I think it's totally okay to like or dislike just about anything! Some styles just rub us the wrong way (your perfectly apt "poison eye"). I happen to kinda like these, especially when I see them styled, but then I like elastic-waist pants and those types of pockets, and Tencel is a lovely pant fabric :).
I think you can take most anything that's fashionable or currently trendy and find its equivalent "down market" or "frumpy" counterpart (like those Walmart pants you showed). Think of a floral jacket, an oversized sweatshirt, sporty sneakers, oxfords, slouchy pants, etc.--they can be seriously chic or seriously not-so-chic, depending on the silhouette details, the fabrication, what they are paired with, the wearer's overall style (including hair, accessories, make-up) and so on.