Is indie sleaze the next fashion trend to find itself reused and recycled in 2025? Fashion trends become popular, fashion trends lose their demand, but fashion trends don’t disappear. Throughout the years, fashion has flowed through a cycle of trends emerging, falling off, and then re-emerging with a newer generation. These fashion trends, with the assistance of modern social media platforms such as tik-tok and Instagram, have expanded from a mere physical presentation into a way of living, sectored into different “aesthetics”. An example of this is the “clean girl aesthetic’, which reached its peak in popularity during the height of the covid pandemic. This aesthetic entails people not only appearing to “have their life together” (by wearing slicked back hairstyles, matching workout sets, dainty jewelry, etc.) but engaging in self-bettering activities such as yoga, pilates, journaling, meditating, eating healthy, etc. In spring 2024, the clean girl aesthetics’ influence began to dwindle, with people expressing feelings of exhaustion and apathy for the trend, and gravitating towards immediate gratification above self-actualization and improvement. Where the clean girl aesthetic fell, the 2024 BRAT movement arose. Aligned with the release of “BRAT” by Charli XCX, the brat movement entails self-acceptance, desire for freedom, and promiscuity. With the emergence of BRAT summer, summer sprinkling the crumbs that fuel the indie sleaze trend, it begs the question, will indie sleaze be the next trend to cycle back in 2025?
WHAT IS INDIE SLEAZE ?
THE STYLE
Firstly, what is indie sleaze? Indie sleaze emerged in the 1990’s and can be seen largely in late 2000’s- early 2010’s pop and pop-rock culture. Gaining popularity in the era of Tumblr and myspace, the indie sleaze fashion trend includes wearing neutral colors, heavily focusing on blacks, whites, and silvers. Participants in the culture can be seen wearing graphic tees and minimal face makeup/lipstick accompanied by heavy, messy black and silver eyeliners/eyeshadows. With ripped leggings, oversized band tees, chunky bracelets, and chipped nail polish, indie sleaze can be observed from public figures such as KE$HA, Sky Ferreira, Kate Moss, and The Dare. Overall, the indie sleaze aesthetic takes the messiness of one’s mind and desires, and broadcasts it onto their body in an unapologetic, unreformed fashion.
THE MUSIC:
Another important factor of indie sleaze is the music. In previous periods when indie sleaze saturated the culture, the music followed the rebellious and care-free energy of the fashion. Early 2000’s radio hits can be heard having fun, synth-filled beats, with lyrics about “dancing away problems” and “living for today”. Indie sleaze also entails alternative/rock music, with rebellious themes entrenching the lyricism. In the past years during the height of the “clean girl” era, the demand for introspective music with “deep”, self-reflective lyricism and minimal instrumentals were at the forefront of popular music. However, upon the release of BRAT by Charli XCX, along with the resurging popularity of songs such as “Yummy” by Ayesha Erotica, there has been a demand/call for “music of the early 2000’s”, with people acknowledging that they are over the “sad girl music”.
THE SOCIAL CONTEXT
In accordance with the music and the style, indie sleaze has held a pattern of reflecting the economic climate. Specifically, indie sleaze has gained popularity in years of recession and societal tension. Indie sleaze often arises in a time of political tension, and economic decline.
Taking into account the decreasing popularity of the “clean girl aesthetic”, the increasing demand for immediate gratification and “fun” music, along with economic signals, it is reasonable to assume that the indie sleaze trend will soon make a comeback within 2025. The crumbs of indie sleaze are swiftly being intricated into popular culture today. With that being noted, here’s some ideas on how one can prepare for the resurgence.
A SIMPLE GUIDE TO INDIE SLEAZE
THE LOOK:
- Messy eye makeup
- Band tees, off shoulder tops, boots
- Neutral colored Fur jackets
- Chipped/dark colored nail polish
- Large sunglasses, chunky bracelets
THE MUSIC:
- My Medicine- The Pretty Reckless
- DIRT- Zoe Ko
- I Used to be Fun- Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
- Die Young- Kesha
- Everything is Embarassing- Sky Ferreira
- Club classics- Charli XCX
- I destroyed disco – The Dare
- Bad Girls- M.I.A.
- Girls- The Dare
- Misery Business- Paramore
- Now Its Over- Dogpark
- Teenage Dirtbag- Wheatus
- Teenagers- My Chemical Romance
- Like A G6- Far East Movement
- Do I wanna know- arctic monkeys
- R.I.P. 2 My Youth- the Nieghbourhood
- Brutal- Olivia Rodrigo
- Alien Blues- Vundabar
THE LIFESTYLE:
In living an indie sleaze lifestyle, individuals engage in the luxuries that make them happiest in the moment (of course, do so safely! safety is an important priority for oneself). Overall, the indie sleaze lifestyle is about being unapologetically yourself, taking advantage of your youth, and defying societal barriers while doing it!!
