A viral video has exposed a surprising trend among young women: donning high heels to go out is now so outdated, according to Gen Z. The New York Post reported that the video, filmed on a Friday night at a local bar, showed a venue filled with young women dressed in jeans, a nice top, and comfy sneakers.
While jeans and a nice top have long been staples in millennial wardrobes, the choice of flat footwear marks a radical departure from the fashion norms of yesteryear. High heels, once a requisite for a night out, have come to symbolise the old.
To any woman who grew up before social media and smartphones, ending the night holding their heels was a kind of rite of passage. Gen Z has eschewed tradition for comfort and practical footwear best suited to dancing and crawling.
The global pandemic has swayed preferences in footwear; the most recent data received shows increased sales in flats and low-heels while interest in high-heels drops. This shift has made it easier for the younger generation to distinguish themselves from the older set.
According to The New York Post, comments on a recent viral video shared by a TikTok users reflect mixed opinions. Some users yearn for the past, where one used to get dressed up, while others embrace the comfort of the new trend. One Reddit user put it best: "Heels scream try-hard-old-person."
Even with the change, there was still a yearning for that ritual of dressing up; as one commenter so astutely said, "The best part of going out was getting all dolled up," and the online responses definitely concurred. Another remarked about past nightclub dress codes: "I remember when we couldn't enter a nightclub if we had jeans on."
