8 Recession Indicators We Just Can't Ignore

From doomscrolling to the damning price of eggs, the United States is clearly in its flop era. For some reason, the government seems hesitant to declare a recession but recent trends in the wellness, fashion and beauty spaces are looking less like trends and more like... recession indicators.

As Forbes shared, a recession is "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy" and let's just say... fans didn't ignore Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour tickets for funsies. They're broke.

Keep reading for my favorite -- or shall I say -- f-cked, moments in U.S. culture, thus far.

Wasting Food Is the New Flex

At the end of March 2025, Hailey Bieber collaborated with FILA to release her very own sporty, chic collection. With strong streetwear roots, it made complete sense... until the campaign imagery hit Twitter. In one photo, she's seen pouring out an iced coffee, seemingly unbothered. In another photo, she has her hands full with everything from her baby's bottle to the day's groceries which are -- you guessed it -- spilling onto the ground. Twitter, the home of opinions, immediately chimed in with disdain: "Wasting food is the new fashion aesthetic" because, well, you're rich enough to flex while the world pinches pennies -- and look so unbothered doing it.

The Ordinary Eggs x MSCHF

You know you're living an episode of Black Mirror when the marketing geniuses pushing ridiculousness, MSCHF, have to reference the NYC egg shortage in their latest drag of culture. If the name doesn't ring a bell, the collective is responsible for those huge Mickey Mouse-esque boots that no one could walk in, but everyone wanted.

 

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This year, they partnered with beauty brand The Ordinary for their latest joke: egg prices. U.S. residents have seen an extreme price hike, leading both brands to collaborate on The Ordinary Eggs. "We heard NYC needed eggs," the beauty brand captioned the post. "This weekend, you can get 12 ordinarily priced eggs at our stores for $3.37—no frills, just eggs. While supplies last."

The Officecore Obsession

The office siren aesthetic went viral at the top of 2023, bringing sex appeal to your FYP -- not the office, as that's asking for an HR violation. The look dominated runways and before we knew it, everyone was channeling officecore to make the endless work hours just a little hotter. By 2025, it's gone from a cute look to a corporate self-esteem necessity. Even Hailey Bieber and FILA channeled officecore in their latest campaign shoot together... for a sporty chic collection.

Tax Bracket? Trinkets

Remember that cherry Coach trinket? Much like the lipsticks being the only makeup purchase women can afford right now, trinkets give the girls a chance to buy, even when budgets are low. From Smiski to Labubu trinkets, they’re perfect for decorating your tote, footwear and more. Before we knew it, the cheap item went from a nostalgic and niche collectible to gift guide-worthy.

Recession Pop

From Lady Gaga to Kesha's new single with T-Pain, recession pop is so back. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the feel-good, dance-your-heart-out genre of pop that can cure a week of crying about the economy.

DoorDash and... Klarna?

In March of 2025, Klarna and DoorDash food delivery partnered on a "Eat now, pay later" concept. Twitter flamed the concept as predatory while social media commentators quipped that this was a result of America's love for gambling. This collaboration, paired with wasting food as a flex, makes financial hardship in the States hard to deny.

Underconsumption-core

Chasing trends like officecore and gorpcore gave the girls new avenues to understand their personal style. But after years of repackaging aesthetics into -core's and over-buying to complete the look, some TikTok users are over it. Instead, they're now into underconsumption-core, a lifestyle choice that champions, you guessed it, underconsumption. You know, wearing your sneakers until they fall apart, creating a capsule wardrobe and most importantly, following a budget. In January, this took the form of No Buy January, with some women declaring they were making it a lifestyle.

Recession Hair or "Old Money Blonde"

Ah, the worst indicator of them all. "Recession hair" is the tragic occurrence of when your roots begin to show, and you don't have the budget to touch them up. Alas, you are forced to own your new look by getting a reverse Balayage, going back to your natural color or the worst alternative: rocking old roots because you can't afford the salon. Ironically, the girls on TikTok are attempting to rebrand this into "old money blonde."

The last time this was reported was during the 2008 U.S. recession and unfortunately, our roots are forcing us to call the economy what it is, whether the U.S. is ready to acknowledge it or not.

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