The Death of Crop Tops

The more stomach showcased the better, right? At least that used to be the mentality when it came to women’s tops. The infamous crop tops were a popular fashion piece. However, as the fashion world shifts towards more towards oversized clothing and consumers are beginning to prefer baggier clothing, it raises the question, could this be the end of the crop top era?

How It All Began

Before mentioning the fall of crop tops, it is important to recognize how this piece of clothing grew in popularity to begin with. While today Westerners are heavily familiar with crop tops, this was not always the case. The origin of crop tops can be traced back to Egyptian roots. An outfit known as the bedlah was worn by Middle Eastern belly dancers. According to Vogue Arabia, the outfit which is a two-piece set is typically made of “a beaded bra, a jeweled hip belt and a floating veil. During Chicago’s World’s Fair in 1893 belly dancers introduced the concept of an outfit exposing a woman’s midriff for the first time.

From that point forward, the crop top’s influence slowly took off the ground. In the 1940s, designers began to experiment with swimwear and create shorter tops. A couple decades later, during the second wave of feminism, crop tops became a symbol of women’s empowerment and freedom. In the 1980s, celebrities such as Madonna would help to popularize the crop top. However, celebrity influence did not end here. In the 1990s, icons such as Britney Spears, The Spice Girls and more would often wear crop tops, which continued to expand the shirt’s impact.

During the 2010s, crop tops made their comeback, being worn in ways different than before. Crop tops ranged from flowy to fitted styles and were a popular fashion choice at the time. High-end fashion designers and streetwear stylists began to incorporate the growing trend into their collections. Even today, social media continues to influence style. However, the question remains: is its influence slowly dying out?

How Fashion is Shifting

Crop tops’ prominence has been long-standing, but just like every fashion trend, there comes an end to its reign. Many people are shifting away from the hyper-mini shirts in favor of transitioning to either midriff-length or oversized styled shirts. Besides crop tops, there is a greater presence of baby tees and baggy sweaters.

There are many reasons why people have fallen in love with longer-fitting shirts. One reason people have begun to gravitate towards bigger-fitting shirts is due to comfort. While crop tops are undeniably cute, they do not offer the same cozy feeling as a baggy sweater. Unlike crop tops, large tops make room for versatility in fashion. With an oversized top comes more styling options from dressing up to remaining casual. Baggier tops unlock the option to layer your clothing. With a longer top, you can wear it under another piece of clothing, creating more dimension and intricacy to an outfit.

Compared with crop tops, baggy and loose shirts are a style that can be worn all year round. Due to the immense amount of skin they expose, they are not a shirt that is typically suitable for the fall and winter seasons. However, when it comes to longer shirts, this is no longer a problem. This is because baggy shirts, baby tees and loose sweaters can be worn by anyone no matter the weather. For spring and summer, you can cutely style a short-sleeve baby tee for the warm weather. Then, during the chilly months of the year, you can switch it up to oversized sweaters that come past your waist and are guaranteed to keep you warm!

Do you think crop tops are going out of style? Tweet us @VALLEYmag with your thoughts!

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