<p>What’s the difference?? The first is the terminology used in the '60s and '70s. The second is what the same style is called today.</p>
<p>Do you remember elephant pants? I was in my early teens and very skinny but I’m sure they still looked hideous on me. I quit wearing them after I ran across a parking lot, tripped on my pants and wiped out, scraping up one of my arms so bad it was a bloody mess!</p>
<p>I think low rise and hip-huggers are basically the same. But there is a distinct difference between flares and bells. It is how big the lower pant leg expands, but I can’t give a measurement. A “flare” is slightly bigger than “boot cut”.
There is also “fishtail” from the old days if anybody remembers that.
Like the quote about porn- I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.</p>
<p>I had a pair of hip hugger/elephant pants and I wore them with a “body suit” (ribbed turtle neck that snapped in the crotch area). I think this was in the same era as “hot pants”.</p>
<p>Pictures…</p>
<p>Except…back in the day I don’t remember all those muffin tops. HS girls (maybe boys too) seem so much heavier than they were 25-35 years ago. I worry about their future health.</p>
<p>Kajon, I remember the body suit. I had one in the '70s – lavender with a turtleneck, very stretchy. I’m sure if I wore it today, I’d be “muffin-topping” all over the pants I wore it with. It sure made going to the bathroom a royal pain in the @$$.</p>
<p>I had elephant pants too. They were demin and my first pair of jeans. I can still remember the day my mom bought them for me at JC Penney. early 70’s. They looked good on me. I thought they looked good on me… maybe those are photos I don’t want to see!
body suits too. I can’t believe we thought wearing a shirt that snapped in the crotch was comfortable :eek:</p>
<p>sryrstress - I don’t recall muffin tops either. I am pretty sure our pants were as low as they are today.</p>
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<p>Same here! And, back then, I was able to pull off that look.
And, yes, the body suit was really awkward, to say the least, when needing to use the restroom.</p>
<p>I also assumed that “low rise” jeans are just a reincarnation of hip huggers. And I don’t remember seeing as many “muffin tops” back in the early 70s either. For all of the current jokes about “mom jeans” (and I’m talking mainly about people who are older than teenagers)there are people for whom maybe a higher waisted pair of pants is more flattering.</p>
<p>Bell-bottoms, if I recall correctly, flared out from just below the knee, and created really big bells. Flares today seem to increase in size much more gradually, and only start flaring at about mid-shin.</p>
<p>Elephant bells are now called “wide leg.”</p>
<p>Elephant bells, I was just about to say, but Chedva beat me to it!</p>
<p>There were no muffin tops in the '70s because moms didn’t wear jeans, and we were all so young we didn’t have muffin tops yet.</p>
<p>Now, everyone wears jeans – those with muffin tops, too.</p>
<p>How come men whose bellies sprawl over their waistbands aren’t called muffin tops? What are they – macho tops? Beer tops? Bottle tops?</p>
<p>I remember buying a pair of elephant bells from the lemon frog shop at Sears. I think that was what it was called, the department where you had outgrown girls styles but not yet ready for the juniors.
VeryHappy is right. Mom’s did not wear jeans. My Mom wore polyester pants. For work she had a huge collection of polyester pantsuits in a huge rainbow of colors.</p>
<p>tsdad: you dirty dawg! ;)</p>
<p>The elephant pants came and went when I was in elementary school. Huge transition in early 70s–2nd grade, girls HAD to wear dresses to public school. By 4th grade–anything goes–including teachers in elephant pants.</p>
<p>When I was in HS, it was the boy jeans (Levis), white painter’s pants, then came the (high waist) designer jeans. . .</p>
<p>My mom has never worn jeans. Even the thought of that seems weird!</p>
<p>Low rise ought to be outlawed–they look bad on everyone.</p>
<p>The Lemon Frog Shop! It was also where I got a purple/yellow and pink plaid mini skirt, a mutton sleeve purple blouse, fish net stockings and white (wet look vinyl) boots. And the hip hugger brushed blue jeans with orange peace signs on them and the matching orange turtleneck body suit… </p>
<p>FLASHBACKS!</p>
<p>I think the elephant pants were when I was in early jr high. We later went to boys levi 501’s and boys Levi Cords. I can’t recall what year we went with these pants that were called Dittos. They had a couple of different styles. 1 style was higher waisted with a saddle back. They came in a rainbow of colors. At the time it was special to be able to buy a pair since they were considered expensive.</p>
<p>I don’t recall seeing as much butt exposure back in the day as today. Or maybe it’s just more girls (and guys I suppose) going commando.</p>
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<p>They look good on people who have flat bellies.</p>
<p>^^No, VH, if that flat-bellied person in her low rise pants bends down, the look from the back may not be particularly flattering :p</p>
<p>Veryhappy- In regards to your question in post #12, men get Dunlap’s Disease. A guy’s gut has done lapped over their belt loops.</p>