It’s not as scary as you think!

I think we can agree that there was a lot of good and a lot of bad in the early 2000s. Good: everything involving Beyoncé, velvet tracksuits, Jennifer Lopez in that Grammy’s dress. Bad: men in fedoras, invisible eyebrows and beyond toxic body ideals. But the most hotly debated Y2K trend of them all? How to style low-rise jeans.

Thanks to designers like Miu Miu, Diesel and Bottega Veneta, and style icons Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid, below the belly button bottoms have come back with a vengeance. Influencers everywhere are ditching their high-waisted wares and embracing low-slung skirts and slacks to stay on top of the ever-evolving fashion cycle. And figuring out how to style low-rise jeans is a new novelty for Gen Z, all of whom were too young to appreciate the fad in its time.

But for anyone hesitant to replace their sky-high waistlines with a more revealing variety, don’t be afraid! The key is to introduce the silhouette slowly into your wardrobe and play with pieces you already feel comfortable in. However, if your fashion mentality veers more into “go big or go home” territory, we’ve also got you covered. Below, we’ve broken down how to style low-rise jeans for beginner, intermediate and advanced Y2K fashionistas.

Beginner

Repeat after me — change is good! Start your low-rise jean journey with a top that you’re already comfortable with, and then just swap your bottoms. As seen on this influencer, this oversized pink blouse could work with both high or low-waisted denim, but the more revealing rise adds that extra oomph. Bonus style points if you match your shirt with your shoes.

Intermediate

In times of chaos, we generally look to the past for comfort. Instead of fighting the natural nostalgia, dive headfirst into it and style your low-rise pants with other quintessential Y2K pieces. Take inspiration here from influencer Lauren Licup by pairing a corset with a baguette bag, and you’ll look as though you’ve just come out of a time machine (but in the best way possible)!

Advanced

In the immortal words of Megan Thee Stallion, it’s time to embrace that body ody ody. And let’s make something very clear — low rise pants and jeans are for every body. Just because we’re bringing a trend from the aughts into the 2020s doesn’t mean we have to take the toxic body ideals with it. No matter what shape or size you are, be bold and show off all the beautiful parts of yourself. Swap your basic crop top with an all denim version for an extra dose of fashion flair, as seen on Julia Fox below.