When it comes to social media, one thing we can never seem to escape is the different trends constantly circulating and changing. And while trends often come and go, there is one feeling associated with many that seems to stick. Nostalgia. Everyone has feelings of nostalgia towards different parts of their lives and their past. But not everyone experienced the same things, so how can we all yearn for the same memories? The key here is that it’s not a specific moment or personal thing we as a generation are yearning for, but rather it is a time and feeling that we never really got to experience. The vibes of getting to be a teenager in the early 2000s.
Now, to allow us to all be on the same page, let’s look at the general Merriam-Webster definition for nostalgia: “a sad pleasure experienced in recalling what no longer exists: a wistful or sentimental yearning for a return to or the return of some real or romanticized past period or some irrecoverable past condition or setting”. For what is being analyzed in this article, what really sticks out here is the yearning for something that is romanticized in the past. It is obvious that there were people who were experiencing their teenage years throughout the early 2000s. For many of us, that may be cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc. However, what is really notable is that the people who are yearning for this nostalgic experience are the ones who never got to experience it. The people who long for this magical time are Gen Z. For those of you who aren’t aware, Gen Z individuals are considered those who were born between the time of 1997-2012 (according to the University of Southern California). This means by definition none of us were teens during this time; many of us were simply just born, for that matter. So, the question is, what created this image in so many of our minds that this was the time to be alive, and we need to do everything to get that experience ourselves?
I mean, for one, I think a huge contributing factor would have to be the media that we grew up on. And by this, I mean the movies and TV shows that were popular while we were growing up. One very universal experience is that lots of people grew up watching Disney. It may have been movies, cartoons, shows, or specifically Disney Channel original movies. Whatever specific things were your jam, almost everyone was watching them. They were our culture, our sacred texts as a generation. If you look at a list of all of the Disney/Disney Channel movies coming out at this time, many of them have one thing in common: high school. Whether it was High School Musical 1, 2 & 3 or Another Cinderella Story, these nostalgic movies shaped our view of what high school was going to be like. And therefore shaped what we thought high school was like in the 2000s.
Another huge aspect that I personally resonate with the most would have to be the fashion aspect of it. People were so much freer and more creative with their style in the 2000s. There wasn’t as much influence from different forms of media; people were just trying on vibes and wearing what they wanted. Even scrolling through 2000s outfits on Pinterest, you get all kinds of different things: newsboy caps, chunky belts, slouchy boots, grungy looks, whimsical tops, “casual everyday heels.” I mean, I could go on with this list for days. The point is, there were so many different styles, all of which were fun, expressive, had personality, and were MAXIMALIST! What makes having the freedom to choose what you want to wear great is that everyone can pick for themselves. You don’t have to listen to other people or follow whatever the popular trends are at the time. But many people can’t get away from the feeling that they have to fit into what everyone else is doing at any given moment. And we see trends recycling and slightly changing every decade or two, so this can make it hard to keep up. If you want the fun, grungy, girly, more-is-more fashion, bring it back! People will love it and thank you for it, and you will thank yourself for the amazing fit you are wearing.
Social media is so interesting in the way that it has good and bad qualities. It allows us to stay in touch with the world around us, but it also has us yearning for a time we have never and will never experience. But who’s to say we can’t create our own early 2000s world right now?
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