2022: The Year of The Indie Sleaze Renaissance

^{Image: The Cobrasnake}

Indie Sleaze is back! We look into Gen Z's obsession with 00s aesthetics.

If you’ve been paying attention to anything that’s been happening on social media in the past few months, you might’ve noticed the resurgence of mid-late noughties trends we all thought forgotten for good. Characterised by the smudgy eyeshadow looks, party flash photography, extra-thin scarves and Skins-style house parties, it's official: we are experiencing the revival of "Indie Sleaze" in 2022! Heavily supported (and implemented) through Gen Z's latest TikTok trends, we are in for a nostalgic throwback into the most decadent era of the early 00s.

You might recall the frivolous years of the 2000s by the wacky fedora phase or the absurdly colourful outfits, or by the nights spent dancing to electronic music without forgetting the inevitable “walk of shame” going home in the morning. You might even be thinking about the glorious days of “it girls” Kate Moss, Lindsay Lohan, Alexa Chung, or Mary-Kate Olsen (and their dilated pupils), still iconic to this day for their debacles. Or maybe you’re picturing the disco pants, the ripped tights under shorts or skirts no thicker than a belt, never without a very loose tank or deep-plunging v-neck... The pictures found on the MySpace or Tumblr archives are the remaining testimonies that these years weren’t just an extremely realistic fever dream and have served their purpose as reference points for Gen Z’s Indie Sleaze.

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Gen Z’s attempt to revive the past is no coincidence to the political and social environment they are evolving in. Although trend reporters were already paying attention to any signs indicating the resurgence of the noughties, as per the 20-year-rule - the rule stating that fashion cultures are to repeat themselves after two decades - the scope which 2000s- inspired trends extended to, more particularly amongst Gen Z, reached far beyond what any professionals had foreseen. The Toronto-based creator of the Instagram account @indiesleaze saw the term she came up with - Indie Sleaze - being used by a prominent TikTok trend forecaster, leading to it becoming the official name for the trend shortly after.

^{Image: Screenshot from Instagram}

We might think that the drawing-in factor into this trend is the glamour that such an era emanates, but I would argue that it is more the freedom it represents to a younger generation. The early 2000s are the symbol of a golden youth of never-ending fun. We already reminisce about these carefree years, because of how distant it all feels to us now although they only took place a decade ago. In the last three years alone, we have witnessed and experienced our world change radically overnight, having to adapt to a completely different lifestyle with no prior mental preparation.

Taking a closer look at the emergence of Indie Sleaze, we realise that its timeline is closely intertwined with the series of events that impacted our society between 2019 and 2022. As our society was unexpectedly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, we lost all sense of certainty over our lives and futures. Confined in our homes, we spent hours reminiscing about the times when we felt free. Scrolling through our camera rolls and on social media, we became nostalgic for the “good old days”, which led to a growing interest in past cultures of this century. In 2021, as most countries started to emerge from a year of on-and-off lockdowns, Indie Sleaze peaked. Finally, we were able to regain some kind of control over our lives, and, as a generation, it was Gen Z’s time to redeem their teenage years.

In a hyper-digitalised society, the idealisation of Indie Sleaze expresses the need to go back to a life where one could simply live in the moment, without being reminded of a real world that is seemingly falling apart by being constantly connected to it. Indie Sleaze is an attempt to flee the alarming reality of climate change hanging above our heads, or, similarly to the generation preceding us, the recession compromising the future of us all. It is also an attempt to make up for the lost time after two years of being locked up in our apartments, wondering if we’ll ever get it back.

Gen Z feels wronged and robbed. Thus, they’re trying to rectify what’s been done to them by adopting trends that completely annihilate what’s being expected of them. The 00s party years are glamourised for the sake of the Indie Sleaze aesthetic. The outdated has been granted a TikTok trendy redemption, with the “indiesleaze” hashtag generating more than 46.9M views. The messy, almost musty “Effy Stonem” look has been transformed into a calculated effort-worthy “effortlessly” smoky makeup. Content creators are now sharing their best tips on how to rip tights “the right way” or how to fabricate tops from tights. Most popular are the makeup tutorials and “Get the look” videos shared on social media to guide those who want to achieve the perfect “Indie Sleazy” look. In a 2022 Indie Sleaze manner, skinny jeans have been traded for baggy ripped jeans and tacky neon accessories for a simple cigarette (for the edge). Even Millenials enthusiastically contribute to the trend by sharing pictures from their teenage years.

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On the runways, designers like Raf Simons and Anthony Vaccarello have introduced more disheveled looks by distressing or loosening knitwear, and Virginie Viard’s models wore heavy dark eye makeup. The noughties are back, disguised as another anodyne trend we call Indie Sleaze, for a needed psychological escape, and it is with the reassuring thought of a brighter future that it has inspired us to go forward.

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_{Thumbnail images courtesy of Femme Fatale, @daniellelevit, The Cobrasnake}