A question you may never have asked, but which I have the answer for anyway.

When, and why, did the ripped jean fad begin?

Turns out, all the way back in the 90s, when rappers, ignoring Joel’s admonition to “rend your hearts, not your garments”, started tearing holes in their pants as a symbol of … something.

At some point in this century, the ripped pant look was adopted by rich white trendies to, and I kid you not, “show sympathy for and identification with the poor”.

You can see how that worked out.