Wrangler’s $50 Jeans Are the Best in the Butt Business Style

Wrangler’s $50 Jeans Are the Best in the Butt Business

Published April 23, 2025NYT Wirecutter

By Alexander Aciman

Alexander Aciman is an editor who has written about pasta-making, running gear, and Wirecutter picks he has spotted on TV shows.

Picture this: Don Draper stands at the head of a boardroom amid a cloud of cigar smoke. Because whatever you may think of the fit, or the comfort, or the decidedly and unapologetically straight-leggedness of Wrangler’s flagship pants, one thing is undeniable: They flatter the very anatomical feature that men’s jeans have spent decades trying to hide.

The Wrangler brand found its way into the wardrobes of many of the 20th century’s greatest icons, from Martin Luther King Jr. and Paul Newman to Freddie Mercury and John Lennon. He waits in silence for a moment, scans the room, and finally he speaks.

“Wrangler butts,” he says. “They drive you nuts.”

Or at least this is how I imagine the original pitch went for Wrangler’s Cowboy Cut Jeans when they were first introduced, in 1947. Read more about it here.