When thrifting enthusiast @vintageprincessxoxo decided to slip into what she called “historically accurate low-rise jeans,” (cue the collective ouch from Millennials) she probably didn’t expect to trigger a generational flashback.“I’m literally trying on actual, historically accurate low-rise jeans,” she told viewers, tugging up a pair of 2000s-era denim. The fit “looked nice,” she admitted, though she quickly added, “I hear if you bend down, things…my crack gets air.”The video, now viewed more than four million times, sent Millennials into instant hysterics. Because anyone who lived through the true low-rise debacle of the early 2000s knows: low rise can go soooooo much lower. @vintageprincessxoxo how much lower can these 2000s low rise jeans go? ?? #lowrise #lowrisejeans #2000sjeans #y2k #y2kfashion ♬ original sound - vintageprincessxoxo “Darling, those are high-rise with double buttons,” one commenter corrected.“Those were our church appropriate low rise jeans,” quipped another. For those who came of age during the Y2K years, “low-rise” meant jeans that defied both logic and gravity. Think zippers barely two teeth long, single-button flys that held on for dear life, and waistbands so low you couldn’t sit without strategic planning.As a woman named Rachel Elizabeth explained in an Instagram response video, “Real millennial low-rise jeans? Your pubic hair was basically making a guest appearance. You could not bend forward or backward without being exposed to the world.”Zero. Lies. Detected. See on Instagram And if there was any confusion as to whether or not Millennials missed this bygone trend, hear some of their former fashion horror stories: “This trend was a nightmare. We were ALWAYS pulling our pants up,” wrote one. Another recalled, “I once broke the side belt loop because of the constant pulling.”Many noted that low rise jeans brought on the necessity for belts (studded, preferably), long tank tops, and of course, the dreaded “whale tail” thong. Every generation rediscovers something the last one swore they’d never wear again. You’d probably be hard pressed to find any Gen Xer who truly longs for the return of acid wash jeans and shoulder pads. But for many Millennials, low-rise jeans are more than just an eyesore—they are the epitome of the impossible beauty standards of the time when “heroin chic” was replaced by “thinspiration,” and every single magazine featured a rail thin celeb with their “flat-abs challenge.” Sadly, signs point towards the thin trend being back, and all the baggage that comes with it. Which might also be why folks are having such a visceral reaction to this simple try-on video. - YouTube www.youtube.com To their credit though, many Gen Zers are embracing low-rise with a comfort-forward mindset that would have blown 2003 minds—looser, slouchier, more forgiving—and in doing so, proving that trends can be reborn in positive ways. There are also some pretty awesome shoulder padded jackets out there, just sayin’.Just wait til Gen Z discovers skinny jeans, and all the clumsy shimmying that comes with wearing them.