Goodbye 2025, Hello 2016
We are obsessed with nostalgia. It’s only natural — It’s human nature to miss the past and the simpler times of our youth. The different eras of social media are no exception. Because social media usage is such an integral aspect of the human experience today, the platforms that we use become embedded in our nostalgic daydreams. People long to Tumblr-ify their lives and make Instagram casual again. Enter TikTok’s newest buzzword: 2016. TikTok has a way of romanticizing everything — from people, to places, to entire years and eras. But how does an entire year become a buzzword? Many people consider 2016 the last good year, for a multitude of reasons: The music, the fashion, the last year before the first Trump administration. While our timelines are being overflowed with bad news, it’s nice to reminisce on a time when freedom and self-expression were celebrated.
Social media was very different in 2016. Sadly, I was only eleven years old, so I didn’t get to fully live out my King Kylie dreams while they were taking place. The older girls in my life, like my cousins and my friend’s sisters, were the coolest on social media. A follow from them was the ultimate stamp of approval for me. The teenage girls of this time had a huge effect on what I wore, how I did my makeup, the music I listened to, the way I talked, and more. They were the ultimate trendsetters, introducing me to some of the first trends that I remember following. I have a distinct memory of sitting in my cousin Lizzy’s bathroom, watching her do her makeup while she played G-Eazy and Post Malone on her JBL speaker. I wanted nothing more than to be like her.
Since I was so young at the time, I’m excited by the opportunity to really lean into the aesthetic in ways that I couldn’t before. Back then, it only existed on a screen, but now I have the fashion sense (and the funds) to recreate it. Revisiting those trends is less about trying to create exact copies of what people were wearing, but instead incorporating them into the trends of today and our own personal style. When I really think about it, so many aspects of 2016 style stuck with me as I got older. Doc Marten boots, chokers, lace, tiny jean shorts, and more are still key players in my outfit rotation. It’s clear to me now how heavily my style and identity were defined by 2016. Before I know it, I’m sure I’ll start wearing pieces that I side-eye my past self for wearing, like ripped skinny jeans and that one dark green bomber jacket that everybody had.
These trends speak to something deeper than just clothing: authenticity. We crave the freedom to be our truest, most authentic selves, while being celebrated for it. In 2016, acceptance felt like it was the norm. Our president was Black. Social media was a freer, less reality-augmented place. Music artists were releasing incredible music, and we looked up to them. As a whole, hate was less tolerated. The culture around fashion and beauty reflected openness and the right to be bold without judgment or shame. It’s hard to look back on that year and not long for what it was like to be a human at that time, a time where it felt like progress was linear. But the fact that these trends are reemerging is a sign of a cultural turnaround. People are tired of hatred and spitefulness--we want optimism and opportunity.
In embracing 2016 again, we’re reaching for a culture that is more humane and hopeful than the one we are currently navigating. To me, that is a sign of progress and even better days ahead.
Images via Pinterest and Tumblr.
