Trendspotting: shiny short shorts

I've noticed a trend in the music videos of 2008. Teeny-weeny shiny, shiny shorts and bikini tops! Is this thanks to American Apparel? It's a budget-conscious way for stylists to inject some so-called glamour.
In the video for Because The Night, Cascada catches the attention of a buff rocker (I know he's a rocker because of his leather jacket, and his friend is holding some drumsticks). Obviously, her shiny bikini top and pants plus black corset combo helped.

Cheryl Tweedycole favours the shiny boob tube in Will.I.Am's Heartbreaker. The hoodie makes it really urban, no?

The lame (as in la-may, I can't figure out how to add accents in HTML) invasion continues in Blackout Crew's Put A Donk On It, a choon so terrible it makes me whimper a little. The dancers are the physical manifestation of 'techno'.

According to Vogue, three is enough for a trend. But I'm even more thorough than Vogue, so here is Camille, pretending to hula hoop in the video for Money Note. She's gone for the shiny shorts over black leggings, which I would call a 'just in case' look.
There's more lame (LA-MAY!) out in pop world, I just know it. I think I've spied more in videos I didn't care to remember, such as Mariah Carey. It all looks so sexy and glamorous up on screen. But it's that American Apparel vision of sexy, which doesn't actually exist. One spin through the washing machine and that stuff is ruined. I love how it's described as 'swimwear' on their website, with the caution that 'exposure to salt water and chlorine not recommended'.