There has been a shift in women’s fashion from more conventionally girly styles to indie, anti-male gaze fashion.  

When describing what is trendy and what is not, there are two terms teens and young adults have been throwing around; camp and cheugy.  

What is cheugy? Urban Dictionary defines it as “the opposite of trendy.” Something that was maybe a trend in adolescence, but now it’s embarrassing to be seen in these clothes.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of some cheugy trends over the years:

The Gucci belt 

Simply a classic look from the early 2010’s. The double-G buckle with a slick black leather waistband. It was a bougie, highly sought after piece. You were the coolest person in school if you wore this to your first period English class sophomore year of high school.

Ugg boots

Everyone wanted or had these boots. The moment the temperature dropped below 80 degrees, girls would pull these out of their closets. The brown exterior with white fluff sticking out from the interior of the boot is iconic. These boots seem to be invincible. You could abuse these and they would still look brand new. 

Skinny jeans 

Older millennials love their skinny jeans. They will die on that hill if need be. Gen Z, on the other hand, believes that skinny jeans are not “the move.” There has been a shift from skinny to more loose-fit, boyfriend jeans. 

Shirts with words 

This category is very vague; for the reason that this encompasses a broad, but oddly specific group of shirts. Examples include “*you’re”; “Last name hungry. First name, always.”; “eat sleep run repeat”.  Pretty much any stereotypical early 2010’s t-shirt would fit in here. 

Alternatives to the stereotypical cheugy trends

Why does cheugy have to be something we cringe at? If anything, we can take these old trends and rejuvenate them.

If you can’t afford or don’t want to drop $400 on a Gucci belt, finding a funky belt buckle could bring some life back into your closet. 

Maybe Ugg boots aren’t your style. You could try another brand of boots this semester. There are quite a few styles to choose from that are affordable. 

Jeans are difficult to find, so why try to limit your options? When you find that perfect pair, it doesn’t matter if they are skinny, bell bottoms, boyfriend or low rise. As long as you find something you like, it doesn’t matter what style of jean they are. 

An alternative to the classic corny humor t-shirts are random shirts at Goodwill that say “grandpa” or maybe a niche shirt concept you’re into.  

Moving past the judgement

Cheugy is just another label we give looks and styles that no longer fit what we have deemed as acceptable or flattering fashion.

The fashion industry promotes the notion of how our bodies look in clothes. What is flattering or fits our body type. It’s all about presentation and not how we feel in what we choose to dress in. 

I challenge you to wear something you wouldn’t normally wear; whether that be because it isn’t conventionally cute or it pushes what is socially acceptable for someone with your body type to wear. Wear clothes that make you feel good. Wear clothes for the purpose of how it can best suit your lifestyle, not for the sole purpose of making you look skinny or accentuating how big your butt looks. 

Going into this fall season, have fun with what you wear. Remember: your clothes are here to fit your body, not your body to fit those clothes. Your body is beautiful and should be praised for what it does sustaining you.

Rose Donnelly can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @RoseDonnelly_.