Women Not Dyeing Their Hair, Hot People Working Minimum Wage Jobs, And 13 Other Recession Indicators
If you're feeling the pinch financially, you're not alone. With so much uncertainty in the air, many people are worried about the possibility of a recession.
In the r/Millennials subreddit, u/Soup_stew_supremacy recently asked about "funny recession indicators," like skinny jeans and tall Uggs coming back into fashion this fall and winter. However, most redditors offered more serious responses to watch out for — perhaps an indicator in itself. Here's what they said:
1."Women not dyeing or highlighting their hair is a real indicator, from what I’ve read."
"Yeah. Shelling out $260 every eight weeks is not easy."
2."Read an article saying that there’s no song of the summer for 2025 due to the economic environment. And of the top ten most-streamed songs this year, only one was released in 2025. People are supposedly returning to recession-era music as well."
"Seriously — saw a TikTok saying our 'summer song' this year is 'Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday' 😅."
3."Hot people in minimum wage jobs. I'm in a college town, so a lot of employees in retail/food service are good-looking, but I've seen quite a few really hot people working at McDonald's over the summer."
"For me, it's retirement-age people working those traditionally teenage jobs. Scares the hell out of me as we're getting closer to retirement age (whatever that means anymore)."
4."I was in Target the other day and noticed a lot of the women’s clothing was becoming more drab in color and utilitarian in style. Lots of beige and denim in very simple cuts."
"I can't remember where I saw it called 'Handmaid's Retail,' but that's all it is now."
"Apparently, hem length of skirts is an indicator of recession. The longer your skirt is, the more of a recession we are in."
5."I'm in a transition point in my life. Biggest recession indicator of them all."
"The quintessential millennial experience. Big life change coming up where your predecessors came out on top? Let's tank the economy and put you through your 15,000th 'unprecedented, once-in-a-lifetime' event."
6."I've found newer restaurants are not busy, but more established restaurants are about the same. Shows that people are not taking as many risks with their money."
"My wife and I just had our first kid and our first date post-child. Our options were trying something new or somewhere we trust. I did not want to risk our first outing being at a new restaurant, so we stuck with an old faithful. Don’t have the money or time to risk a bad experience 🤷♂️."
7."Kesha dropped [the song] 'Tik Tok' during a recession, and I'm afraid to tell y'all that she has dropped no fewer than two absolute bangers this year."
"I’m thinking that if Rihanna drops an album, it’s over for all of us."
8."I work for the county’s child services and support division. There’s been a noticeable uptick in the number of people filing for divorce. Jobs go bad, stress increases, and marriages fail."
9."Concerts are not busy unless you’re Morgan Wallen or Taylor Swift. Hotels and resorts not even half full."
"I saw pics of Vegas being dead this summer, truly tragic."
"A lot of non-Americans are boycotting the USA."
10."I read yesterday that the most popular selling beer this summer is Miller High Life. Cheap as shit. This could be an indicator as well. I thought it was interesting at least."
"Worked in the beverage industry. This is absolutely an indicator. People change brands in hard times. They don't stop drinking, though."
11."In my social circle, half the couples have one person recently unemployed and getting NOWHERE on the job hunt. Pretty good indicator."
12."More car accidents. Bald tires."
"Bald tires are a good one. And more expired license plate tags. Those are the types of things that people will try and stretch out."
13."The only thing you need to pay attention to is the male underwear index. Yes, it's a thing. Men stop buying undies when times are tight. Who’s to see them?"
14."The 'we buy houses for cash' signs all over. I see commercials now, too. 'Any condition.'"
15.And finally, "Strippers reporting smaller take-home tips."
"The Stripper Index is a real thing. It's powerfully effective at predicting the economic health of a society. Sex work in general is very accurate as an indicator, as a so-called canary in the coal mine."
Know any other recession indicators? Share them in the comments or in the anonymous form below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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