Higher my skirt, better the economy of the country

Dhivya Raj
3 min readSep 16, 2022

--

Photo by Mikelya Fournier on Unsplash

Very recently I came across this podcast from GirlsThatInvest which said that the length of the hemline of a skirt/dress(referred to only as a skirt here on for ease) determines if or not a recession can be expected in about 3 years.

The detailed explanation is that if the length of the skirts were shorter, then the economy of a country is safe for the next 3/4 years. However, if the length of a skirt has increased and now suddenly everyone has started covering their knees and calves, means you did better start saving up for a recession that is expected in about 3 years.
Absolutely-freaking-ridiculous. So you are telling me that a country’s economy depends on how modest my skirts are. What next? Is there going to be an added variable that the length of the hair in my legs will determine the duration of the recession? No no, There is no way this is true.
Right? Well…Right???

That is what I thought but it also piqued my interest. So I went on to do some research as to why were folks even suggesting this. Turns out they were absolutely right. (Well they are the experts. High chance they are right)

There is also a term defined for this. The Hemline index. Google it. Real stuff.

So here is what it says

Hemlines increase -> stock prices go up -> bullish market == party/celebration
hemlines decrease -> stock prices drop -> bearing market == patience/cry (whatever is your style)

There is an explainable theory behind this.
Good economy = more money = better lifestyle = feel good factor = chic dressing sense
Recession = no money in the account = lack of interest/I don’t care much/affordability issues = survival zone

There are also altering theories to this. Such as longer skirts mean more fabric. Hence more cost. We can’t spend more in a bearish market. However, my very limited exposure to retail shopping has shown that shorter skirts are more expensive than longer ones. Anyone from the fashion industry? Care to correct?

To prove more, below are some approx numbers and the sequence
1920s skirt lengths went up
1920’ stock market increased until 1929 — quadrupling in some case
The length increased
1929 onwards Great Depression occurred
1930 it went to knee length (which was still short for that era)
1940 wartime bulls
1947 long skirts were introduced by the fashion industry
1949 Recession
1960 mini skirts were introduced
1980’s millionnaire boom
1980s midi came about
1987 stock market crashed again

Woola… the timeline fits.

Before you go on to purchase that short skirt to save the country from the current recession, a note. A few months ago this theory was debunked. But hey the original has been running since 1920.

Wow, this was some revelation. You no longer will need fancy prediction models, I guess? A few visits to the stores around should tell what is in the trend and if we have to sell/buy. There is a risk now though, are the perverts going to use this as a reason to stare at the other’s legs? ‘Well my love, I am just wondering what the economy is going to be in 3 yrs’ Urgghhh.

Ah but folks who don’t wear skirts/dresses, don’t feel left out? Don’t worry, if you are the kinds to wear men’s boxer-style underwear, it turns out you also can indicate how the economy is going to behave. I’ll let you research the men’s underwear index. A humble request, please don’t forget to wear pants post the research.

Note : All my references/data are from google and podcasts.

--

--

Dhivya Raj

‘There are only two ways to live a life. As though everything is magic, or as though nothing is.’ Albert Einstein modified.