NEWS

Investigating the Origin of Justin Bieber's Hideous Harem Pants

By A Mystery Man Writer

This weekend, a Justin Bieber apparel trend resurfaced that proved both impossible to continue ignoring, and even more distressing than his reported breakup with Selena Gomez. Specifically, Bieber’s newfound commitment to harem pants, a supremely unflattering style of trousers that droop above the knee like an oversize diaper before tapering down to the ankle. The pop star has been seen in this particular style, widely associated with M.C. Hammer in the 90s, before, but this weekend, Bieber seemed to fully dedicate himself to the outré trend. On Friday night, the 18-year-old was photographed wearing the hideous pants after a reported fight with Gomez. (If the dispute was over the pants, we fully side with Gomez.) And on Sunday at the American Music Awards, Bieber proved his loyalty to the style by wearing one pair of quilted harem pants on the red carpet before changing into a leather pair of lipstick-red harem pants for his performance. Instead of continuing to castigate the teen sensation for his criminal taste in bottom-wear, we’ve opted to investigate its origins. Perhaps if we can understand and appreciate the history behind harem pants, we can learn how to support this latest revival. (Or at least not openly sneer whenever we see a photo of Bieber and the aforementioned pantaloons.)