There’s something oddly poetic about the afterlife of bad fashion. The things we once laughed at—beanies, bandage dresses, mirrored aviators, polos doubled up for good measure—have a way of resurfacing. Each decade brings its own resurrections, but none are as baffling, or as strangely seductive, as the return of the Y2K douchebag.
It’s the fashion equivalent of having a crush on your bully. Think distressed denim worn way below the waistline, bermudas with too many pockets, and, wait for the worst—fake tattoo sleeves. We all know a guy who dressed like this at one point. It’s the look immortalised by MTV Spring Break, Justin Timberlake in his Britney Spears era, Jersey Shore’s gelled-up guidos, and off-duty male models who looked like they were headed to the gym and the club at the same time.
The pop culture blueprint
What makes the aesthetic compelling now is that it isn’t just a throwback. It’s an embrace of what was once derided. To trace the roots of this trend, you only need to rewatch early 2000s music videos. NSYNC in wide-legged cargos and coordinated polos, The Backstreet Boys in varsity jackets, tanks and tiny hoop earrings, Blue and Westlife leaning on the formula of leather jacket, beanie and one exposed tattoo.
If Hollywood gave us Ashton Kutcher’s trucker hats and Vin Diesel’s tank tops in The Fast and The Furious (2001), then Bollywood wasn’t far behind. Dhoom 2 (2006) had Hrithik Roshan wear shirts ripped off at the shoulder hem, while John Abraham in Dostana (2008) cemented the tight tank top as a must-have. Even Ranbir Kapoor’s early 2010s films leaned on the aesthetic of casual playboy—polo tees, wristbands, ripped jeans.
