DoorDash is partnering with Klarna. Mama Mia is returning to Broadway. Southwest Airlines plans to charge for checked bags. Business casual is back. The internet is having a field day pointing out economic and social symbols from the early 2010s that are so eerily returning in 2025, leading many to ask: how close are we to a recession?
If that isn’t enough to scare you, the number of law school applicants is up 20.5% from last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Anyone who considered going full Legally Blonde in the Great Recession or during the early COVID era can tell you a spike in law school enrollment is the equivalent of birds fleeing the area before a major storm.
No one wants to return to when overpriced bite-sized cupcakes reigned supreme, but history dares to repeat itself. Here’s recession indicators that keeps me up at night.
Are We In A Recession Rn?
Recessions are known for being hard to predict. Often defined by rising unemployment and declining economic activity, there’s three major areas considered when declaring a recession: consumer behavior, government debt, and employment rate. (Personally, I think we should consider how close Ryan Murphy is to announcing a Glee reboot, but I digress.) In the U.S., the National Bureau of Economic Research makes the official call, but economic experts have yet to sound the alarms — despite social sentiment.
TL;DR: No, we’re not in a recession, but you’d think we are based on the “recession indicators” memes being shared.
✅ Recession Pop Is Back
The Lumineers are going on TOUR! Yes, pop-folk music wants you clapping again at your fave millennial burger joint. Lady Gaga’s new album “Mayhem” brought her back to her pop roots — and is bringing all of us back to 2008. And if Cataracs & Dev’s new single, “Make Ya Body Whistle,” doesn’t make you yearn for Flo Rida, then I’m not a zillennial. Not to mention, Calvin Harris is singing again. Recession indicator! Recession indicator!! Recession indicator!!!
✅ It Costs Your First Born Child To Leave The House
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 4.1% of Americans attended or hosted a social event on weekends or holidays in 2023. And who can blame them? With Uber surcharges and cocktails costing north of $20, it’s hard to justify going out for a night. And traveling outside your city? Welp, the budget airline Southwest now plans to charge for checked bags, so don’t expect to get much bang for your buck there either.
✅ It Costs And Arm And A Leg To Stay Home
Food delivery services like DoorDash are partnering with “buy now, pay later” financial services where customers can pay for their burrito taxi in interest-free installments aligned with payday schedules. Yep, you can now take out loans for your take-out. But with streaming costs soaring, you might as well stay home and binge-watch as much TV as possible to make the cost worthwhile.
✅ Fresh Produce Has Become A Luxury Item
Millennials are familiar with being told their downfall was due to avocado toast and their desperate need for daily Starbucks. Well, now Gen Z is being told its generation is “splurging” on groceries as if it’s a luxury item.
@kfesteryga Its giving you peasants can barely afford groceries but we have such an excess that we can use food as decor #kimkardashian #thekardashians #khloekardashian #foodtiktok #foodprices #costofliving #decor #hungergames #trendpredictions #gildedage ♬ original sound – kfesteryga
Known for her series about food being positioned as a luxury commodity, TikToker Katherine Festeryga (aka @kfesteryga) predicted fresh produce would become part of high fashion in 2025. Why? As groceries become more and more expensive, wasting fresh produce becomes a status symbol. We’re now seeing that prediction come to pass. As part of her press tour for Snow White, Rachel Zegler was on the cover of Elle España dumping a basket of juicy-looking red apples on the ground. And for Hailey Bieber’s FILA campaign, she’s photographed with produce pouring from a paper bag. It’s giving: let them eat cake.
✅ The Straights Are So Back (Derogatory)
There’s been a lot of pop culture wins for the straights lately — from Tomdaya getting engaged at the top of the year to Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet being accepted by the masses. Being straight was seen as cringe for a hot sec, but now it’s cutesy again. I mean, yes, straights have always been accepted… but not necessarily trendy. (*cough, cough* Convenient timing politically.) Need further proof? Kristen Stewart is playing straight again. (It’s giving me Twilight flashbacks.)
✅ 2010s Fashion Is At Its Peak Again
Celebs like Doechii are wearing boho chic unironically. The Olsen twins are style icons again. And the girlies are wearing business casual to the clubs. As we know by now, day-to-night outfits are peak recession-core. From peplum tops to pencil skirts, it’s all about finding items that can take you from office hours to happy hour. These multi-purpose wardrobe items are typically indicative of an economic downturn. And don’t even get me started about the hemline index.
