Now that it’s 2016, it’s time to let go of these 20 things that seemed to dominate the year 2015!
1. The “dress”
White and gold or black and blue? Whichever way you see the dress, I think we’re all in consensus that the argument is left in 2015.
2. Man buns
Cute and hipster during their rise, these overdone trends are now as common as UGG boots and chai tea lattes. A good clean-cut, suit-and-tie kind of man, however, will never go out of style.
3. Vaping
This ongoing trend of e-cigarettes was huge in 2015, but as 2016 approaches, we hope to see the end of the vaping trend, along with the end of fruity-scented smoke clouds blown in our faces.
4. Netflix and chill
The modern day dating plague of watching movies together with sexual implications has led to an apathy towards putting in effort to actually get to know one another. Here’s hoping Netflix stays in 2016, but “Netflix and chill” does not.
5. The Confederate flag
South Carolina took down their Confederate flag at their capitol grounds this year after Charleston shooter Dylan Roof proudly defended the symbol by citing it as a motivation for his shootings. While some backlashed against the societal recognition of the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism, many others stood in solidarity as many Americans rejected and removed the flag. Let’s hope 2016 is the year we stop seeing it altogether.
6. Hating on Justin Bieber
Selling over 650,000 copies, Justin Bieber’s album Purpose won the hearts of non-Beliebers everywhere. His catchy hits like “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean” consistently topped the charts and reminded everyone it’s never too late to have Bieber Fever—so let’s leave the Bieber hate in 2015 and indulge in Bieber’s success.
7. Donald Trump
When Donald Trump announced his presidency back in June 2015, some grimaced, some laughed, but all were expecting an entertaining display of what happens when a xenophobic, misogynist figure expects to be taken seriously as a viable presidential candidate. Flash forward to December 2015 and Trump is the top polling Republican nominee. Okay, joke’s over, you guys—let’s leave him behind in 2015.
8. Transphobia
When Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce, came out as a woman during the Diane Sawyer interview in April, the transgender community got some much-needed recognition. With the world progressing as rapidly as it is today, the transgender community is quickly gaining momentum and raising awareness for transphobia and what it means to have equal rights as a transgender American. With this constant progression, we hope transphobia is a thing of the past, left behind in 2015.
9. Islamophobia
Growing Islamophobia as a response to various terrorist attacks in 2015 has consequently led to an increased tension between Muslim-Americans and their non-Muslim neighbors. With vandalism of mosques and attacks on local Muslim communities, Islamophobia has become an epidemic we hope is left in 2015.
10. Paying for Snapchat filters
Snapchat introduced its animated lenses in September of 2015, and naturally—the world went insane. The My Story of Snapchatters around the globe was filled with rainbow drool and exaggerated tears—a feature which Snapchat later made available for purchase. But why would you pay Snapchat $1 to make you fake tears when you could think about life and cry for free?
11. “Lit, “fleek” and “bae”
These buzzwords have changed the way millennials communicate with one another in everyday conversation—but is that necessarily a good thing? Let’s leave these behind in 2015 and exchange them for the proper use of “your vs. you’re” or “there, their and they’re.”
12. Cultural appropriation
No, your bindi should not be a Coachella trend. No, “Sexy Native American” is not an acceptable Halloween costume. This year’s Tumblr trends held heavy cultural influences, but many of them were appropriated—let’s leave that in 2015.
13. The condom challenge
Okay, so demonstrating the durability and importance of a condom is a great thing—but similarly to the Ice Bucket Challenge, when something is done for social media attention, things can go very wrong. As a rule, refrain from putting airtight seals over your mouth and nose, especially when they are also filled with water.
14. “Hotline Bling” memes
We all jammed to “Hotline Bling” when it came out in late August, but it wasn’t long until the internet turned “Hotline Bling” and its video into a viral meme sensation—and it was funny until it wasn’t. Let’s leave that in 2015.
15. Raven Symone
Raven Symone caused great controversy this year with her contentious views on African-American culture. Perpetuating negative stereotypes and discouraging Black pride, Raven Symone has come a long way since her days of That’s So Raven—proving we should leave her in 2015.
16. Overfilling your eyebrows/ lips
Another trend adopted from the Kardashians, overfilling lips and brows has become the norm in 2015—but not only is this dramatic trend unnatural, it is also a slap in the face to girls everywhere who naturally have thick brows and full lips but were teased for it before it became cute.
17. The term “sidechick”
Not only is the term disturbing, but the concept of having a woman who is there as a supplement, an option, or a “side” to the “main” is something that should have been abolished a long time ago. Let 2016 be the year of the confident, sexy boss-lady who treats herself as nothing less than a queen, not a “sidechick.”
18. “Menism”
The supposedly satirical trend of “menism” may seem funny to some, but in reality its inception was to mock the efforts of feminism by perpetuating negative female stereotypes and poking fun at actual feminist issues. Let’s leave that in 1950… I mean, 2015.
19. “Relationship goals”
Yes, we all want that Tumblr-worthy relationship that we see glamorized online, but in reality your “relationship goals” set unrealistic expectations for relationships and in term breed insecurities about what love actually is. What you see online is not a complete or accurate portrayal of a relationship—stop romanticizing it! Leave that behind in 2015.
20. Hiding behind or being “in your feelings”
While this generation pretends to not have feelings, or souls or whatever, we fail to understand that in order to progress mentally and emotionally we need to trust, to express ourselves, to be human. Instead of hiding behind our passive-aggressiveness and fear of non-reciprocated feelings, we should embrace ourselves, learn about ourselves and use 2016 to grow and flourish. Time to leave the idea of “in your feelings” in 2015.