Things People Actually Found Attractive In The Aughts
Today, many millennials look back and see the peculiar beauty and style trends of the aughts as fever dreams rather than true reality. To many people's embarrassment, deep side bangs, concealer lips, chunky highlights, and incredibly heavy eye makeup were only a few of the popular beauty trends that dominated the aughts, which lasted from 2000 to 2009. While Gen-Z trends aren't setting out to be all that superior, if we're being completely honest, there's something to be said about the looks that people found cute and sexy during the post-Y2K years.
@urfashionistafriend Gen-Z reacts to the actual fall fashion trends from the early 2000s #fallfashiontrends #y2k #y2kfashion #early2000s #parishilton #y2kaesthetic
When you think about it, trends such as orange tans, frosted tips, and popped collars don't sound all that attractive, and yet if you grew up sporting any one of these millennial styles, you were one step closer to making it in with the cool crew. Those belonging to the younger generations might never understand the appeal of the early 2000s' beauty and style — the above video is one example of how Gen Z feels about it — but at the time, the following trends were fatally and undeniably attractive.
Fake tans were everywhere — and they veered too orange
The early 2000s were marked by a baffling fake tan phenomenon that still doesn't seem real, and yet visiting the tanning salon year-round was an essential part of the hot-girl beauty routine. Teens everywhere strived to attain a sun-kissed glow from head to toe — we even see this acted out in TikTok videos with millions of views today — and naturally, this trend took on a life of its own. What began as a desire for a natural, post-holiday tan quickly escalated into an unnatural and unflattering Oompa Loompa-looking orange. Essentially, folks from the aughts took spray tans and tanning bed sessions to the next level, leaning toward a concerning amount of all-over bronzing to mimic their favorite celebs, including Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, and Lindsay Lohan.
@overthemoonfaraway Besties. #millennials #nostalgic #2000s
This faux-bronzed look gave salon regulars a dramatic orange tint, and looking back, it's easy to wonder how anyone could find overdone tans attractive. While many trends from the past inevitably return, let's keep this one buried in the past — for everyone's sake. After all, are spray tans even safe?
People preferred barely there brows over today's feathered look
Next up on the list of "attractive" looks from the early 2000s is the pencil-thin brow. Long before the bold brow trend from the 2010s and the natural fluffy brows of today was a beauty trend that required you to pluck, wax, and tweeze your eyebrows nearly to the point of non-existence. While thin brows suited some people's features, we've all come to learn that flattering brow shapes aren't universal. Indeed, the brow blindness was real.
@itskatesteinberg Millenials 🤝 microblading #fyp
One TikTok user posted a video with over 2 million views in which they recreated the struggles of a millennial teenager in the thick of the skinny brow era, and the comment section proves just how popular — and damaging — thin brows used to be. "My brows have never recovered [crying emojis]," one person commented. It's difficult for many people to wrap their head around the drastic evolution of eyebrow trends over the years, but the brow standards of the aughts were certainly one of the most damaging of the lot.
Every so-called 'cool guy' dyed their hair with frosted tips
Now, frosted tips actually began in the '90s, being popularized by Justin Timberlake's iconic curly-haired version, but the trend carried well into the early 2000s with new variations of this once-iconic boy-band hairstyle hitting the masses fairly regularly. Traditionally, frosted tips involved spiking up your hair with gel to emphasize platinum, red, or warm, butter-blond tips contrasted against black or brunette hair. Frosted tips later accompanied popular hairstyles like faux-hawks, edgy side bangs, and New Jersey blowouts. That said, all kinds of people adopted this look, from surfer dudes, rockstar wannabes, women with shorter hair like pixie cuts, and everyone in between. Because of this constant evolution, frosted tips are pretty synonymous with the early 2000s, making it one of the biggest hair trends at the time.
@overthemoonfaraway Frosted tips had the girls going wild #2000s #nostalgic #millennials
For instance, a TikTok video with 1.8 million views shows how appealing individuals with frosted tips appeared to people growing up during this time. "Frosted tips had girls going wild," reads the video's caption. In the comment section, one user responded, "[A]dd a puka shell necklace for some razzle dazzle," in reference to another early-aughts fashion trend that was considered inexplicably attractive.
Low-rise jeans and cropped tops made you feel like a pop star
In the aughts, low-rise jeans, a pageboy hat, and a cropped top made a killer combination. Toss in a belly ring, peek-a-boo thong, and a skinny scarf, and you would be the poster girl for early 2000s fashion. During this period, being runway-model thin was — unfortunately — considered women's "ideal" body type, so many A-list celebs loved to don this trendy ensemble to show off their toned abs. That said, a sculpted figure didn't — and shouldn't — stop anyone from imitating the look, and low-waisted denim and midriff-baring tops quickly became wardrobe staples for many.
@everythingneesh hey google play apple bottom jeans #y2k #aesthetic #2000s #throwback #fashion #styling
Anyone who cared about fashion owned at least one pair of each, and it was the height of attraction among teens and young adults to the point that they made their way into mainstream media, including Flo Rida's hit song "Low," which was released in 2007. The above TikTok video with upward of 370,000 views shows the TikTok community how it was done back in the aughts, drawing out comments like, "I feel like I actually had this exact outfit in the early 2000's."
Preppy popped collars were unfortunately en vogue
Preppy fashion is big in 2024, but it also took the spotlight back in the aughts, albeit with a less classy feel. "The popped collar has us millennials in a chokehold in the early 2000s," the overlay on the below TikTok video reads. The TikTok user goes on to explain how the collar craze led to people flipping the collars of not one, but two polos. Layering shirts and tank tops was common in the early 2000s, but layering polos must be some sort of fashion faux pas.
@sideofsequins The popped collar had us millennials in a hold in the esrly 2000s and 1 popped collae polo shirt was not enough. We had to layer 2 polo shirts and pop both collars. If your collar wasnt popped,
What's more, popping your collar — or collars — wasn't a gender-specific trend, unlike many of the other trends from that time, as another TikTok video demonstrates. Upturned collars can be traced back to 1929, when French tennis player René Lacoste introduced them with the purpose of preventing sunburns on the tennis court. Somehow, this habit and style trickled down into both men's and women's fashion for many decades to come. While it might have somewhat posh origins, this is another trend from the aughts that should never see the light of day.