Recession Indicator

About

Recession Indicator, often used in the line, "This is a recession indicator BTW," is a catchphrase and cultural cliché in which people define certain practices and developments as indicative of an impending recession. The practice of deeming things to be recession indicators can be traced back to 2019, however, jokes defining various activities and practices as recession indicators began to gain traction online during President Donald Trump's second term in office in early 2025. Examples of things jokingly referred to as recession indicators include flash mobs, "office siren" clothing (a fashion trend involving sexed-up office wear) and people turning to Christianity, among others such as Recession Pop Music.

Origin

Jokes about "recession indicators" can be traced back to 2019, when several internet users noted an increase in media coverage about niche recession indicators. On August 21st, 2019, Twitter^[1] / X user @litcapital posted a series of headlines alongside a tweet that read, "When did everything become a 'recession indicator.'"

On August 15th, 2019, The Onion^[2] posted a joke news article titled, "Wall Street Worried About Key Recession Indicator After Ominous Black Storm Clouds Spotted Atop Mount Money."

Spread

On May 19th, 2022, Twitter^[3] user @botticellibimbo tweeted, "the strip club is sadly a leading indicator and I can promise y’all we r in a recession lmao," gathering over 100,000 likes in three years. On November 2nd, Twitter^[4] user @glamdemon2004 called Aubrey Plaza's Marvel casting in Agatha Coven of Chaos a recession indicator, gathering over 7,000 likes in three years.

On January 15th, 2023, Twitter^[5] user @ludwighurtado wrote, "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The return of flash mobs is perhaps the single greatest indicator of a recession," gathering over 86,000 likes in two years.

On April 28th, 2024, Twitter^[6] user @pyroxiumn tweeted, "Feels very 2008 Obama era 'random' core, do the Harlem shake, Great Recession here. Has to be a recession indicator here," gathering over 20,000 likes in a year.

Jokes about "recession indicators" continued into early 2025, with Twitter^[7] user @didionesques responding to a tweet asking if Lady Gaga is a recession indicator, writing, "or is recession a gaga indicator?" The February 3rd post gathered over 62,000 likes in a month.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References