Mariah Carey is ready to take credit for the low-rise jean trend — and all of the positive or negative connotations that might come along with it. In a recent interview as part of Billboard's "Throw It Back" video series, the singer reflected on memorable moments in her career and shared a surprising anecdote about the famous jeans she wore in the "Heartbreaker" music video in 1999.
"The jeans that people were wearing were high-waisted, and I was like, 'Why? Why are we doing a high-waisted jean? That's not flattering.' I didn't understand it," Mariah said. That's when she and her stylist at the time, Tonjua Twist, decided to DIY a pair of low-rise jeans for her to wear in the iconic video.
Their method was not exactly sophisticated ("we cut 'em, then ripped 'em"), but it was effective: "I noticed that really soon after, all these designers were doing the same cut of jeans." While the revealing denim silhouette is actually attributed to Alexander McQueen, who debuted so-called Bumsters during his debut collection in 1994, Mariah's influence is certainly also worth noting.
"I still hate high-waisted jeans."
To this day, you won't catch Mariah in any other jean. "I still hate high-waisted jeans," she said. Watch her talk about the trend at 4:07 in the video above, then enjoy the "Heartbreaker" music video ahead, as well as pictures of Mariah wearing low-rise jeans over the years.