There’s a sad reason no woman wants this trend to come back

A photo snapped at a local H&M has revealed a big issue that women are going to have to confront.

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Have you ever had to face your biggest fear? Well, I have and I was confronted with it at the popular retail chain H&M.

I was waltzing along, concerned my eyes were getting damaged from the fluorescent shopping centre lighting and talking myself out of buying another $40 candle, when I was met with my greatest fear.

The micro mini skirt.

A primal response to fear is either fight or flight, so naturally, I fled the store dramatically and felt as frazzled as Mischa Barton trying to make small talk with Toadie at the Neighbours craft service table.

The micro mini skirt is back.

Do you remember the micro mini skirt? It was everywhere in the late 90s and early 2000s. Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan were big fans of the barely-there tiny skirt.

I was in primary school during its peak, and I can distinctly remember desperately wanting one and being furious my mum didn’t think it was appropriate for a child to wear to a school disco.

I also remember the type of body that was celebrated during that time – a very small one. It was the heroin chic and “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” era.

The return of the tiny skirt is scary because it is linked to a time when only one type of body was celebrated.

I didn’t stumble upon the skirt and panic over how I’d wear it without flashing my undies. I shuddered because of the era it represents.

So why does a simple item of clothing have such an impact on a fully grown woman? Do I need to go to a Byron Bay retreat and eat some bone broth to calm down? Well, sadly no.

Clinical psychologist Dr Aileen Alegado explained: “Trends like the micro mini skirt create a focus on sexuality and naturally might raise feelings of vulnerability for some of us. These kinds of fashion trends can also have far-reaching implications for our body image.

“Are your legs toned enough? Do we have the waist for it? The butt for it? Some of us will not just be worried about the sexual overtones of this trend, but whether we will be putting our bodies up for judgment.”

Kate Moss is the queen of the micro mini. Picture: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Olivia Rodrigo is bringing it back. Picture: Gotham/GC Images

Dr Alegado revealed the short skirt tend can incredibly upsetting for “people with a predisposition to eating disorders, body dysmorphia of self-confidence issues it can be extremely triggering and bring about emotions like shame, guilt, inadequacies, defectiveness, perfectionism”.

So if a trend does upset you, what should you do?

“If you feel triggered, don’t do it! Just because it’s a trend does not mean you need to follow it,” Dr Alegado said.

“If you are someone who may feel triggered by these trends and know you’re inclined to feel less confident or have feelings of shame or guilt about your body, then avoid doing anything to bring out those emotions and talk to a trained professional to deal with these things in the long term.”

Sarah has seen how trends impact women. Picture: Instagram

Sarah believes in representation. Picture: Instagram

Plus-size model Sarah Jane Kelly is knee-deep in the fashion industry and sees how fashion impacts women.

“I feel the reappearance of the micro mini can make women feel bad because it enforces that only certain body types can wear miniskirts,” she told news.com.au.

“The number of times I’ve heard friends or family say they can’t wear skirts because they don’t have the legs for it is crazy, especially considering the only requirement you really need is legs. It’s bringing back flashbacks of the body shaming of the early 2000s.”

Kelly believes broader representation could stop women from feeling so bad about themselves.

“We need a few things to change about how women feel about fear of fashion trends. Representation matters; one way is to see more bodies with different shapes and sizes in fashion ads. Accessibility and participation would help bring about change in a big way,” she said.

So if you are out in the wild of your local shopping centre and spot a micro mini skirt, take a deep breath and take comfort in the fact you aren’t alone in your fear of it.

Originally published as There’s a sad reason no woman wants this trend to come back