Quirky Fashion-related Recession Indicators Are All The Rage

I haven't been out much lately but every time Ive been outside Ive noticed that spotting a recession indicator is trendy, as talk of the cost of living seems to pepper every conversation.

From what I and others wear my preference for formal pants lately it seems many see recession indicators everywhere. That I prefer staying indoors is in itself a recession indicator, as a few people I know have suggested. I have other reasons for staying indoors age and sobriety, among them, but they are not entirely wrong that the cost of socialising is chief among them.

This game of spotting poverty signifiers for lack of a better term could be a spillover from online chatter that has been filled with theories about a looming recession. You may have heard about the lipstick index a theory that suggests that a spike in the sales of lipstick and other affordable feel-good beauty products signals an economic downturn.

Its among several popular theories on TikTok and other corners of the internet about a looming recession, but many other similar, sometimes weird, indicators populate online discourse. Expect these theories to spike as the world tries to become familiar with a new layer of economic uncertainty brought about by the current US administrations tariffs on trade partners that has ignited a trade war.