This Might Be the Best Argument Yet for Abandoning Your Skinny Jeans

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Let me start this off by saying, Four Lads in Jeans, if you're reading this, I love you. I do. I think your shared camaraderie over wearing super, super skinny pants that sometimes don't even reach your ankles is beautiful. But I'm also so relieved that what brought the four of you together and into the minds of the collective Internet is gone.

If you aren't familiar with the history of FLIJ, get familiar. These guys—British pals Alex Lacey, Jamie Philips, Kevin Rooney, and Connor Humpage—went viral in 2020, when the now-iconic photo of them wearing veeeeery skinny jeans was posted to Instagram. The lads became the subject of meme after meme (and even a statue), and yes, ha-ha, it's all very funny, but also, no it isn't. Wearing skinny jeans isn't a joke—it's a crime.

The lads made a comeback this week when they reconnected in (miraculously) baggier pants—hurrah! This is a hero's journey, a rise and fall, a would-be tragedy that ended up in a beautiful, perfect comeback. Friendship and brotherhood can transcend anything, even skinny jeans! And if these guys can take a step back, look at their skinnies, and decide to opt for a different pair of pants, you can, too. And should.

Skinny jeans are so dubious that just wearing them can grant you four years of meme-based fame. They've been dubious for a good long while now, and the return of FLIJ in looser pants just cements it even further—you don't need skinny jeans to go out with your buddies and have a good time and take some IG-worthy fit pics. And if you are wearing skinny jeans in 2024, well...maybe keep that to yourself.

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