CNN —As a pre-teen in Y2K, the (small) shadows of crop tops loomed large. In a decade when unforgiving low-rise jeans were the norm — and criticism over women’s bodies perfunctory — crop tops were not casual, easy wear; any softness of the torso was considered an aberration. Now that I’m 36, crop tops have become an unlikely staple in my wardrobe, and I’m reluctant to let them go. Can I still wear crop tops in my forties? I can also keep wearing crop tops for as long as I feel like it — after all, whenever I see a woman a generation ahead of me owning her personal style and at ease with herself, it gives me something to aspire to.

---

Persons: Keira Knightley, Tommy Hilfiger, Buffy ”, baring, Gwen Stefani's midriff, Ron Galella, Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage, I’m, they’ve, Martens clompers, Julia Fox's, Bauer, Griffin, Jennifer Lopez doesn't, —, I’ve, Ashley Graham, Jim Spellman Organizations: CNN Locations: South Carolina, New York City, Chinatown