A Millennial’s Advice on How to Find the Perfect Gen-Z Jeans

A while ago, we published a roundup of our favorite “cute and cozy” winter bottoms. It featured seven pairs of skinny pants, tights, and leggings, some of which I owned myself.

Then it happened: A day later, I learned Gen-Z had canceled skinny pants — jeans, specifically. Baggy, boyfriend, and mom jeans were in.

This news was difficult to digest, especially in my skinny jeans that make everything hard to digest. Could somebody have maybe told me this before I hitched my wagon to an article full of canceled pants?

After spending the majority of my youth sucking in my belly so it didn’t flop over the top of the low-rise True Religion bell-bottoms that I begged my mom to get me from Filene’s Basement for Christmas, I thought our society had mutually agreed to send mom jeans (which were only flattering on Courteney Cox circa 1995) back to the hell from whence they came.

I’ve spent much of this summer filled with dread. Is that because temperatures are rising all over the world? Sure. Is it because the carefree days of summer will once again feel like a distant memory? Absolutely. Is it because I have an entire closet full of toothpick jeggings? Also true.

I knew it was time to work on my denim collection, so I started by Googling “cool jeans for young people” and buying the first pair that came up in the search results. When they arrived, I tore the package open, put them on, and looked in the mirror. This is what I saw. 

“Oh…dear,” I muttered at the diaper-clad old man who stared back at me. Through some dark magic, these pants had managed to take six inches off my legs and add them to my crotch. I needed some professional help.

With my tail between my now-canceled legs, I asked the youths at KCM for some fashion advice. “Part your hair in the middle,” they told me, to which I replied, “I meant about jeans,” through gritted teeth.

They told me to stop worrying about labels and just try on what felt right. Try men’s pants, they said. Buy a size up, they said.

I wasn’t going to let a dumb pair of pants get the best of me, so I listened to the youths and bought myself a pair of men’s Levis. I couldn’t bear the idea that colleagues would give me a mean nickname like “ole’ Emmy long-crotch,” so instead of consulting coworkers this time, I put on the jeans and asked my boyfriend what he thought. I mean these were “guy’s” jeans, after all.

“Is this that new ‘man repeller’ look that women are trying these days?” he asked. I considered throwing the pants into a fire. 

I’d already ordered a third pair: The barrel high rise jean from The Gap. Because “barrel” is the look we’re all striving for when it comes to our legs, right?

I reluctantly tried them on, looked at myself in the mirror, and felt like a girl of 28 again. I was euphoric. I’d done it: I’d found the perfect pair of cool-girl pants. I sent this photo to my boyfriend, expecting him to insist that this was in fact a picture of Billie Eilish. Instead, he simply wrote back: “Those are horrible.” 

This is when I realized I’d been asking all the wrong people for their pants opinions. I needed to listen to myself. They were going to be on my body, weren’t they?

I do know one thing: I could double in size and still fit into these jeans, with room to spare for a barrel or two. Maybe Gen-Z is onto something after all. 

If you’re seeking out a similar feeling, I’ve rounded up a few pairs of baggy, boyfriend, and mom jeans that are worth trying out. (I now have a full wardrobe of Gen-Z jeans, much to the chagrin of my parents who keep telling me to “save my money” so I can “move out of their house” or something.) If you’re looking for pants as relaxed as a summer Saturday, try these options:

Baggy, Boyfriend, and Mom Jeans Worth Trying On