Is the bare midriff the new cleavage?

Yet another Y2K fashion trend is making a comeback

History, more often than not, repeats itself, and once again we have entered the era where fashion is fixated with the tummy. If the 2000s were ruled by rock-hard abs of Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Shakira, then millennial and Gen-Zers are already paying an ode to their style by bringing back the trend of showing off their bellies. Ladies, plus a few gents, like Zendaya, Bella Hadid, Lil Naz X and the Kardashian-Jenner clan, have frequently graced our Instagram feeds with their (very toned, if we may say) midriff-exposing outfits. And let’s not forget Julia Fox of Uncut Gems (2019), the reigning queen of midriffs, who is often pictured in her itsy-bitsy tops and low-rise pants.

We speak to designers and experts on the 2022 version of this Y2K fashion trend which is sexier, grown-up and surprisingly easy to wear. The best part? You don’t need to hold your breath or suck your tummy in order to dare to bare your midriff.

Re-emergence of an old classic

We’ve been holding on to our sweatpants throughout the pandemic so it’s no wonder that when the world emerged from multiple lockdowns, we were ready to put that loungewear at the back of our closets. Baring midriffs is a direct result of that.

“The COVID-19 pandemic put us in such a confined space of our own house. It was a very gloomy time, as there's so much trauma and anxiety around us, affecting our mental health. When you go back in history, the ‘Roaring Twenties’ defined by jazz music, drinking and partying was a result of the events of the First World War. People are in a similar mindset now as well,” says Ankita Jain, whose midriff-baring designs– namely the ‘Versuhka top’–remain a hit among Instagram influencers like Komal Pandey and Sakshi Shivdasani.

Shweta Agarwal, one half of clothing label Aroka, agrees with Jain when it comes to the confinement that the pandemic created, leading to displaying freedom in the form of clothing. “The pandemic forced everyone to stay at home for two years. Now, to counter that in some sort of escapism, people want to go out and meet each and of course, create content, especially when Instagram and TikTok have become so big in the last few years,” says Agarwal, who’s bringing sexy back in the form of cut-out tops and crop tops.

However, tiny, midriff-baring tops aren’t quite groundbreaking in India. Our mothers and grandmothers have done it through the traditional attire of sarees and lehengas, which are paired with a blouse cut right under the bust. “Baring your midriff was never a big deal in India. So the question of it being just a passing trend or a fad is not relevant to us here for it will always remain something of a classic silhouette,” says Agarwal, who, like in a saree, plays around with draping for strategic placement of cut-outs that show off the midriff. Model Gabriella Demetriades, whose clothing label Deme by Gabriella features dresses and tops that accentuate the waist, also believes that baring midriffs have always been a part of the Indian identity rather than being a fashion statement. “Baring midriffs has always been around; it’s now a classic of sorts, whether it’s the high-waisted flash of midriff like in a lehenga, or ’90s version of a bare torso in a saree. What we are now seeing as a trend is a more exaggerated version of this, thanks to Prada’s micro crop tops and low-waisted minis,” says Demetriades. It’s not just Prada–Miu Miu, Blumarine and Jacquemus, too, have recently released body-baring styles. This raises the question: who is this trend really for?

Baring with self-love

Photos on Instagram and those snapped by the paparazzi have been proof of intrinsically thin bodies of models, celebrities and ‘it girls’ flaunting their tiny waists in crop tops and dresses. Last year, model, author and activist Emily Ratajkowski said she was hesitant to post a picture of her abs-baring Miu Miu outfit, knowing that it would stir up controversy and lead to body shaming. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve seen plus-size role models like Paloma Elsesser, Jill Kortleve and Ashley Graham who have flaunted their mid-riffs on magazine covers and runways alike with absolute confidence. In India, models and content creators such as Sakshi Sidwani and Appoorva Rampal are normalising and promoting the idea of looking sexy regardless of their size.

While there has been slow progress when it comes to body diversity in fashion, on an individual level, people are now more self-aware and accepting of their bodies than ever. “There are some who deal with body image issues but I’ve seen women have this surge of confidence to say ‘f**k it, I’ll wear what I want, it’s my body and you can judge me if you want’. It’s definitely a personal journey, but if you’re consciously working on bettering yourself then that self-confidence will allow you to not care about any kind of revealing outfits you might wear,” says Jain. Agarwal agrees. “There is a whole psychology behind this that is emerging; a rebellious attitude that says ‘I don’t care what you say or what the older generation thinks of how I dress’. It all comes with self-acceptance,” she says.

Flaunting your midriff with confidence

While this trend may look intimidating, Demetriades has an easy approach which you can try for yourself. “Identify the part of your stomach which, according to you, is the nicest. I would say two inches above your belly button and under the bust is usually the slimmer part of the torso, so start with that. A pair of palazzo pants with a crop top can help accentuate that bit. For experimentation, maybe try a midriff cut-out dress. And if you feel like you want to flaunt more, then go for a cropped blouse with something low-waisted,” she explains. On the other hand, Agarwal believes that if it’s not your cup of tea, then you don’t need to wear something you aren’t comfortable in. “No one is forcing you to wear something that you’re not okay with. If you prefer showing off your legs more than your midriff, then go for that. It’s all about accepting your body first and being comfortable with it, regardless of how it looks,” concludes Agarwal.

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