaim of finding the ugliest sweater imaginable. Thrift stores put out some of their more promising designs at Christmas time, hoping to cash in on the unstylish game.
Are there any others you would add to the list? Let us know!
