For the past few weeks, skinny jeans—despite arguments of being at or nearing their “relic of a bygone era” status—have maintained an overwhelming presence in headlines.
You can chalk this up to the slew of articles, the total number of which was still stacking up on Thursday, about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un allegedly “banning” them due to their promotion of a “capitalistic lifestyle.” Per an article from the Guardian’s Priya Elan, citing other reports, the move also allegedly affected mullet hairstyles and certain types of body piercings.
The article also cites a Yonhap News Agency piece from earlier this month, though that piece from the South Korean news agency makes no mention of skinny jeans or other items. Instead, it states that North Korea’s official newspaper had called for “efforts to prevent capitalistic culture from seeping into the country.” The paper, according to that report, also urged citizens to “hold on to our own lifestyle” or risk collapsing “like a damp wall.”
Meanwhile, over on Reddit, a number of people have pointed out that variations of this skinny jeans x North Korea development have been popping up for some time now, including back in February of this year. Similarly widespread haircut-focused ban claims, meanwhile, started popping up as far back as 2013.
As for jeans at large, North Korean leadership has reportedly viewed blue-colored denim to be a “symbol of American imperialism” for years, at least according to a previous Guardian report on exported-to-Sweden black jeans circa 2009.
Here in the States, meanwhile, the lengthy pandemic has pushed even the most fashion-averse among us to focus on less restricting forms of bottomwear. Though the skinny jean will surely live on for many, it’s hard to ignore the current omnipresence of far baggier fare.
