There’s a significant difference between 2009 me and 2019 me. It mostly has to do with the braces and glasses I have luckily grown out of and stopped wearing. But I know I am not alone on that, especially seeing as the “10 Year Challange” has been going viral on social media. Though what we don’t notice is that 2019 is a big difference from 2009 besides just our body evolving from puberty. If you look at the difference from 2009 as a whole or even month by month, you’ll be able to recognize the difference. So now that five days of February 2019 have passed, I want to reflect on the news and pop culture differences of February 2009 versus February 2019, then just laugh at my eleven year old childhood pictures. Here are the nine differences of February 2009 versus February 2019 I have noticed from my research:
01. BILLBOARD NO. 1 SINGLE
GIF courtesy of Rebloggy.
February 2009: “My Life Would Suck Without You” by Kelly Clarkson reaches Billboard’s no. 1 single from February 7th to February 21.
February 2019: “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande reaches Billboard’s no. 1 single from February 2nd to present.
02. Super Bowl
GIF courtesy of Gfycat.
Februay 2009: The Steelers win against Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII, making the Steelers’ football team the first national football team to win six Super Bowl championships.
February 2019: The Patriots win against LA Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl LIII, making the Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, the first national football player to win six Super Bowl champion rings.
03. MUSIC AWARDS
GIF courtesy of Giphy.
February 2009: Adele takes home two awards from the 2009 Grammy Award Show: Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance for her song, “Chasing Dreams.”
February 2019: Lady Gaga is recognized as the first female to win all five big awards in one season at the 2019 Oscars.
04. MOVIE RELEASES
GIF courtesy of Movie Reviews Simbasible.
February 2009: Fired Up and Pink Panther 2 were released.
February 2019: Isn’t It Romantic and What Men Want were released
05. JONAS BROTHERS
GIF courtesy of b93.fm.
February 2009: The film, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, was released in theatres on February 27th, 2009.
February 2019: The Jonas Brothers announced they were getting back together on Twitter and even hinted at the release of a new song.
06. SOCIAL MEDIA
GIF courtesy of Gfycat.
February 2009: 18 million people have joined Twitter by the end of February 2009.
February 2019: Instagram celebrated having more than 1 billion monthly active users.
07. UNITED STATES’ PRESIDENTS
GIF courtesy of Giphy.
February 2009: On February 27th, 2009, President Obama announces the official date the government plans to end the Iraq War.
February 2019: During the government shutdown of February 2019, President Trump declares an emergency over the Mexico Wall.
08. LGBT RIGHTS
GIF courtesy of Giphy.
February 2009: On February 1st, 2009 Jóhanna Sigurõrdóttir was sworn into office as Iceland’s Prime Minister. The inauguration marked Sigurõrdóttir becoming Iceland’s first female prime minister and first openly gay Head of Government.
February 2019: After President Trump’s ban on transgenders in the US military, transgender troops testified in court on February 27th, 2019.
09. WEATHER
GIF courtesy of Giphy.
February 2009: On February 7th, 2009 at least 181 people are reported dead by the worst of Australian’s wildfires to date.
February 2019: On February 22nd, 2019 Tucson residents saw the first snowfall in 17 years.