This photograph is a freakin’ horror show

Mental Floss ‘s 11 Fashions the Kids Were Wearing Back in 1993 is full of amusing and nostalgic images of fashion from 20 years ago, but one imagine in particular is unbelievable.

The cast of the hit television show 90210 in mom jeans.

I understand that every generation looks back and wonders what the hell the previous generation was thinking in terms of fashion, but mom jeans hold a unique and particularly horrifying position in the fashion.

High-waisted, astoundingly bunchy in the front, tight in the back and unflattering in every way possible, there is simply no explanation for the existence of this garment. And there is especially no explanation for why young, fit, good looking people would want to year a pair of jeans with enough additional material in front to hide a small baby or several cans of dog food.

In fact, the actors in this photo seem specifically posed in order to accentuate the horrifying nature of the jeans, with hands stuffed in pockets, hands resting on the jeans of fellow cast members, and the arms of two men wrapped nearly around their partner’s chests because of the high-waisted nature of the jeans.

Perhaps I’m generationally biased, except that I’m not. My Spuds Mackenzie tee-shirt and boat shoes without socks looked stupid, but mom jeans take fashion stupidity to a whole new level.